The Rise of the Drackens
by StarLight Massacre
Summary: Harry comes into a very unexpected inheritance. He is a creature both rare and beautiful and now he must avoid detection at all costs, whilst choosing his life partners and dealing with impending pregnancy at sixteen. What's a boy to do?
1. Welcome to Dracken Life

Author: StarLight Massacre

Title: The Rise of the Drackens

Rating: R

Warning: Slash, violence, moresome, language, blood, Mpreg, creature fic.

Pairing: Originally Draco/Harry/Blaise is now Draco/Harry/Blaise/OMC/OMC

Disclaimer: I do not own anything from Harry Potter; all rights go to J. K. Rowling. I make no money for this piece of fictional writing and never will.

**This story was adopted from ****Beautiful Kaos**** on Fanfiction. Net and was originally called ****Dragon Kind****. The Dracken concept is ****hers****, not mine; I've just fiddled about with it. This first chapter is made up of bits and pieces of the first chapter she wrote before putting her story up for adoption, I have tweaked it and added a lot to it, but the underlying plot for this one chapter is hers.**

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**14****th**** April 2012 A/N**: Welcome back those who read and reviewed the first time around. As you know this story was deleted on the 11th of April 2012 and I am now putting it back up for those of you on this site that want to read it again.

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The Rise of the Drackens.

Chapter One – Welcome to Dracken Life

Harry Potter woke in the early hours of the morning on his sixteenth birthday to some very surprising, unexpected and, quite frankly, shocking changes.

The first thing his groggy mind became aware of was his eyesight. Everything was so perfectly clear. He had never seen with such startling clarity before, even with his glasses on and now the dim box bedroom of number four Privet Drive was like a whole new experience to the young wizard.

The tiny dust motes floating in the air, the individual strokes of paint on the bedroom walls, the specks of dirt on the carpet, he could see it all. Colours, he noticed, were more vibrant and there was so much _more_ to everything, every colour, every shape, every pattern. He never knew there were so many shades of white before. His eyesight was better than any human could hope to achieve.

After staring for twenty minutes at the pattern the wood grain made in his battered, second hand, dresser Harry figured he had better see what other changes he might have gained whilst he had been sleeping. Hopefully they were as wonderful as his new found eyesight.

After checking to make sure the Dursleys were still asleep, he tip-toed down the hall to the bathroom. Upon entering he could only stare in shock at the reflection staring back at him in the mirror. The boy in the mirror was about five foot five. His face was not as round anymore. He had high cheekbones, a thin nose that was placed perfectly over full and pouty lips. His eyes were a deep emerald green framed by long, sooty lashes. His hair was pure silk, cascading down to the middle of his back like an inky black waterfall. His body was slender and dare he say, _curvier_. His waist was pulled in under his rib cage and his hips were bigger and more rounded than they had been before. He had strong, long legs, and a pert bum. His skin was perfectly smooth and unblemished. Not a freckle or scar marred the ivory flesh. He was _beautiful_.

After stripping off his clothes to get a better look at himself, Harry peered once more into the mirror. He could hardly believe the reflection in the mirror was _him_. He twirled around before a glint of something caught his eye. He looked closer; trying to see what it was that had caught his attention. Suddenly he gasped in part shock, part horror. Scales!

There were small white scales, so perfectly blended in with his pale skin that he could barely tell that they were there at all. After looking closer he saw that the scales were all over his body. They started at the top of his neck and went down his shoulders and back. They continued on down his bum and his legs. They glittered on his chest and stomach as well, reflecting the bathroom light.

The scales did not cover every inch of him, but were in some sort of intricate design. Looking at his face he saw that there were scales there as well, but they were so much smaller than the others that they were easily missed or over looked. They were on his forehead and his cheekbones, flowing over the bridge of his nose like a masquerade mask. Looking closer Harry also spotted the scales on his chin and even on his eyelids! He couldn't believe it, this had to be some sort of weird dream.

'_What the hell am I?'_ He wondered in slight panic. '_Maybe I'm some sort of snake or lizard, perhaps a dragon? Do I have wings?' _

No sooner than when he had finished his thought he felt an agonising, searing pain in his back. He fell to his knees and gasped as quietly as he could so he didn't wake his relatives as he felt a strange weight upon his shoulders after a ripping sensation and a warm liquid gushed down his bare back.

Glancing fearfully up into the mirror he saw there were indeed wings sprouting from his back, they were attached to him by thin, but solid protruding bones that started at the base of his neck joined up with his shoulder blades and merged with the middle of his rib cage to support the huge wings on his back. He was bleeding heavily and the wings were covered thickly in blood and a mucous like membrane.

The patches of the leathery white wings that were clean of blood were covered in the same white scales as the rest of his body, only they were larger, more easily seen and had ridges that could be felt where the scales on his face were completely smooth to the touch. Harry stared in awe at the beautiful appendages he had just gained. They were almost as tall as he was. He flexed them carefully, experimentally, wanting to get used to the feel of them. He stretched them out as wide as they would go, being mindful of the bathroom appliances and the light fixture above him. He made a rough estimate that his wing span was probably about eleven or twelve feet.

'_I wonder if I can fly with these. It would be so much better than flying on a broom. I wonder if I can get them to go away as easily as they come.'_

The wings immediately receded into his back with just a thought and a slight twitch to his back muscles. Thankfully without as much pain as calling them had caused him.

'_I'd better get back to my room before the Dursleys get up. I really don't want to deal with them right now. I just want to get my things ready.' _Harry thought to himself as he redressed and padded back to his bedroom._ 'Thank Merlin I don't have to spend another night in this house. I don't know why I was sent back here in the first place. Voldemort is gone now and the Death Eaters are all in Azkaban. Well, most of them anyway and I would be just as safe in the Leaky Cauldron.'_

Back in his room, dressed once more in his too large clothing, Harry decided to do some self-research. He wanted to know what sort of creature he had become. So getting out all of his books on magical creatures he flipped through them all until finally in the last and the thickest of the books, one that Hagrid had given him the year previous as a birthday present, he found a short excerpt that could possibly explain his creature inheritance to him.

_Drackens. (Or Dragon Kind.)_

_Drackens are a rare breed of magical creature. They are believed to be nearly extinct with the number of the creatures' population dropping significantly as more Drackens choose to breed with humans to avoid detection, causing the bloodline to dilute and eventually die out. _

_The drop in Dracken populace can also be accounted to wizards, who hunt Drackens for their blood, organs and scales which are useful for certain potions, rituals and spells. _

_Drackens have been classed as dark creatures since the eighteen-forties by the British, American, Asian and European Ministries of Magic and have consequently been deemed as dangerous to society. _

_There are rumoured to be less than a hundred living Drackens worldwide, though it is unclear if this number is accurate as Drackens have become adept at hiding their defining characteristics making it easier for them to blend in with human beings._

'_Interesting. I wonder if there are any Drackens at Hogwarts. Surely I'm not the only one. But then again if there are so few...' _Harry shook off those morbid thoughts and turned back to the book.

_There are two kinds of Drackens. The dominant Dracken and the submissive Dracken. Or the Alpha Dracken and Beta Dracken._

_Dominant Drackens, or the Alpha Dracken as some cultures have come to know them as, are ninety-eight percent of the time males. There have been only two reported and proven cases of a dominant female Dracken. Dominants are always much larger and more vicious than their submissive counterparts. This is to protect their submissive and any offspring they might have._

_Dominant Drackens are very possessive of what they deem is theirs and are very territorial, most likely due to the dragon blood in their veins. A dominant Dracken will be at his most vicious and dangerous when his submissive is in heat, is pregnant or is nesting. Any threat to his submissive or his young will be removed as quickly as he is able to do so._

_Dominant Drackens appear to be outwardly cold and cruel. It is only with his submissive and his young that he will show any tenderness. But even then the dark side of the Dracken will show through as a dominant Dracken will still be rough, unknowing of his own strength._

_A dominant Dracken will punish his submissive if he feels the submissive has done wrong, though he will never cause his submissive any permanent harm as a Dracken, like their dragon counterparts, is a very vain and prideful creature and having a beautiful, flawless submissive will be a source of great pride for a dominant._

_The dominant counterpart is the submissive Dracken, or Beta Dracken, who are typically female, though there have been several reported submissive male Drackens; none have been verified as their dominant partners have hidden them away. _

_Submissive male Drackens, like dominant females are exceptionally rare. It is rumoured belief that submissive male Drackens are perfectly capable of carrying and giving birth to young, but it is assumed that this is only possible if the submissive Dracken breeds with a dominant Dracken as it has been tested and verified that copulating with a human male blocks a submissive Drackens natural breeding cycle, resulting in the Dracken becoming barren and unable to conceive a child. This is not true however of the dominant Dracken, who is fully able to impregnate a human woman if he so chooses, the male submissive and the female dominant are anomalies and without further proof we are unable to separate fact from fiction on whether or not submissive males can impregnate human women like their dominant male counter parts or if dominant females turn barren when breeding with a human like their submissive female counterparts._

_Though submissive Drackens are smaller than their dominant counterparts, they can be just as dangerous if provoked, nearly ninety percent of documented submissive Dracken killings were over the Dracken's offspring being threatened or harmed. A submissive will rarely kill for their dominant as, exactly like their dragon ancestors, the dominant male is expected to take care of himself and his family, it is a submissives job to protect the young and not her dominant. _

_A submissive may, in some cases, have more than one dominant mate. A powerful submissive Dracken requires more than one dominant to impregnate her for the conception to take up; it is unclear as to why, as the Drackens are so few in number that nearly all of them hide themselves away as a safety precaution._

_Both dominant and submissive Drackens are extremely durable, adaptable and notoriously hard to kill. Because of their tough skin most spells will not affect a Dracken and their scales are highly reflective, allowing spells to just bounce right off of them. The only exception is the killing curse, Avada Kedavra. _

_Drackens are also reported to be allergic to salt water, which with prolonged exposure can cause the skin of a Dracken to become irritated and inflamed. Though the allergy is not deadly, it can cause serious harm including; itching, burning, boils and if in contact with the eyes of a Dracken for any extended period of time can cause blindness._

_The characteristics and features of a Dracken include:_

_Scales:_

_Dominant Drackens have scales covering approximately fifty to sixty percent of their body, excluding their wings which are covered entirely with scales just one inch apart from one another. The dominant will have darker scales ranging from black to dark reds, blues, greens and purples etcetera._

_Submissive Drackens have scales covering approximately seventy-five to eighty percent of their body. A submissive Dracken's wings are also entirely covered with scales an inch apart from one another, but the submissive Dracken differs from the dominant because a submissive Dracken's scales will start out solidly white and will, with time, change to reflect the colour(s) of their dominant(s)._

_Wings:_

_A dominant Dracken's wings are large and powerful, much like the dominant Dracken is himself, spanning up to twenty-five feet in length depending on how old, how tall, how heavy (and/or) powerful the Dracken is. Dominants will display their wings for a potential mate. The larger the wings, the more impressive they'll be to a submissive._

_A submissive Dracken's wings are not as large as their dominant counterpart, spanning out at approximately thirteen or fourteen feet at most. This is most probably because the submissive Dracken is smaller and lighter than a dominant and also because the submissive does not need her wings to entice a dominant mate to her._

_Both dominant and submissive Drackens can use their wings for flight and can travel for long distances and at great heights without the need to stop for rest or without the worry of altitude sickness._

_Fangs/Claws:_

_Both dominant and submissive Drackens have fangs and claws, though these will be considerably bigger on the dominant Dracken. The fangs and claws are usually kept sheathed until needed for killing, hunting or protecting. Both are large and deadly, but a submissive Dracken's claws are very acidic. This acid is secreted in the nail beds and can coat the claws in seconds; the acid is so corrosive just a few swipes can burn a medium sized hole through a human body. _

_Breeding Cycles:_

_Submissive Drackens go into heat several times a year, but despite this it is believed that there are only two periods of time in a single year in which a Dracken can be impregnated. _

_Breeding cycles vary with each submissive, but the most common time for a Dracken to become pregnant is in the winter. The average range of days for a submissive Dracken to be in heat is ten days in which a dominant Dracken will breed his submissive almost continually to ensure the largest possible number of offspring. Neither the dominant nor submissive will feed during this time of continuous mating._

_Pregnancy:_

_The gestation period of a submissive Dracken is approximately seven months, during this time the dominant Dracken will be so severely protective of his submissive that he will rarely let her out of his sight and he will not let anyone near her, not even family members, the only exception to this is if the submissive Dracken has more than one dominant mate, in which case, only the other Dracken will be allowed near her._

_It is believed that in order to keep the offspring healthy and growing strongly the dominant Dracken will need to share his fluids with his submissive. He will do this by kissing his mate to share his saliva, touching to share his sweat, ejaculating into his mate to give his semen and feeding his blood to his mate and child._

_Symptoms of Dracken pregnancy include; Nausea, irritability, dizziness, sensitivity to cold, craving raw meat and accidental magical outbursts. When close to birthing the submissive Dracken will feel a need for high, dark places. Once the submissive finds/makes a suitable 'nest' they will stay there until after the birth._

_Birthing:_

_A submissive Dracken will give birth alone. The dominant(s) will not be permitted entry to the nest until after the birthing is over. A submissive will give birth to between one and five young or 'chicks' as they have been labelled by the Ministry. Once the birth is over and the new mother has nursed the chicks, the Father(s) will be allowed to enter the nest. The chicks will nurse for twelve weeks before becoming mature enough to be weaned if the Mother so wishes it._

Harry closed the book, having read the section through several times. He swallowed heavily and placed the book down with his quivering hands.

'_I'm a submissive Dracken.' _He thought detachedly, willing his hands to keep still as they shook continually. _'I'm going to have a dominant Dracken as a mate; I'll be expected to give birth to Dracken chicks.' _

Harry breathed evenly and deeply to dispel the raising bout of hyperventilation and panic. He had gone to sleep human; he had woken up a submissive Dracken. A male submissive Dracken, which were thought to be legends.

'_It's okay. I can handle this. It's not completely horrible.' _He coached himself, trying not to make any noise as he walked to his window to watch the world in the early morning light.

'_I think I could enjoy being a Dracken. Of course, I'll __never__ be able to tell anyone what I am. There's no one I'd trust with something as life altering as this. Except maybe Remus. Do Drackens and werewolves get along with each other or are they like werewolves and vampires. They must do, after all Remus was friends with Mum and Dad and they had to have been Drackens to have made me. I wonder if anyone knew about them being Drackens. Probably not. Well if my parents didn't tell Remus then maybe I shouldn't either.'_

Harry sighed at the prospect of keeping this from Remus, the man who had been his rock these past few months following Sirius' death. Thinking of Sirius made Harry wonder if his Godfather had known about his Mum and Dad being Drackens. Sirius was his Godfather for Christ sake! He had been his Dad's best friend and the Dracken transformation had to have happened when his parents were sixteen as well, surely someone as close to his Dad as Sirius would have noticed the changes? That made him think about his parents getting together; they hadn't done so until they were seventeen, but if the Dracken genes came out at sixteen, what had happened during that gap year? They had been in school together; Sirius had said his Dad had fallen in love with his Mum from the moment he had laid eyes upon her, so why had it taken a year for them to get together. He doubted he would ever find out.

Thinking about his parents, got him to thinking about himself. He didn't like anyone, he hadn't fallen in love with anyone at first sight, he hadn't even had time to sexually explore anything, let alone practise like he knew his year mates had. What if his dominant didn't like him? The section he had read hadn't said anything about that, but it did explain why he couldn't force himself to ogle girls like Ron and it probably explained why he didn't drool over Fleur in forth year like all the other boys.

'_I guess it does explain why I have no interest in women at all, I'm not meant to be with one. A male would be able to protect me better anyway. And if he's strong and powerful he can help me to protect our chicks. My mate will have to be powerful and handsome. A strong mate will give me stronger children.' _

The thought made him purr deeply in delight before Harry came to his sense and bolted away from the window. Where the _hell _did that train of thought come from? Babies at sixteen? His mind had to be playing tricks on him.

'_Relax. Relax and calm down.' _Harry soothed himself, wrapping his arms around himself. '_This is your natural instinct. The Dracken populace is dwindling; your instincts are going to be screaming at you to have chicks to boost numbers. You'd better get used to it. Fighting will only bring more pain and I've had enough pain to last a lifetime. Try to let yourself be happy. This could turn out to be all right in the end, just wait and see.'_

Harry sighed again. He was tired of fighting, he was sick of the pain. He wanted to be happy. He wanted a strong, powerful man to call his own and he definitely wanted children to love, protect and care for. He'd have a family, a real family of his own_._ Children to rely on him, who would depend on him and love him and he'd also have a mate to protect him, to love and care for him. He needed this and he thanked his parents for being Drackens so he could have this chance at happiness.

Harry turned from the window and put the book back into his trunk before he sat down on the bed. He couldn't let anyone but his mate see him in his true form; he would have to practise at controlling his appearance.

First he stripped off his shirt again and willed his wings to appear. The process was less painful this time around, but the wings were still accompanied by blood and Harry took the time to clean his wings and to stroke his scales, he shivered and let go, just touching his wings was a thousand times more pleasurable than stroking himself the few times that he had masturbated.

Calming down and deciding not to touch his wings again like that, Harry concentrated on getting his claws and fangs to appear. It took a bit more concentration and will power to get them both to come at the same time, but they did. His claws were an inch long and razor sharp. He wondered how much acid he could produce, but no amount of willing made the acid come, Harry reasoned that he must be in danger before the acid was secreted. Running his claws lightly over his bedspread, slashed it into ribbons, his claws could tear through flesh like a hot knife through butter.

His fangs were equally sharp, though not quite as long as his claws, they rested comfortably on his bottom lip without piercing it when his mouth was closed.

Next Harry concentrated on willing them away. First his fangs and his claws, then the beautiful white wings, then finally he used all of his concentration to hide his scales away; this had the unforeseen reaction of his hair receding into his scalp until it was its usual messy mop. Once it was over Harry looked at himself in the reflection of the window, everything was exactly the same as it was when he had gone to sleep the night before.

The only thing Harry didn't concentrate on removing was his new eyesight, he had been blind for so many years that now he had the freedom of not wearing glasses, he wasn't going to. If anyone asked he'd tell them he had gotten laser eye surgery during the summer, but he doubted anyone would notice let alone comment on it, no one ever saw past the scar anyway. Not even Ron or Hermione apparently.

He had had no word from anyone the entire summer he had been here in number four. Not that he had really been expecting any, not after his fall out with Ron during the last term of school. Hermione, not wanting to jeopardise her shiny new, budding relationship with the redhead, had not made contact with Harry either. He was sure they would get over their idiocy eventually, but he was not so sure that he would be willing to forgive them this time. Hermione maybe, because this was the first time she had ever turned her back on him, but Ron? How could he possibly stay friends with someone who had proven he would turn on him time and time again?

* * *

He had been whisked away to Grimmauld Place, the one place Harry had never wanted to see again. The memories and the pain were so acute that he found he had no appetite for Mrs Weasley's cooking, which made her worry and fuss over him even more, and he found that he couldn't sleep at night, though it might have been the fact that he was still sharing a room with Ron, who hadn't spoken a word to him all summer and hadn't even looked at him past a few withering glares and sneers.

Harry kept mostly to himself as Ron and Hermione whispered together and snogged in the corners of the rooms to Grimmauld Place.

He heard the adults worry over him, some less than polite comments that he was deranged and unhinged after Sirius' death, some saying that he had never been right in the head to begin with, that he was being antisocial, moody and sullen. He always smiled when Remus and the elder Weasleys defended him viciously and often violently as one Order member had fled the house with a saucepan over his head after pushing Mrs Weasley too far.

He assured everyone he was fine, and really he was. He didn't too much like being in Grimmauld Place again, he was worried about everyone he met being dominant Drackens, he had nightmares about getting pregnant as a male and he sometimes had little panic fits over becoming a creature, but he was truly fine, he felt liberated, free, Harry supposed that it was the wings attached to his back, he loved flying, the wonderful, freeing sensation of the wind through his hair, to know that he could up and fly away whenever he wanted to, it relaxed him, eased the tension in his shoulders, calmed him, but no one believed him.

Ginny stayed close to him and so did Fred and George, making him laugh and smile and peek out of his shell a bit, which eased a few of the adults worries over him as they watched him play a game of tag with Ginny around the kitchen, ducking under the table, weaving around chairs and knocking people over. Fred and George joined in and even Charlie forgot he was an adult as he was tagged by Fred, which was more of a head slap. Though Charlie did only go for Fred, so Harry reasoned that maybe he wasn't actually playing but attempting to murder his brother. The game was only called to a stop when dinner was ready and Harry ate minimally, but none the less more than he had had so far at Grimmauld Place which made Mrs Weasley happier.

August was really uneventful as Harry caught up with the homework he hadn't been able to do at the Dursleys with the help of Remus and Bill, moped about a bit, played silly games with Ginny and helped Fred and George with their joke shop creations whilst avoiding Ron and Hermione like the plague, several times Hermione had made to come and talk to him, but Ron either recaptured her interest or Harry darted away before she could open her mouth. He didn't want to speak to them.

When the morning of September first rolled around Harry was sitting in the kitchen waiting for everyone to be ready so they could be off to Hogwarts. He had been packed for days as he hadn't seen the point in emptying his trunk just to pack it back up a few weeks later.

"How are you feeling Harry?" Remus asked him softly as he sat with him in the kitchen listening to the herd of elephants charging up and down the stairs, Walburga Black screaming with all her might about Mudbloods and traitors.

"Fine. A bit excited, but nothing like how I was when I was younger." Harry answered calmly.

Remus looked at him strangely. "You seem to have simultaneously gotten more childish and more mature this summer. You played those childish games with Ginny to keep her from being bored, yet you seem to have become an adult before your time."

Harry smiled as he looked to Remus, his sole surviving Father figure. Several times over the month he had wanted to tell Remus about his Dracken inheritance, but every time he bottled out. What was he supposed to say? What id Remus reacted badly and told everyone else and he became an outlaw? He couldn't take the risk.

"HARRY! REMUS! WE NEED TO GO!" Mrs Weasley shouted from the hall.

Harry jumped up and hugged Remus tightly, not that it made a blind bit of difference to the werewolf, who held him back.

"Come on cub, are you sure you're all ready to go?"

Harry nodded his head. "Everything's packed, I have my new books and school supplies and I made doubly sure I packed my socks and boxers, let's go. I can't wait to get out of here."

Remus looked at him sadly, knowing what he meant; it was hard for him to be here too, where he had fond memories of an adult Sirius before he had been taken once again from his life. He had stayed mainly for Harry, to a lesser extent to say goodbye to his old friend, because he hadn't had the chance to before he died.

"Is Hedwig on her way to Hogwarts?" He asked as he saw Harry carting around an empty owl cage.

"Yes, I let her go yesterday so she'd be there waiting for me."

"Alright then, let's get going before Molly shouts again."

Harry grinned as he claimed one more hug before heading into the hallway with a flustered Mrs Weasley and a troupe of people and trunks.

"How are we getting to the platform?" He asked curiously.

"Ministry cars again." Mr Weasley told him as he caught Harry's question.

Harry sighed but climbed into the car that didn't have Ron and Hermione in it as he reached the curb and the dark green cars on the road, even if he did end up in the 'adult' car, at least it meant he had a bit more time with Remus.

* * *

Five hours later found a sleepy and very hungry Harry taking a seat at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall. He sat down at the end, having no wish to sit near his friends. _Ex-friends, _he reminded himself bitterly. He got a few curious looks from his classmates but ignored them. It was none of their business anyway.

The hall went quiet when Professor McGonagall brought out the sorting hat. The tattered old hat sung its usual song of the houses, but also gave a cheerfully cryptic message about the rival houses soon being united. The new first years were sorted into their houses, the last student, a tiny blonde boy, took a seat at the Ravenclaw table and finally, after the Headmaster had made his usual announcements, they were free to eat.

Harry had to be very careful not to pile his plate solely with meat as in the past he had eaten mainly fruits and vegetables due to his almost non-existent diet at the Dursleys, he had found that fruits and vegetables had lined his stomach better than meat and stopped the hunger pains for longer, but lately he had been craving meat more and more, ever since his birthday and subsequent inheritance actually, it must have been part of being a Dracken.

The bloodier the meat better in his opinion, so he placed a large piece of blue rare steak on his plate along with his vegetables and chips. Once or twice Harry had caught himself thinking of how delicious it would taste to find something _fresh_ to sink his teeth into. The thought made him shudder and it was not with disgust.

As he was about to take a bite of his steak he was suddenly aware of a pair of eyes drilling into him. Discreetly looking around for the source he found no one until he glanced up at the head table. It was Snape. The Potions Professor's black eyes bore into him. Harry could not discern what that look was nor what he had done to gain himself such a look.

Harry met the man's eyes for a moment before he quickly lowered them, his new found instincts telling him that without a dominant mate to protect him it was unwise to pick a fight with someone who could harm him. Glancing cautiously at the man from beneath his lashes he saw Snape's eyes narrow in suspicion.

Harry looked away from the man and kept his head down for the rest of dinner. He couldn't afford anyone, least of all Snape, finding out about his secret.

A delicate scent reached his nose and all at once his body started quivering and tingled, as if his scales were trying to make an unwanted appearance. He pushed the feeling back ruthlessly. He couldn't afford to let them appear, not now, not in front of the entire student body. It would only spell a disaster for him.

Dessert had come and gone and the Headmaster sent the children off to bed. Harry waited until the hall emptied out a bit before heading up to Gryffindor tower. Once he entered his dorm room he ignored Ron, said goodnight to Seamus, Dean and Neville, before he tugged closed his bed hangings and stripped off his clothes and climbed into bed. Despite being worried that Snape would find out about his secret he fell asleep almost instantly.

* * *

It was two weeks into term and that light scent was driving him crazy! It was constantly around him as if Hogwarts was the one making it. It was driving him to the brink of destruction and he had hourly battles with himself to force his Dracken side down. No one else noticed of course, but Harry counted this as a blessing, the last thing he needed right now was another round of newspaper articles on how crazy and unstable he was.

Snape was also watching him relentlessly. The man was absolutely unshakeable. No matter how much Harry tried to act invisible or divert his attention to something else those eyes were always there, watching. Snape thought that he was up to something unsavoury and until Harry stopped being so jumpy and nervous, he was unlikely to stop, but Harry was just so worried that Snape would figure out he was a Dracken that he couldn't control it, he needed a dominant, he couldn't face off against Snape on his own, not now that he had come into a submissive inheritance, not when he was concentrating so much on making sure his scales and wings wouldn't just appear one day in class for everyone to see.

* * *

It was Halloween night and Harry had no interest in attending the feast. Instead he was taking full advantage of everyone else being at the feast to let his Dracken side out for the first time in two months.

He was deep in the forbidden forest, the moon, though not quite full was bright tonight and lit the way for the young Dracken as he weaved his way through the undergrowth. Not that he needed the light, as a Dracken he had excellent night vision, but the moon was so big and beautiful tonight, Harry was glad it was there.

After walking steadily for over thirty minutes, Harry deduced that he was far enough away from the school and called his Dracken features forward. It had been so long since he'd been able to and now he finally could do so he felt the instantaneous bliss of letting go. His hair, his scales, his wings, his claws and his fangs all made their appearance. The white scales that covered his wings and grew in patches on his face, neck and hands glowed dimly in the moonlight. It was a beautiful sight to see, not that anyone was there to appreciate it.

Now that the liquid relief of letting his Dracken appearance out had diminished, there was something else that he had been wanting to take care of for the past three months, tasting raw meat.

Opening his new enhanced senses wide he listened for a specific movement. He could hear squirrels in their nests, owls hunting for their breakfasts, rabbits nibbling on clovers, mice scurrying along in the underbrush and then he heard what he'd been listening for, hoof falls on the leafy ground.

About thirty yards ahead of him were four deer. In an instant Harry was off, running with lightning speed and before anything else registered he had sunk his fangs into the jugular vein of a small doe. He wasn't strong enough to go for a buck; he'd leave that to his dominant mate.

The three remaining deer had scarpered, bounding off into the forest. The deer Harry had latched onto kicked in an effort to free itself and he swiftly sliced through its neck with his claws, silencing it for good.

The taste of blood was intoxicating and Harry could hardly keep himself from moaning aloud. Using his claws and fangs he tore off chunks of the still warm flesh and devoured it. It was the most delicious thing he had ever eaten and he couldn't get enough. He crouched down and dug in, tearing away at the hide with his fangs and claws to reach the tender meat underneath.

Halfway through his meal Harry stilled. He cocked he head, listening, ignoring the rivulets of blood pouring down his neck from his chin. There was something out there. His head snapped itself to the left and he growled menacingly.

The growl that answered was a deep, earth rumbling growl that shook him to his core. Harry shrank back. The figure that stepped out from behind the group of trees was a dominant Dracken. The first thing Harry noticed was the wings. They spanned at least twenty feet and they easily dwarfed his own, which he pulled in tighter to cocoon himself.

Next Harry noticed the man himself. He was tall at approximately six foot three and was very muscled for such a slender body; he was not wearing a shirt. Scales done in bottomless obsidian and a deep dark amethyst were scattered over the man's bare tanned skin. His hair was as black as his scales and was chopped into layers that just covered his ears. His face was smooth and strong, angular and exotic looking. His slanted indigo eyes were cold and hard, but filled with warming lust as they devoured as much of Harry's skin as they could, lingering on his face and especially his neck.

This man took the breath from Harry's lungs, took the oxygen from the very air around him and as Harry took a deep, shuddering breath, the Dracken opposite him made his move.

* * *

A/N: Please help me reach my goal of 6,100 reviews once more, you can even leave a one word review if you want to, I just want this version of The Rise of the Drackens to be as much loved and successful as the original that was pulled down from this site, otherwise it was all for nothing and I don't ever want to end up abandoning this story.

Thanks to all of my readers on Facebook, who have kept me calm and made me laugh over this mountain, you're all amazing and I can't thank you enough, whatever scenes or events you want to see, just ask, I know who you are and I will gratefully indulge you!

StarLight Massacre. X


	2. Shifted Perspectives

**Thank you everyone for your amazing support! You are all brilliant, wonderful people and with your continued support, I'm sure together we can make the Rise of the Drackens even bigger and better than it was the first time around. I can't say it enough, but THANK YOU!**

_Last Time_

_Next Harry noticed the man himself. He was tall at approximately six foot three and was very muscled for such a slender body; he was not wearing a shirt. Scales done in bottomless obsidian and a deep dark amethyst were scattered over the man's bare tanned skin. His hair was as black as his scales and was chopped into layers that just covered his ears. His face was smooth and strong, angular and exotic looking. His slanted indigo eyes were cold and hard, but filled with warming lust as they devoured as much of Harry's skin as they could, lingering on his face and especially his neck._

_This man took the breath from Harry's lungs, took the oxygen from the very air around him and as Harry took a deep, shuddering breath, the Dracken opposite him made his move._

Chapter Two – Shifted Perspectives

Harry moved instinctually as he threw himself to the side to avoid the Dracken who had leapt at him. He kept moving and dodged the trees and bushes with an almost feline grace. He could hear the other Dracken behind him and god help him the other Dracken was faster!

Harry refused to slow down, even with the other Dracken gaining on him and growling like a thunder storm, he'd run until his legs gave out on him and even then he would crawl away from this man. His breath coming in short bursts of air, Harry tried to lose his assailant by cutting to the side randomly, but the Dracken following him just moved with him and Harry got the sinking suspicion that the other Dracken was playing with him, that he was enjoying the chase through the forest.

Weaving through a tightknit group of trees and jumping over a large puddle, Harry was suddenly seized around the waist in mid-air and the added weight sent him crashing to the floor. A harsh growl and large hands squeezing around his throat kept him still and silent as the other Dracken sniffed around the back of his neck. The book hadn't mentioned this at all!

A strong, muscled tongue licked a slow, sensual line up the spinal cord in his neck and almost instantaneously Harry's mind set changed. His instincts were telling him that this Dracken wasn't going to hurt him, that if he had meant him harm he would have bitten him, not licked him, the other Dracken was vying for his attention. This Dracken was a possible mate.

Harry didn't know if this frightened him or aroused him, so he settled for being both. He had found out only three months ago that he was a Dracken; he couldn't have a mate already! It was too soon.

Harry quivered in fright as the Dracken continued to lick and lave his neck with his tongue, tasting him, marking him with the scent of his saliva.

Was this how his Mother had felt when she had realised his Father was also a Dracken and a possible mate? Had he pursued her immediately? Had her will been strong enough to hold him away for a whole year? Harry didn't think his will was that strong, not when the only thing he wanted in the world was lying on his back licking him.

Harry tried to roll over, he wanted to look into the eyes of the man who was doing such sinful things to his body, but the hands that had loosened to rest around the base of his neck tightened into a punishing grip.

Harry whined and stilled once more, but he shifted his body to try and convey to the other Dracken that he only wanted to turn over.

"Hush little one, I'll take care of you. Just stay still." The other Dracken purred. His voice was deep and smooth, like velvet honey. There was just a hint of an accent, but it was too light for Harry to pick up on exactly what it was.

The tongue came back to find a spot behind his ear that had Harry's body jumping in excited surprise and a dark chuckle fell from the other Dracken's lips.

"You've been driving me wild with your intoxicating scent for two months. I couldn't find you; I would follow the scent only to meet dead ends or a class in session. I tried sniffing you out at meal times, but you have been avoiding me Prezioso."

Harry shook his head as much as he was able to and long fingers winding through his shock mop of black hair stopped him as they tugged harshly.

"Yes you have. Why else would you run from me? I don't like being avoided or run from Prezioso."

Harry had no clue what Prezioso meant, but he knew that tone of voice. The other Dracken was angry and annoyed with him. He shrunk in on himself and whimpered.

"Oh there there Prezioso, you didn't know what you were doing, but you will learn. There will be no more running from me, will there?"

Harry shook his head and was rewarded with the hand that had clenched his hair loosening and massaging his scalp instead.

"Can I see you?" Harry asked bravely, hiding his fear and strengthening his voice so the waver wouldn't be heard.

"Of course you can Prezioso. I would love nothing more than for you to gaze at me for hours on end."

Harry cautiously turned onto his back so he was chest to chest with the Dracken on top of him. He looked deeply into those indigo eyes. They were so familiar, but the face was unlike anything he had ever seen before. It was hardly surprising; he didn't look anything like Harry Potter when he was in his Dracken form, why would this person look the same as he did in his human form?

"You are so beautiful Prezioso." The other Dracken told him, running those long, elegant fingers over his cheek.

Harry really looked at the other male lying on him. He was so handsome it was unreal. High cheekbones, chiselled nose, strong jaw, those slanted indigo eyes and a sensual mouth that was curved over deadly looking fangs that were just a tad longer than his own.

"Do you like what you see?" The indigo eyed Dracken asked him cockily, a smirk curving that mouth more.

"Yes." Harry answered in a whisper.

A moment later his mouth was seized in a harsh, bruising kiss that left him speechless and unable to do anything other than fully submit to his mate, because there was no doubt in his mind that this Dracken would now be his mate. Harry was too desperate for love, too desperate for any sort of affection that he would only be hurting himself if he tried to hold himself apart from this Dracken.

He was not as strong willed as his Mother and his childhood and poor upbringing had left him craving for any sort of love or attention, this man could give him his dream of a family and Harry would take it with both hands.

"What is your name Prezioso?"

"Harry." He answered without pause. "What's yours?"

"I'm Blaise; I shall assume you came into your inheritance either this summer or in very early September as you were not here last year."

"That's right." Harry answered.

"I have been a Dracken for a year already; I turned seventeen on October the twelfth."

His mate was older than him by ten months; his mate had been a Dracken for over a year. Any questions Harry had, his mate would likely be able to answer for him. He felt safe and comforted as his mate, Blaise, explored his neck and face with his fingertips.

"You are very strong Prezioso, there will likely be others vying for your attention. I will share you only with the minimum number of dominants you need to impregnate you with our children, I will not allow you to have a harem of men, I will not be pushed aside nor be ignored because you have so many men around you that you do not have enough hours in a day to spend time with us all."

Harry looked up into the enraged face of his new mate and lay completely still as Blaise's claws came dangerously close to his throat.

"I don't want a harem." Harry whispered out honestly. "I just want a family."

A rough kiss to his lips answered Harry's statement and Blaise's hands slipped around his neck to lift it for a better angle.

"That was the right answer Prezioso." Blaise exclaimed as Harry tried to regain his breathing. "I will not be disgraced by having a whore for a submissive mate."

"I'm not a whore!" Harry bit out harshly.

Immediately Blaise's claws dug into the back of his neck and Harry cried out in pain.

"You do not speak to me like that Harry, as your dominant mate, as your protector and the future Father of your children, I will be respected."

"Respect is earned and not freely given." Harry answered strongly, but he kept his voice placid.

He would not be an inferior person to his mate just because he was a submissive Dracken. They would go into this as equals or Blaise could hit the road.

Blaise smirked and licked his cheek slowly as he retracted his claws to leave his fingertips caressing his neck once more.

"I have a strong mate." Blaise whispered. "So strong and so stubborn. You are perfect Prezioso."

Harry felt pleasure fill him as his mate praised him. He confidently lifted his arms to wrap them around Blaise's broad shoulders and Blaise smirked down at him.

"Never be afraid to touch me Harry, you will never be rejected from my body."

Harry nuzzled into Blaise's strong neck now that he had been given the go ahead to touch his new mate, loving the silky skin under his nose and cheek.

"You are endearing Prezioso. Are you still hungry? I interrupted your meal and I need to prove my worth to you as an adept hunter. I will catch us something."

Blaise stood up and pulled Harry easily to his feet, dusting him off, letting his hands linger upon Harry's body, before he gave Harry a sweet kiss to the lips.

"Stay right here Prezioso. I will be back very soon; I am a very skilled hunter."

Blaise was gone in a blink and even with his new eyesight; Harry only saw a streak of black and purple reflecting in the moonlight. Harry wanted to move into the hollow of the tree to his left, he didn't feel comfortable out in the open where any predator could stalk and attack him, but his dominant had told him to stay still, he didn't want claws in his neck again and that book had said that dominants punished their submissives harshly for doing anything wrong.

Debating with himself, Harry weighed the pros and cons carefully, before deciding that his dominant would rather have an alive mate when he came back rather than an obedient dead one and crawled into the hollowed out tree.

The rotten inside was warm and Harry snuggled down in the decaying leaves, wrapping his wings tightly around himself for warmth. He found himself thinking idly that this would have been the perfect spot to nest if it was a bit higher up. As Harry realised the train of thought he was on, his eyes snapped open and though he couldn't see it, his face had taken on a look of horror.

This was the hundredth time that he had caught himself thinking about nesting and having chicks since his inheritance three months ago, but it was the first time he had pictured those chicks as a perfect blend of himself and Blaise. He swallowed. He didn't know Blaise at all, only that he was a dominant Dracken and that Harry considered him a good, strong and capable mate. That was it, other than his mate went to the same school as him, was in the same year and his birthday was October the twelfth. Harry refused to have chicks with a stranger.

"Prezioso? Where have you gone to Harry?"

Harry crawled out of the hollow tree and found himself being crushed to a solid chest. Expecting punishment, Harry did not expect to be pushed in front of a huge, mouth-watering, stallion. Blaise sat behind him and Harry tensed up for discipline again, only for Blaise to start grooming him, gently pulling the leaves and twigs from his hair.

"Eat up Prezioso, before your meal bleeds out and goes cold." Blaise urged him.

Harry carefully cut a piece of flesh from the stallion and offered it to Blaise first, who chuckled and shook his head.

"This meal is for you little Harry. I have eaten my fill."

"I can't eat all of this by myself." Harry told him, not even thinking of mentioning that the reason for that was his summer starvation.

"I wouldn't have expected you too; I caught the biggest animal I could find to prove to you that I am more than capable of providing food for you and our future young." Blaise told him with that damnable smirk, still picking bits of woodland out of Harry's nest of hair.

Harry sunk his teeth into the bloody meat and moaned lightly, Blaise stiffening behind him. Large, muscled arms wrapped around Harry's shoulders and he was yanked backwards into a passionate kiss, Blaise licking and lapping at his bloodied lips and chin.

This time, Harry fought against Blaise, moving his mouth and tangling their tongues together. Blaise growled, but he didn't punish him, so Harry took it that he wasn't doing anything wrong and twisted in Blaise's arms to press up closer to his dominant mate.

It was Blaise who broke their kiss and pushed him again towards the stallion, urging Harry to eat until he couldn't anymore. With all the bits of twigs and leaves gone from his hair, Blaise settled for running his fingers through it and stroking the silky skin of Harry's neck.

When most of the stallion was gone and Harry was so full his stomach had distended and all he wanted to do was sleep, Blaise stopped playing with his skin and hair and instead wrapped Harry gently in his arms, rocking him softly and cooing to him.

"We can't sleep out here. People will notice we aren't in our dormitories."

"Relax Prezioso, do not fret so much. I will take care of it. No one would dare ask me where I have been and those that do dare, are friends who know better than to ask in the first place."

Blaise had inadvertently reminded him that he now had no friends to track his movements and he frowned, before he snuggled into Blaise's warmth. Blaise was the only one he had now.

* * *

Blaise smiled softly down at his sleeping submissive. Harry was so beautiful, so fragile looking, but he had seen his mate take down that doe, his mate was deadly; beautiful and dangerous. The way he had used his claws to tear out the throat of the doe, how he had pounced on her as she had been grazing unexpectedly, how he had torn at her with his fangs, the noises he had made as he devoured her flesh.

Blaise shivered and groaned lowly. Harry would be the end of him. He had only met one other submissive Dracken since coming into his inheritance last year, a spoilt girl who had believed she was the only submissive Dracken in the world. Her parents had ruined her, all three of them believed that she should have the strongest, most powerful, handsome dominant with the largest wings; they had called all dominant Drackens to their manor house in Toulouse to meet their daughter.

Needless to say that whilst she was a very beautiful girl on the outside, her insides were rotten, she had treated the dominants that had come to greet her into the Dracken lifestyle like dogs that should bow down before her and beg for her attention.

Blaise wouldn't forget Miette Amarante Solange for a long time. She had been so despicable that dominants, including himself, had just upped and left. She had ended up with a dominant so desperate for a mate that he would have taken anyone.

He fully believed that it was her karma coming back to punish her for being so spoilt and arrogant. He looked down as Harry's breath hitched, but his submissive just turned his head further into his stomach and cuddled closer.

Blaise knew exactly who was in his arms, but he couldn't bring himself to care. The moment he had seen those startlingly beautiful, emerald green eyes, he had known, because there was only one person in Hogwarts with eyes so stunningly green. Harry Potter.

He knew he was going to have one hell of a war to defeat when word got out that there was an unknown, unmated submissive among them, but he was willing to fight to the death for his mate. Harry was worth it, he would die a thousand times in agony for Harry.

He knew he was breaking the rules, knew that he would be punished for not informing the counsel immediately that there was a submissive Dracken in his vicinity, but from the first lungful of Harry's light, chestnut scent, he had wanted the Dracken for his own.

He didn't want to give every unmated Dracken a fair chance at winning Harry, he wanted Harry and no one else would be getting him. At least, not until he had firmly established himself as Harry's mate, then he would have to let Harry chose more dominants in order to get him pregnant. Though not one more than was needed to get a clutch of chicks.

Harry snuffled in his sleep and Blaise smiled down at him again. Harry was so adorable and endearing. He was natural and sweet, unlike Miette. Blaise could envision himself having several clutches of chicks with Harry, all of them sweet and just as endearing as their Mother, where with Miette all he had been able to think about was the spoilt spawn she would create, that was if she ever got pregnant in the first place, rumour had it that she had slept with human men because she didn't want to go through the body altering pregnancy nor the pain of labour.

Blaise looked to Harry's flat belly. It would look gorgeous rounded and ripe with his children. He growled in pleasure and wrapped his arms more firmly around Harry. Submissive male Drackens were so rare that every dominant would come to see Harry, would try to get his attention and become his mate. Blaise couldn't allow that, not when dominants outnumbered submissives by twenty to one, there weren't enough submissives to go around and the longer a dominant Dracken was without a mate, the more vicious and desperate he got as his instincts screamed at him to breed a clutch of chicks to boost numbers.

Blaise didn't want to end up like that, he wanted a large family. He wanted clutch after clutch of chicks with Harry, only with Harry.

* * *

Harry woke up warm and comfortable in an unfamiliar bed. He blinked before he sat up and looked around, every muscle tensing and senses on high alert. That is until he looked at where he was. He was obviously in the Slytherin dormitories, the copious amounts of green and silver and the excessive use of snakes attested to that, but what really made him calm down was the scent of the unfamiliar person lying in bed with him. Blaise.

This must be what Blaise looked like without his Dracken features. He was just as handsome, still as strong and unshakable, still broad shouldered and he still had the powerful, yet slender body. But his scales were gone leaving behind flawless, olive toned skin. His wings were gone and Harry lamented the loss of such beautiful appendages.

Lying back down, Harry watched as Blaise slept. His dominant looked so strong, even as he slept, those broad shoulders raising and falling with each breath, his face just as unemotional when he was asleep as he was when he was awake. Blaise's mouth just wasn't made for smiles.

A bed creaking had Harry looking over his shoulder to a gap in the green hangings around the bed. A shock of white blonde hair had Harry making the final connection his brain had been waiting for. His mate was the best friend of Draco Malfoy. The Draco Malfoy who hated the very air he breathed.

"Blaise!" The sleep roughed voice of Malfoy cut through the morning silence. "Blaise get up! We have to get to the library before the Gryffindor beaver steals all the good books."

Blaise's face crinkled as he was pulled from sleep, but he was too slow in answering the blonde, who ripped the bed hangings open, only to leap back in shock when he saw Harry cuddled into Blaise's side.

"Potter? What the fuck are you doing down here?"

Malfoy went to grab Harry's arm, but he was intercepted by another hand that gripped his arm. Harry felt Blaise press against his back as he sat up in the bed.

"Quit your yelling. I'm up. I think we all are." Blaise grumbled, looking around to see the face of Theodore Nott poking out of his own bed hangings.

"Fuck you being up, what the hell is Potter doing in your bed?"

Blaise wrapped his arms around Harry and pulled him in close to his chest.

"Isn't that obvious?" Blaise asked with a raised eyebrow. "Now leave him alone and go and get dressed, you take half an hour to get ready and I don't."

Draco opened his mouth, but a stern glare from Blaise had him grimacing and turning to go into the adjoining bathroom to get ready.

"I apologise for him Harry, he is never at his best in the mornings." Blaise told him softly.

"Did you carry me here?" Harry asked with a small blush.

Blaise's sensual mouth curved into an irresistible smirk and he nodded once. "I did. I loved holding you close to me; you kept moving your head to lie over my heart."

Harry blushed again trying to control himself, but all he managed to do was blush harder. Blaise chuckled and stood up from the bed, throwing his arms behind him and over his head to stretch, his back cracking.

Harry did the same and started looking for his robes, it was a Saturday and there were no lessons, but he didn't have any other clothes.

"I will not permit you to wear the same outfit twice in a row Prezioso." Blaise's voice whispered in his ear.

Harry turned around, his anger taking a place in his stomach. He was embarrassed enough to have been caught in bed with Blaise by Draco Malfoy of all people, but to be told that his clothes weren't good enough was pushing a very fine line.

"I can wear what I like!" Harry hissed.

"No you cannot." Blaise answered sternly, his eyes turning to cold and harsh flint.

"Yes I can!"

Blaise's hand shot out and gripped Harry around the neck, his large hand squeezing tightly in reprimand. Sharp, delicate points put pressure upon Harry's skin as Blaise let his claws push through his fingers.

"You will wear a set of my clothing until you can get to your dorm room to change into a set of clothes that you didn't wear and run around a forest in yesterday. I will not see you, my mate, wearing dirty clothing." Blaise hissed.

Harry wanted to continue to defy Blaise, he didn't want to be a doormat, he wanted to prove that he was defiant and that he wouldn't quiver and give into Blaise's demands, but this relationship, mateship, whatever it was, was brand new and Harry didn't know how far Blaise was willing to go. He didn't want to be in pain and Blaise had compromised. He sighed and nodded carefully, very aware of the claws at his neck.

Blaise let go of his throat and pulled him into a hug instead, placing a lingering kiss to Harry's head. He pulled Harry over to the wardrobe beside his bed and took out a soft, navy jumper and a pair of designer jeans.

Blaise shrunk the clothes and, much to Harry's embarrassment, tried dressing Harry.

"I'm not a baby!" Harry told him angrily.

"You are my mate and I will look after you."

"But I don't need you to dress me!" Harry stated.

Blaise was confused. His understanding was that a submissive would relish having a mate dress them, it was seen as a dominant caring for his mate, but Harry was being defiant at every turn.

He sighed and held the clothes out to Harry, who snatched them with a glare. He had known having a mate would be hard work, what relationship wasn't? But he had never in his wildest dreams thought that his mate would be so stubborn and hard willed.

He supposed it came with having Harry Potter, the only person in existence to have survived the killing curse, the sole person to have destroyed the Dark Lord, as a submissive mate. He needed to decide what he wanted more, Harry as a mate, or his sanity.

Chuckling softly as he watched Harry shyly and bashfully shimmy into the tight jeans, Blaise decided that his sanity could take a backseat for once, Harry would be a perfect mate for him and he was willing to compromise to keep Harry happy, at least on the less important things.

* * *

A/N: I know that Blaise and Harry are a little OCC, but it won't last for long, Blaise is shocked that Harry is a Dracken and Harry is still a bit stunned that he isn't human anymore.

Don't worry all you Draco lovers. He hasn't noticed that Harry or Blaise are Drackens _yet_, he's too wrapped up in his own life like the self-centred narcissist that we all love him for, but he will notice soon and then Blaise will have to fight for Harry.

**15****th**** April 2012 A/N:** To those of you who are wondering what happened. Rise of the Drackens was removed from this site because of the sexual content it contained which is against Fanfiction TOS, so the admins pulled it when it was reported as a violation of the TOS. Never mind that there are worse stories out there with sexual content, doesn't matter, it was my story that was reported and it was pulled because of it. So this fic will contain no sexual content so it doesn't get pulled once again, the sex scenes are in the original, uncensored version available to read on adult Fanfiction, links to which are in my profile page if you're interested.

Also, just because I am reposting and fixing mistakes as I go, does not mean that the story is changing dramatically. The number of mates is not up for debate. This fic will remain as it was in the original version; the only difference will be a few added scenes, a few new little tidbits, the fixing of mistakes that I find and the lack of sex scenes.

Thank you to **VampireFan900** who is my new **100th reviewer**!

**MizzTroublezxx**: I did not take the story down; it was removed by the admins for explicit content. Adult Fanfiction still has the full 44 chapters up if you want to read the whole thing.

**Gaia:** I'm changing it, but not that much. The mates will remain the same, everything that is essential to the plot will remain the same, I'm just adding little details, nothing big.

StarLight Massacre. X


	3. Possessiveness and Jealousy

_Last Time_

_Chuckling softly as he watched Harry shyly and bashfully shimmy into the tight jeans, Blaise decided that his sanity could take a backseat for once, Harry would be a perfect mate for him and he was willing to compromise to keep Harry happy, at least on the less important things._

Chapter Three – Possessiveness and Jealousy

Harry had to admit that Blaise's clothes were so much more comfortable than anything he had ever worn before. He loved the tight, dark blue jeans and the navy blue sweater. They fit him so perfectly and he deduced that he had been a fool to argue with Blaise about what he was wearing, though he wasn't going to tell Blaise that.

Harry was all for sneaking out of the Slytherin dormitory under a cloak, but Blaise would hear nothing of the sort and they walked out to breakfast in full view of the other Slytherins, who glared at him as he walked through their common room under the heavy and protective arm of Blaise.

The females in particular were very vicious in their heated glares and Harry felt not only uncertainty, but also an unfamiliar spike of possessiveness. Blaise was his dominant mate! They couldn't have him and he would strip the flesh from their bones if they tried anything.

The intensity of his possessiveness frightened him; he had had next to nothing to ever be possessive of. He had had nothing growing up as a child, no toy or game that was ever strictly his, hell even his clothes weren't his. The only possessions he owned that he felt remotely possessive over were his invisibility cloak, the marauders map and his Firebolt and those were all for sentimental reasons. The cloak had been his Father's, the map had been his Father's, Sirius' and Remus' and the Firebolt had been given to him by his Godfather, his dead Godfather.

But those three things paled in the possessiveness he felt for Blaise. He would slice up anyone who dared try to steal his mate from him, which contradicted what the book he had read had told him about submissive Drackens. That book had stated that submissive Drackens wouldn't fight for their dominant mate, but Harry would fight with every last breath his body had for Blaise.

"Do not worry Prezioso." Blaise murmured to him. "These pathetic human girls hold no comparison to your stunning beauty. They are glaring because they are jealous of your flawless features."

"I think they are jealous of me for having you actually." Harry answered back. "They want you."

"Well they will have to remain jealous then as they will never have me."

"I don't understand. You could have one of them if you wanted, hell you could have all of them. The book said there were no repercussions for dominant Drackens taking humans."

Blaise chuckled deeply and the arm around Harry's shoulders squeezed him gently.

"Ah Prezioso, how adorable you are. You should not believe everything you read about our kind in books. Most of the information is either muddled up or downright wrong. True there are no repercussions for a dominant to take a human, but a dominant will _always_ want a submissive Dracken over any human. Submissive Drackens are becoming less and less common Prezioso; dominant Drackens now outnumber the submissives by approximately twenty dominants to one single submissive. We would not go with humans through choice."

Suddenly Harry understood a whole lot better and he felt secure enough to even glare at the girls back, much to Blaise's amusement.

When they reached the Great Hall, Harry automatically veered off towards the Gryffindor table, until a hand gripping his arm stopped him. Blaise raised a single eyebrow and began tugging him towards the Slytherin table.

"I don't want to sit at the Slytherin table!" Harry argued, trying, and failing, to pry Blaise's fingers from his arm. "Blaise!"

"You will sit with me!" Blaise told him firmly. "You will not be out of my sight, or out of my reach."

"This is ridiculous!" Harry hissed. "I'll only be across the hall!"

Blaise sat down and pulled Harry down next to him, he did not let go of his arm.

"Eat your breakfast." Blaise ordered, but Harry glared at him poisonously. "Harry, eat your breakfast."

"What if I don't? Are you going to force me to do that as well?"

Blaise's eyes flashed dangerously, but Harry didn't care as he bared his teeth in a primal show of defiance.

Blaise cuffed the back of his head hard and Harry winced, every ounce of defiance leaving his body at once. He huddled down in his borrowed jumper and curled in on himself as much as possible on the bench.

He didn't like being punished by his dominant, but it all felt like it was happening too fast. Three months since becoming a Dracken and he already had a mate and Blaise had said that books didn't have all the answers and that the answers they did have were either wrong or partial truths. The information he knew about his own species would have filled an eggcup, probably half an eggcup if most of the information he did have was wrong.

He felt like he was losing himself. He was not a doormat; he would not grovel or crawl around after Blaise on his knees. He was not a weak person! He had relied on himself for so long, he had practically raised himself, had fended for himself, yet now his instincts were forcing him to forget all of that and rely on Blaise for everything.

He didn't need anyone to protect him! He had been doing just fine on his own and that was even before he had gotten razor sharp fangs and acidic claws. It wasn't like he was defenceless or incapable of protecting himself!

A pair of lips nuzzling his cheek had Harry melting into Blaise's embrace, despite the entire hall watching them. He wanted to remain angry at Blaise, he wanted to defy him and show that he was not a weak, pathetic, little creature to be kicked around, but he couldn't bring himself to hold onto his anger at Blaise, not even after he had hit him, had humiliated him, in front of the entire school.

"Just eat something Mio Prezioso." Blaise whispered to him and Harry found himself filling his plate before he had really registered what Blaise had said.

Was this some sort of power dominant Drackens had over their submissives? Could a dominant force a submissive to do what they wanted or was Harry just fed up of fighting? Was he really so desperate for any sort of love and affection that he would cave in to any and all of Blaise's demands?

He had to admit though that having Blaise's large, warm hand rubbing gently at his lower back was much better than receiving a cuff around the head from the same hand. But he couldn't think like that! He would not lose his personality just for an easier life! Blaise would just have to get used to compromising and not having his own way all the time!

* * *

Albus Dumbledore was concerned. Very, very concerned as he watched Harry enter the Great Hall with a sixth year Slytherin named Blaise Zabini. He watched as Harry made to go to the Gryffindor table, only to be pulled forcibly towards the Slytherin table instead.

The last straw however had been the very harsh smack to the back of the head that the Zabini Heir had administered. He would not stand for Harry being abused right under his very own nose. He would have to put a stop to this abusive relationship, if indeed that is what it turned out to be.

He rose from his place at the Head table and made his way over to the Slytherin table. He placed a wizened, wrinkled hand on Harry's shoulder and was met with a gasp of surprise from his favoured student and a low growl from the young Zabini Heir, who was glaring a hole through his head.

"Kindly remove your hand from Harry's person." Blaise ordered him as politely as he was able to through gritted teeth and balled up fists.

"I was wondering if I might have a word with you Harry." Albus addressed the young Gryffindor, his eyes twinkling. "I do so miss our afternoon talks over tea and as today is a Saturday, I had been hoping you would do me the pleasure of accompanying an old man for the day."

"Of course Professor." Harry answered politely with that beautiful smile that reminded Albus so much of a young Lily Evans.

"Ah Harry my boy, you spoil this old man too much."

Harry chuckled sweetly as he stood up, ready to accompany his Headmaster. Blaise however had other plans as he stood up between Harry and his Headmaster.

"I was going to spend the day with Harry." He hissed, not even pretending to be respectful anymore.

"Blaise! Stop it." Harry chided.

Blaise's hand shot out to grip the back of Harry's neck, his claws digging in, safely hidden by Harry's hair.

"I suggest, Mr Zabini that you let Harry go this instant and come with me to my office." Albus thundered.

"I suggest that you stay out of things that don't concern you!"

"Mr Zabini." A silky voice interrupted. "I would hope that you will follow the Headmaster's request, I would hate to see one of my snakes in detention and believe me I would make it an extremely _torturous_ experience."

Harry looked into those deep black eyes and shivered. Snape knew. He knew exactly what he and Blaise were and he did not look happy with Blaise.

"Severus, perhaps you could accompany us to my office. This discussion should be held away from curious little eyes and ears."

Snape nodded his head and with a force Harry would never have believed from the skinny man, he pried Blaise's hand away from his neck and guided Blaise out of the Hall, Harry and Dumbledore following more sedately.

The trip was silent, but Harry could not help but rub his neck to ease the pain that was there. He didn't notice Dumbledore's keen eyesight pick up on the unconscious action.

Once inside the office, Dumbledore sat behind his desk and motioned Harry into the chair the furthest away from Blaise, who had been forced into the chair on the right by Snape.

"Now would any of you boys like some tea? I have always found it very relaxing."

Both Snape and Blaise shook their heads, but Harry smiled. Dumbledore knew Harry could never resist a cup of honey tea.

Albus chuckled in joy as he prepared Harry's favoured tea and slid the white and yellow china cup to his favourite student, before sipping on his own peppermint tea. Sighing in pleasure he surveyed the angry and struggling Zabini Heir over the rim of his cup.

"What ever is the matter Mr Zabini? Surely you will not deny Harry a cup of tea?"

Blaise growled and Snape had to exert even more pressure upon Blaise's shoulders to keep him in his chair. Harry would have though it impossible to keep Blaise down seeing as he was a dominant Dracken and could rip Snape's arms from his sockets. Something seriously wasn't right.

"Albus there is something about Mr Zabini you should know about." Snape spoke over Blaise's growls.

Harry gasped. So Snape _did_ know. He truly did know that he and Blaise were Drackens.

"Which would be what Severus my boy?"

"Blaise is a dominant Dracken, a species of humanoid dragons."

"I am fully aware of Drackens Severus, several have passed through this fine school since my becoming Headmaster. However I am curious as to why this was kept a secret, it is the foundation rules of this school that all non-human students are to be made known to the Headmaster of the school."

"It was decided between myself and Marianna, Blaise's Mother, that Blaise's inheritance should be kept a secret due to his position in the school. The war with the Dark Lord was still raging when Blaise came into his inheritance, his Mother did not want her only child to be used as a weapon by the Dark Lord."

"Ah and of course, the more people who knew, the more danger of the secret getting out, naturally."

Dumbledore stroked his beard and Harry huddled down in his seat. He wanted to know what would happen to Blaise, what would happen to him seeing as he was a Dracken as well and hadn't informed the Headmaster.

"What does all of this have to do with Mr Potter?" Dumbledore asked seriously. Steepling his fingers over his half empty tea cup and looking sternly over his half-moon spectacles.

"He's mine!" Blaise burst out furiously.

"I came into an inheritance this summer sir, on the morning of my sixteenth birthday." Harry put in quietly. "I'm a submissive Dracken."

"Blaise you know the laws!" Snape burst out furiously. "You could be killed over this!"

"Harry's worth it." Blaise answered defiantly.

"Think of your Mother!"

"Madre would agree with me!" Blaise hissed, his accent becoming more pronounced the angrier he got.

Snape took a deep breath and sighed.

"You know that he cannot be kept a secret Blaise. The laws are firm; all dominant Drackens need to prove themselves to a submissive."

"What?" Harry exclaimed in shock.

All eyes moved to him and he quivered, but remained staring back at them.

"The laws on this are clear Potter. You have to be announced as a submissive Dracken and all dominant Drackens who are in search of a mate must prove themselves to you."

"But I don't want them too! I don't want another dominant! I want Blaise!"

Snape closed his eyes, a grimace taking over his face.

"You have already woven yourself into him Blaise; I hope you are ready for the repercussions of this. You know the counsel will punish you. Elder Getus' grandson has recently come into his inheritance as a dominant Dracken; he has been searching for a submissive for him since."

"Elder Getus' grandson can shove his inheritance up his arse! Harry is mine! No one is going to take him away from me! Not even the counsel."

Snape swallowed as the look of pain on his face increased.

"You know that as a male submissive Potter will be highly sought after. That you did not immediately contact the counsel upon finding him will be seen as a great injustice Blaise."

"I don't care!" Blaise hissed.

"Why do they need to be informed that Mr Zabini has kept anything from them?" Dumbledore asked with a happy twinkle. "Wouldn't it be easier all around if Mr Zabini was to plead ignorance in this matter and I will inform the counsel today and tell them that I have recently discovered a submissive Dracken in my school?"

Snape blinked once before he nodded. "This idea has merit, it could work if both of you are careful. Potter you _must_ act as though you and Blaise are not already mates and Blaise you cannot under any circumstances attack another dominant for touching Potter. You must act like he isn't your mate."

"How did we even become mates?" Harry asked timidly. "We didn't do anything."

Snape sighed and looked to him as if he were the stupidest slug in the barrel, which he probably was.

"Drackens do not need intercourse to become mates Potter. It can happen suddenly or over time, in your case it happened suddenly, which indicates you are a very strong submissive and that you are drawing in mates to yourself to keep your power grounded so it does not lash out and inadvertently kill someone."

"Our Drackens recognised each other as mates when I first licked you Harry. We were mates from that first lick."

"I do not need to hear that Blaise." Snape cut in with a strong grimace. "What matters is that you are both mates and have to act like you are not, which is going to be monumentally difficult."

"Not really. When all the other Drackens come here all I have to do is touch Blaise and say he's my mate."

"You cannot be so simple Potter!" Snape groused. "It isn't that easy! All dominant Drackens have to congregate in one place before the process can even begin, you will have to put up with dominant Drackens trying to touch you and sweet talk you until then. They will say anything, will promise you everything to get you agree to be their mate. As the Dracken closest to you, Blaise will not be able to go near you until all other Drackens have arrived."

"But I like having Blaise near."

"Do not whine Potter. There is nothing that can be done."

"Harry my boy; I will do anything and everything I can to make this experience more comfortable and less traumatic. I believe that the submissive Dracken chooses the place of meeting so as to be in a comfortable, familiar place."

"Yes, that is correct." Snape answered promptly.

"Harry it might prove beneficial to use Hogwarts as your meeting place, this way you cannot be harmed and I will have the Professors, the ghosts and the portraits looking out for you."

"Thank you Professor, I wouldn't know what other place to use."

"If the submissive cannot come up with a meeting place then the congregation will be held at the counsel hall." Snape cut in.

"Now, this meeting will be a waste of time, so we must hasten it along as much as possible." Dumbledore stated. "We do not want the other students finding out, or the media getting a hold of the story."

"How do we hide this?" Snape asked.

"I will put up a makeshift house on the other side of the lake and heavily ward it. We need to control this as much as we can, with Harry not having a guardian this will be much more difficult, but as Harry's Headmaster and this being during the school year, I will be happy to act as your guardian Harry."

Harry nodded immediately.

"Blaise said that I was going to need more than just him as my dominant, why would this meeting be a waste of time if I need more than one mate?"

"Because you won't get all of the mates you need at once Potter." Snape told him. "You get your first dominant after your inheritance and then your breeding cycle will start. After your first period of heat has ended, you may gain a second mate. If you require another mate, you will need a third meeting again after your next period of heat and so on until you have the required number of dominant mates."

"He will not have any more mates than necessary to impregnate him!" Blaise burst out, glaring at the potions Professor.

"I've already told you I don't want any more dominants than I need to get a clutch of chicks!" Harry shouted back.

Blaise's glare switched to Harry and they stood there glaring at each other until Blaise growled so deeply the sound reverberated through Harry's lungs. Harry dropped his head, satisfied that Blaise had gotten the message, but before he pushed his dominant as far as punishing him. Who said he was too stupid to learn?

Harry smiled and looked up through his eyelashes at the dour Potions Professor. He could learn damn it.

Blaise opened his arms and Harry happily walked into the circle of his dominant's arms. Those steel bands of muscle closed around him and immediately the feelings of peace, safety and protection washed over him, making all of his muscles relax and his body to turn boneless. He had to admit that he loved the feeling of being cared for and protected, not that he'd tell Blaise that, at least, not so soon.

* * *

Tea with Dumbledore had taken them well past lunch and after assuring the man several times that he wasn't being abused and that if Blaise even tried to take advantage of him or push him into something he didn't want he'd have his balls lodged into his chest cavity, the two were free to go.

Blaise nuzzled and licked him all the way down the spiral stairs and groped him through the borrowed clothing.

"Blaise! Please control yourself, I'm starving."

That stopped Blaise in his tracks and his head shot up.

"You're hungry? I will catch us something to eat, I will not have my mate hungry."

Harry shook his head and sighed. "Blaise you can't catch a deer at two in the afternoon, not with little first years happily exploring the _forbidden_ forest and fourth years daring each other to see who can go the furthest in, you'll be seen!"

"I will not have you hungry Prezioso."

"Yeah, so we'll just go to the kitchens. Honestly Blaise."

"I don't know where the kitchens are located, I know logically they are down near the Hufflepuff dormitories, it's the only place they can possibly be located, but Draco, Theo and I couldn't find them when we went looking in our first and second years."

Harry smiled secretively. "Lucky you have me then, because I found the kitchens and how to get into them."

"You are just full of surprises Mio Prezioso."

"I know nearly all of the secret passages Blaise. Didn't Malfoy ever tell you about the time in Hogsmeade where my head suddenly appeared?"

"Yes he did. He ran straight to Professor Snape to tell him. It was never proven how you did that, or how you got past Filch."

"I know two passageways out of the school and into Hogsmeade." Harry told Blaise proudly.

"My clever little minx." Blaise cooed, nuzzling at his neck again.

"What is with you and my neck?" Harry asked, even as he tilted it to the side to give Blaise more access.

"You have the most beautiful neck I have ever seen." Blaise answered, his lips a breath away from touching his skin.

Harry shivered and pressed closer to Blaise as those lips descended once again onto his neck, nibbling and licking.

"I want so badly to leave my mark upon you, but I can't." Blaise whispered. "The other Drackens would know immediately that you have been marked by someone else, it would ruin our entire plan."

Harry moved away from Blaise, even though he really didn't want to and took his hand instead.

"We are almost at the kitchens." Harry told him as the familiar picture of the bowl of fruit came into sight."

"I have walked past here a thousand times and not once have I gotten a hint that the kitchens are near."

Harry grinned as he reached out to tickle the pear in the fruit bowl. It let out the familiar, high pitched squealing giggle before it turned into a doorknob. Harry twisted it and pushed the portrait, which had now become a door, open with a flourish.

The exclamations and greetings from the house elves made Harry grin as he praised them and then kindly asked for a late lunch, early dinner with lots of rare meat. They happily accepted and sat him and Blaise down at a cloth covered table in the corner, before placing mounded plates in front of them.

"This is incredible." Blaise told him, looking around whilst eating the delicious meal in front of him.

"I felt the same way when I came here for the first time."

"Are those the house tables?"

"Yep, how did you think the food got to the tables so quickly? It doesn't just appear out of thin air at the feasts you know; the house-elves lay these tables with the food and then use their magic to make it pass up to the tables counterparts in the Great Hall which is directly above us." Harry explained.

Blaise shook his head with a wondrous smile on his face. "I had always wondered how that happened, Draco and I believed that it happened by magic, of course, but we have believed it was the Headmaster's magic, not house-elves."

"Speaking of your friends, won't they miss you?"

"No. They are used to me going off on my own for a couple of hours every other day. What about Granger and Weasley, everyone in the school has noticed you have been separated from them, what happened Harry?"

Harry sighed and stabbed his jacket potato with more force than was necessary.

"Ron got jealous after that newspaper article that wouldn't stop gushing about how amazing I was for defeating the Dark Lord last April. He said some hateful and hurtful things and well, I shouted back and then he said that I could stay alone forever with my fame and glory. That I would die a miserable, lonely old man and after that I told him I never wanted to speak to him again. Hermione sided with Ron because they're going out and she didn't want to do anything to jeopardise their relationship, she's loved him for a long time. I haven't spoken to either of them since May and they seem to be doing just fine without me."

Harry shrugged, trying for nonchalance even though inside the breaking down of their friendship was tearing him apart at the seams. They had been friends since they were eleven, four years was a long time for everything to just disappear overnight.

Blaise slipped around the table and held him close, stroking his hair and rubbing his side gently.

"You have me now Prezioso and nothing will split us apart. We will find you as many dominants as you need and then we will start having clutches of chicks. We will be a family Prezioso, I will ensure it."

"What if no other dominant want's me?" Harry asked insecurely.

Blaise laughed deeply and kissed Harry's little nose.

"Oh Harry, of course they will want you, they will be fighting and killing each other just to get your attention. Submissive Drackens do not remain unmated for long after their inheritance Prezioso. You could have been the ugliest, stupidest, most pathetic submissive in the world and you would still have dominant Drackens flocking to you. Unfortunately for me, you are the most beautiful, intelligent, fertile and powerful submissive in the world, I am going to have to have dominance battles daily to keep you mine."

"I don't want you to be hurt."

"It is unavoidable Prezioso, I will have to get into battles with the other Drackens to prove I am worthy of you, to prove I can protect you and our young, it is inevitable that I will be hurt at some point, whether minor or majorly I cannot say for certain."

Harry did not like that at all. In fact he didn't like this entire situation at all. He didn't want other dominant Drackens flocking around him, touching him, groping him, he could look after himself, but he could barely stand up to Blaise, what if there was a more powerful, cruel dominant Dracken out there? How would Harry cope if he became his mate?

He would just have to get this whole debacle done and out of the way quickly. He still wanted Blaise as a mate at the end of this and he wanted him alive damn it!

* * *

A/N: Thanks to all of you for reading and reviewing, remember I like hearing from you, so criticise away if you must, point out spelling or grammatical mistakes or just let me know your ideas or thoughts on this story, I love hearing them.

For those of you wondering the adult version of this story is on Adult fanfiction and is now also on Archive of our , I will be posting the mature version on both sites whilst leaving the cleaner version on this site. I will not be posting chapter 45 until those two websites are caught up once more. I can't focus on finishing the new chapter, whilst working on the old ones and updating everyday, it's too much, so just be patient.

Thanks to **Kitta-Baby** for being the new **200th reviewer**!

**crystalclear8050**: Blaise is not killing little girls' pet horses, for the sake of the story and my sanity, lets say there are prey animals in the forbidden forest, like horses and deer, that he and the others are hunting. Just because Harry in the books never saw any in the forest doesn't mean there were any :)

**Kyuubichild717:** Braiden was being held in Harry's arms when he was bathed that first time and he was only a few hours old, he's had time to grow and develop now and he dislikes the feel of wetness on his skin, so he grizzles and cries when bathed.

StarLight Massacre. X


	4. Influx of Dominant Drackens

_Last Time_

_Harry did not like that at all. In fact he didn't like this entire situation at all. He didn't want other dominant Drackens flocking around him, touching him, groping him, he could look after himself, but he could barely stand up to Blaise, what if there was a more powerful, cruel dominant Dracken out there? How would Harry cope?_

_He would just have to get this whole debacle done and out of the way quickly. He still wanted Blaise as a mate at the end of this and he wanted him alive damn it! _

Chapter Four – Influx of Dominant Drackens

Harry hated this. He hated it with a bloody vengeance. He wasn't even allowed near Blaise. After Dumbledore had informed the counsel that there was a submissive Dracken in Hogwarts a counsel Elder had appeared almost instantly and he had been stuck to Harry ever since, exclaiming that he was never to be alone and that as Harry's chaperone, the elderly Dracken had to accompany him everywhere.

Harry was at his wits end, honestly at the end of his tether with the elderly Dracken, who wouldn't let anyone and he meant _anyone_ near him. The students were talking, rumours were flying around and spreading like wildfire about him having some deadly infectious disease which was why no one was allowed near him and he felt like screaming out his frustration to the heavens.

As it turned out there were three dominant Drackens currently at Hogwarts. Blaise was one of them, very, very surprisingly Snape was another and the third was unknown. Harry begged anyone who was listening that Snape didn't start vying for his attention like a horny teenager; he wouldn't be able to bear the thought of it, nor get over the sight of his Potions Professor doing something as normal as offering him a bunch of flowers or trying to have a civil conversation with him.

Blaise was playing his part of unmated, dominant perfectly. He was testing the limits of Harry's chaperone to the max, just like any unmated dominant who was interested in a submissive would and then some. Harry would giggle and chuckle and laugh and sometimes even cry with mirth at some of the things Blaise was doing to get his attention, even going so far as to send him several dozen ruby red roses, a huge bar of Honeydukes finest chocolate fudge because he knew it was Harry's favourite and had given him a kitten for the day, which had really freaked Harry out seeing as the kitten had exploded into confetti after twelve hours. His chaperone had had to calm him down and explain that it wasn't anything that Harry had done and that there was a spell to turn parchment into an animal, but it only lasted for twelve hours before the animal reverted back to its previous paper state.

Nothing was said about Blaise having an unfair advantage because he had a head start on all of the other dominants, it seemed that if you were far away from the submissive then it was tough luck and you had to work doubly hard to impress the submissive, in this case him, when they arrived.

It took only sixteen hours after the announcement was made for the first of the dominant Drackens to arrive and when they did, they had immediately started raining attention down on him. It was like feeding time at the zoo, every Dracken flooded him with attention and Harry barely had time to say hello to Blaise, let alone get near him enough to cuddle. He was starting to feel lonely and trapped the longer away from Blaise he was.

Harry had been moved to the makeshift house, which was more like a hotel than a house, where the only good thing to happen was that he was free to wander around with all of his Dracken attributes on show, he loved the freedom of walking around with his wings out, but unfortunately the dominant Drackens had taken being in a huge house all on their own with a submissive and only one chaperone as Harry wanting the privacy to have sex with them.

Harry had been groped more times in the past hour than all of the hours he had been alive. His chaperone was having a hell of a time keeping tabs on every Dracken that had turned up and it was to Harry's understanding that the poor elderly Dracken had called for reinforcements.

When he had gotten two minutes alone with Blaise, his chaperone yelling himself blue at one particular Dracken who had shoved his hand down the back of Harry's trousers to fondle his bum, his mate had told him that the other Drackens were being so vicious because Harry was just so desirable. He was gorgeous and had a personality to match which was drawing in every Dracken he met. Harry was just so glad that Snape wasn't here; he really couldn't imagine the humiliation and embarrassment of having one of his teachers grope him like the other Drackens were.

Blaise had been shooed away like a bothersome cat when his chaperone had finished biting the head off of the other Dracken and he had left with a wink and a kiss to the back of Harry's hand, which had made Harry chuckle.

His chaperone had leant against the wall and had panted, pulling a handkerchief from his pocket and mopped his damp brow.

"You are something else my dear." He had told Harry softly. "I have never seen a meeting this ferocious in all my time of being a submissive chaperone. But then you are one of the more perfect catches."

"Perfect catch?" Harry asked confusedly, wondering why he was being compared to a fish.

"Yes my dear. You are stunning to look at, which alone would have gotten you a mate, but your outstanding personality really makes you shine a league above the other submissives, that you are so powerful and fertile just adds more bonuses on top."

Harry hated being spoken about like he was a pedigree animal, but he held his tongue. His chaperone was the only one who was keeping Harry from having his skin groped off. Blaise couldn't help him seeing as they both had to pretend that they weren't mates, if Blaise really wasn't his mate then he'd be on the same side as the other dominant Drackens, trying to touch as much of him as possible, he wouldn't be stopping the other Drackens.

* * *

It had been two days and Harry was already bone tired. He had spoken to so many different men, had accepted so many gifts and had been told so many names, yet the only one he remembered was Blaise. Blaise giving him a single bracelet made of platinum, because he knew Harry wouldn't wear silver because of Remus, Blaise giving him a gorgeous grin and a small bow which had made Harry giggle. The other Drackens were just nameless, faceless people who were getting in Harry's way of spending time with Blaise.

"Well my dear, I think this meeting might be over sooner than I had believed." His chaperone stated later that night when Harry was safely in his rooms, away from the other Drackens, away from Blaise.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked sweetly, sipping on his favoured honey tea.

"You seem awfully receptive to only one Dracken out of the bunch that are here."

"Oh. What does that mean?" Harry asked, playing ignorant.

The elderly Dracken chuckled. "Oh it is impossible not to be endeared by your sweetness my dear. One can tell you were not raised by other Drackens. You are so down to earth and not in least bit spoilt or overindulged, that will surely change when you receive your mate, he or she will spoil you rotten and make sure you want for nothing."

"No, I wasn't raised by other Drackens, my parents were killed when I was a baby and I was sent to live with my Mother's Muggle sister."

His chaperone shook his head sadly. "Had the Dracken world known of your existence you would have been given to a counsel member. Such a shame. But back to you only being receptive to only one Dracken, it means that your Dracken side is being strongly drawn to him, your Dracken likes him very much, much more than the others, it will not take long before you are both mates."

"Oh, but that's good isn't it?"

The elderly Dracken chuckled again. "Only a quarter of the dominant Drackens have arrived, the others will not be happy that they have missed out on a chance to win you."

"It's their fault for not getting here quicker. I'm glad it's almost over; I can't take so much attention. I've been kissed and touched so much in just two days. I'm not used to it. The first couple of hours of the first day frightened me."

"Do not fret dear one, I will always be near you and these rooms are your sanctuary. If you feel overwhelmed you only need to tell me and we will take a break here. But you are just so special that the other Drackens cannot get enough of you. Another point that makes you so endearing to the dominants is that you are so untouched; it excites them to know that they would be your first. Though they wouldn't be your only, you are too powerful to have only one dominant."

A sharp knock on the door preceded another elderly Dracken entering Harry's private rooms, but what made Harry put his cup of tea down and stand up from his armchair, ready to run if the need arose, was the dominant Dracken who had entered by the elderly Dracken's side. An unmated dominant Dracken. An unmated dominant Dracken who stopped dead in his tracks as soon as he stepped into the room and inhaled the air deeply.

Deep brown eyes pinned Harry in place and a ferocious snarl was released from the other Dracken's mouth, demanding Harry to submit.

"Elder Getus, you know that unmated dominants are not allowed in the submissives private rooms! This is a serious breach of protocol." Harry's chaperone stated furiously.

"I had only wished to introduce my grandson to the new submissive Dracken, Elder Trintus. We have only just gotten here and I thought it would be nice to introduce them both whilst you and I caught up with one another."

"Be that as it may, this is against the rules lain down for the safety of the submissive in question, these rooms are supposed to be a safe haven, a place to retreat to if it all gets too much. How can you expect the submissive to feel safe surrounded by so many dominants if his private sanctuary is invaded by an unmated Dracken?"

"We are hardly invading Trintus. I had just hoped that the little one might be feeling receptive to my grandson, I had only wished that they would get along."

Before either Elder could speak again the dominant Dracken had leapt upon an unsubmitting Harry, who let out an undignified squeak and dropped to the floor to avoid the dominant, rolling under the coffee table and around the settee.

"Dominic! Stop this undignified display at once!" Elder Getus demanded.

His grandson, Dominic, obviously didn't listen as he jumped onto the settee, trying to grab Harry over the back of it. Harry moved further away and edged around the room until he reached the door. He flung it open as Dominic ran at him and slammed it closed behind him as he set off running, his instincts telling him to get to Blaise, that he needed his dominant mate to protect him.

Harry was very lucky that Dominic did not appear to be as fast as Blaise was, or Harry would have been caught. It was severely unlucky though that he was in a hotel sized house full of dominant Drackens, who were all in the same mind frame as Dominic. Get him at any and all cost.

To Harry it seemed that there were more dominants than there had been when he had retired to his room, but then he wouldn't know any of them from Adam, the only Dracken he had been paying any attention to was Blaise and he wouldn't have recognised anyone else if he had been introduced to them five minutes prior.

Harry made the heinous mistake of peeking over his shoulder to ascertain how far away the other Drackens were, the next thing he knew he had hit something so solid he saw stars. He was hoisted up and he heard the belly rumbling growl above his head. It was an unfamiliar growl, but those arms were so protective, so strong and solid that Harry clung to the Dracken he had run into. The only thing Harry could discern was that he was taller and thicker than Blaise and much more solidly muscled.

The Dracken holding him growled so ferociously that Harry ducked his head under the other male's chin; he heard at least three answering growls and two hisses before he was lurched sideways as the Dracken holding him started running and then flying, his absolutely huge wings beating the air violently.

Flying was so much faster than running and Harry squeezed his eyes closed so he couldn't see the carpeted floor passing by at such disorienting speeds, he kept his eyes closed right up until the Dracken carrying him was tackled in mid-flight, right over the banister of the stairs.

The Dracken landed heavily on his back and Harry landed on top of him, but before he could get his bearings back he was ripped from the dazed dominant's grasp and he was again held tightly as the new Dracken ran with him. A door opened and then closed and Harry heard a very strong locking spell chanted in a voice he recognised so very well.

"Prezioso, are you alright? Speak to me Harry." Blaise's slightly breathless voice whispered into his ear. "Why did you leave the safety of your rooms?"

"One of the Elders brought his grandson into my rooms Blaise. He was in _my_ rooms! He tried to touch me, to grab me, so I ran."

"Oh Prezioso, Mio Prezioso." Blaise exclaimed holding him tighter and wrapping his beautiful black and purple wings around him.

"Can I stay with you? My chaperone has already noticed that I'm more receptive to you than any of the other Drackens, he said that this meeting would be over soon because of it."

"Of course you can Harry, I would never turn you away."

Harry smiled and snuggled in tighter to Blaise. This meeting had thrown him in at the deep end without armbands when he didn't know how to swim. He was dreading when he had to have another meeting to find his second mate, why couldn't Blaise be enough for him? He wasn't greedy; he didn't want more than one mate, so why did he have to have more than one to get him pregnant?

* * *

The house was in uproar when the Elders and the dominants figured out that Harry was missing, but safely tucked up in bed with Blaise, Harry found that he didn't care as his dominant stroked each of the sensitive scales on his pure white wings.

He was purring again, a deep, rumbling noise that came from deep within his chest as Blaise pressed his lips against his neck over and over whilst playing with his leathery wings.

Harry was not idle either as he explored the bare chest of his dominant for the first time. He had seen Blaise without a shirt on once, it had been that first time in the forest which seemed like so long ago, but in reality had only been a few days, but he hadn't touched Blaise's bare skin once. Until now.

Blaise was smooth and firm, there was a scattering of hair around his bellybutton and a soft line of hair that went below the waistband of his sleeping bottoms, but other than that, Blaise was smooth and hairless, deeply tanned and firmly muscled.

Harry run his fingers lightly over one dark brown nipple and then the other, loving the shiver that rolled down Blaise's spine each time. He played with the darkly tanned skin, curiously comparing the olive tone to his own porcelain white with hints of pink.

Blaise chucked and pulled Harry's hands from his body, tucking them against his chest as he rolled over to trap them between both of their chests.

"If you carry on Prezioso neither of us will be sleeping tonight." Blaise whispered darkly.

"Is that such a bad thing? I'm done with this charade of a meeting. I want to announce you as my mate to the whole world Blaise. I don't want to be touched or kissed or groped by anyone other than you."

"You will change your mind soon, after your first heat when your Dracken side realises that I alone will not be enough to impregnate you."

"That's later on Blaise, I'm on about now. I want just you now. I don't want them."

Blaise sighed and buried his head into Harry's long, black hair, he loved his mate's hair, both long and silky when he was showing his Dracken features and short and messy when he was showing his human features. In both forms it smelt the same, like chestnuts.

"The other Drackens will call foul play if we announce it so soon, but then they always call foul play when they have not been chosen by a submissive, so it will not be looked into much, but the fact that you haven't even compared wing sizes or spent a great deal of time with any Dracken will count against us Prezioso."

"I've had dominant Drackens flashing their wings at me for two whole days Blaise! None of them entice me at all, I look at their brightly coloured wings being shoved into my face and I'm thinking, huh, another pair of wings, how nice, now get out of my way please. I don't want to see green wings, blue wings, yellow ones or bloody red ones, the only wings I'm interested in are black and purple and I'm looking at them right now!"

Blaise silenced Harry with a ferocious kiss and Harry forgot about everything as those skilful lips teased his apart for a strong tongue to lay claim to his mouth.

* * *

Harry woke up on his third morning in the Dracken hotel as he had named it well rested and relaxed for the first time in months, perhaps even years. The reason became apparent almost immediately as he found himself cuddled under Blaise's heavy, yet comforting, arm. One black leathery, purple scaled wing pulled over the top of their sleeping bodies like an umbrella, protecting him, and Blaise, from the bright sunlight filtering through the un-curtained window.

Yawning and stretching, Harry made a small, soft noise, but Blaise was awake and alert within seconds, sitting up and scanning the room for danger, before retracting his claws and fangs when coming to the conclusion that there was no apparent danger.

"Morning Prezioso." Blaise murmured, lying back down next to Harry and stroking one pale, but sleep reddened, cheek.

"Morning Blaise." Harry answered, happily leaning into Blaise's touch.

"Are you hungry? I can hunt for you."

Harry shook his head fondly. Blaise sounded so excited at the prospect of going and killing an animal for Harry's breakfast. Blaise was always offering to hunt for Harry; he had to wonder if it was in the dominant genes to hunt for every meal or if Blaise just liked hunting. Either way Harry was feeling more like having cereals for breakfast than meat, so regretfully he turned Blaise's offer down with an explanation.

"You want cereals? You're going into the first stages of heat Prezioso. You need the grain for energy; soon you'll want fruits and vegetables for slow release and energy storage."

"Oh, but then the other Drackens will know that I already have a mate, the breeding cycle doesn't start until I have a mate."

Blaise nodded. "I know Prezioso. We will announce our mateship later on, but first we have to be seen interacting with one another and you will have to watch some of the other dominants, then disregard them, if you really don't like them Harry, then reject their gifts and attentions. As the submissive the power is yours, no one else's. You have the right to reject or dismiss any Dracken you want to, you can even send them away. Don't let them bully you Prezioso, they're not allowed to."

Harry smiled happily at this revelation and he hugged Blaise, mentally thanking him for giving him the strength and confidence he needed to get rid of the other dominants. If he was allowed to dismiss them and send them away from this hell hotel, then they couldn't touch him, no more running from them, if they did something he didn't like, he'd damn well get rid of them. Unfortunately it would look too suspicious if he ordered all of them apart from Blaise out of the house like he wanted to.

Harry carefully slipped out of Blaise's room and practically skipped down the corridor and into the breakfast room. Blaise was going to have a shower and take his time so it wouldn't look in the least bit suspicious.

The massive hall that rivalled Hogwarts' Great Hall fell silent as he entered and Harry had the odd thought that he was walking down death row as he confidently walked to the head of the table where his 'special' seat was located. Honestly it was more like a throne than a chair with a thick, soft, plush cushion for him to perch on with a padded back and arms.

"Oh Harry dear one. We have been search all over for you." His chaperone, who he had finally learned was called Trintus, stated with relief.

"I spent the night in the castle." Harry lied smoothly. "I had to get away from this house, especially after my rooms were sullied."

"Yes, about that Harry, Dominic is very sorry for his behaviour." The other Elder cut in, looking sorrowful. "He wishes to make it up to you."

"He doesn't have to, in fact I don't _want_ him to, what I want is for him to leave."

"You don't know what you're saying Harry." Elder Getus told him firmly, chidingly.

"Yes I do. I will not stay here whilst he is here. I want him gone!"

"Get rid of him." One dominant growled. "How can we properly interact with Harry if he is constantly running away from _him_?"

"Let us not be hasty, all of you reacted the same to Harry when you first got here, Dominic is no different."

"We didn't act like him!" Another man, this one at least six foot eight with wide set shoulders to match, burst out harshly. "We respected the rules! None of us would have dared enter the submissive's room, only he has been rude and disrespectful enough to do so!"

"He's right; no one else has barged into my rooms like that." Harry answered, giving a smile to the huge man, who smirked back, his gorgeous blue eyes sparkling, puffing his chest out under Harry's attention like he had just been told he'd won gold in an Olympic event. "There are some of you here that I just can't be around, we are completely incompatible and you'll never be my mate, I can't concentrate on any of the others if you're here."

"Alright dear one, you can come with me after your breakfast and we will interview each Dracken in turn, if you aren't compatible with each other, you have the right to reject them." Elder Trintus told him.

"I like that idea; it will give me a chance to spend some one on one time with all of you to find my prospective mate."

The dominants all started murmuring to each other, but mostly they just growled at each other. They weren't here to make friends after all; they were all in direct competition with each other. It was a shame; Harry thought sadly, none of them would be his mate, at least not this time around, but they all thought that they had a chance.

Harry happily ate his second bowl of cereal and then moved onto two pieces of wholemeal toast. He made sure to eat several pieces of nearly raw, cubed lamb because he was being watched closely, even though he didn't really fancy eating meat and then it was time for the showdown. His one on one interviews with the dominant Drackens. He had a feeling that he just wasn't going to enjoy this as much as he was supposed to.

* * *

Harry was going to be reduced to slaughter. Honestly if this kept up he would have no choice, it would be them or him and Harry would much rather it be them. He had deduced in three hours that dominant Drackens were pompous, arrogant, self-satisfied, egotistical bastards.

Harry had been under the false impression that this interview was to learn about his compatibility with his prospective mate. But apparently it was him sitting in an armchair listening to a bunch of dicks telling him their accomplishments, their prowess's and their achievements.

Even Elder Trintus was looking quite astonished at their level of rudeness and self-centredness, at least Harry wasn't the only one. Honestly he hadn't once been asked how he was or even what he was interested in, there had been one Dracken who had been very into a hobby called caving, which Harry had expressed interest in, so the guy had explained everything about it to him, before going on to brag that he had a trophy in mountain biking, a subject that Harry wasn't in the least bit interested in.

"I can't hack this anymore." Harry complained to his chaperone as they took a little tea break. "None of them are right for me! What if I never get a mate?"

Which wasn't likely seeing as he already had one, but Harry's fear was more for his future clutch of chicks, which he'd never have unless he found a second, possibly third and fourth mate. He wanted Blaise, of course he did, but he also wanted chicks. Was he doomed to pick an ignorant berk to spend the rest of his life with, to spend time with, to mate with and to have sex with, just to have children?

"Oh Harry dearest, don't be daft, of course you'll find a mate. Really they can't all be this selfish! There must be one among the hundred or so that are here that you like."

"What if I don't like any of them? And you told me that I will need more than one mate to get pregnant, I can't choose _one_, how can I pick two? What if I need more than two? Oh god I can't do this, why can't I just have the one mate? Why can't one mate be enough for me to have a clutch of chicks?"

Elder Trintus sighed and took a refreshing sip of tea, before he looked at the distressed young man across from him. Sixteen, this boy was just sixteen years old he thought sadly and the biggest age group of the dominants was in the late twenties, early thirties range. He wished that there were more submissive Drackens, then he wouldn't have to watch time and time again as a submissive was paired with a dominant three times older than they were.

"Your Dracken instincts know what they are doing Harry, you may have already subconsciously chosen, you have after all been inhaling the scents of all of the dominants here for the past two days. Just get through these interviews and if at the end you still haven't chosen then we will think of something else, but for now, we still have about sixty more dominants to interview."

"Three hours and we aren't even halfway." Harry mumbled, throwing back the last few gulps of his honey tea and swallowing hard. "Lord give me the strength to carry on."

* * *

Another hour and Harry wanted to slice up the next dominant Dracken he saw. But unfortunately for his killing urges, but very fortunately for his sanity, it was Blaise who sauntered through the door next. His gorgeous, wonderful, amazing mate, Blaise.

"Good afternoon, I'm Blaise Mariano Zabini, seventeen." Blaise greeted with a small smile that had just a hint of smirk in it. "I hope that you are well."

"You know you are the first person to even ask me how _I_ am. I've had an entire day of being bombarded with selfish remarks and comments and I'm just so glad that one of you isn't too self-absorbed to actually ask me how I am!"

"How dull and utterly disgusting behaviour." Blaise replied with a wink that was hidden from the chaperone. "I've brought you some more chocolate; you told me yesterday that you had none left so I went out this morning and bought you some more."

Harry nearly pounced on the bar of chocolate that was offered to him and opened it immediately and bit into it.

"Thank you so much, I love chocolate fudge bars."

"I know, I remember you telling me the first day we were in this house."

"You remember that? I didn't think anyone was listening to me. That and I doubted anyone could hear me over the squawking of that huge Dracken, the one with orangey wings."

"I was listening to you Harry."

Harry blushed lightly and coyly took a look at his chaperone, who was writing something on the clipboard he had had all day during the interviews. The elderly Dracken had better not be putting anything other than praise down for Blaise or Harry would have his head on a plate.

"What are your interests Blaise?" Harry asked, pretending to be politely interested. "What do you like doing during your spare time?"

"I spend most of my time studying; I am in the mind frame that my school years are for study. I wish to get a very good job, the very best that I can, in order to provide all the necessary and luxury items that my mate could possibly want. We would need a big house for us to share with our clutches of chicks, I will not see my family wearing rags and clothing costs money and also I would wish to feed my family the very finest foods to ensure the highest amount of nutrition."

"Do you do anything else other than study?" Harry's chaperone asked, surveying them.

Harry made sure to jump slightly, acting as if he had been so engrossed in his talk with Blaise that he had forgotten the other Dracken was there. It worked as Elder Trintus made another note with a wide smile.

"I like walking." Blaise answered. "If I had a mate, I would like to think that we could enjoy walks through the countryside together."

"I like walking barefoot through grass." Harry told him with a smile and a small blush. "I also like dipping my feet into the lake and walking through the forest and I've never told anyone that before."

"Then I am honoured that you have told me about your secret wanderings." Blaise answered with that gorgeous grin.

Harry laughed and broke a bit of his chocolate off, offering it to Blaise, who instead of taking it like Harry had expected, lowered his mouth to suck it from Harry's fingers.

Blushing deeply, Harry smiled and moved from his armchair and over to sit next to Blaise on the settee opposite him. He cuddled into his side and subconsciously started purring.

"I think that this interview is over Harry, my dear. You have obviously chosen a mate for yourself and a very fine mate as well. You get on really well with each other, Blaise you have obviously been very serious about your mate from the very beginning and you have been listening to Harry and what he says, which is more than some other dominants can say. We will be seeing each other again Harry, as I have already said you are too powerful to only need one mate and I would be honoured to be your chaperone again."

"I'd love to have you as my chaperone again, but I really wish I didn't have to go through all of this for a second time."

Trintus chuckled at the cute little submissive, he honestly thought that Harry had no idea how beautiful he was, inside and out, if only he were unmated and fifty years younger, he thought wistfully.

"I think your next meeting will go much more smoothly Harry dearest, you will, after all, have Blaise with you for your second meeting and you would have already been mated and had your first heat. Blaise, as your first mate, will not accept any dominant touching you without your permission; he will likely fight them to encourage them to stop."

"I don't like violence." Harry stated softly.

"Then I will make sure you will see nothing Mio Bello." Blaise told him seriously, wrapping a huge wing around Harry.

"I always do love seeing a mateship form before my eyes; you are a very strong and powerful submissive Harry, to bond with Blaise as quickly as you have."

"I could feel a connection with him right away, from that first time when he introduced himself to me with a handshake."

"Dear lord, you are much more powerful that I could possibly have believed Harry. Mating over a simple handshake, it takes a submissive on average three days before they recognise a mate, but if you and Blaise mated the first time you shook hands, it would possibly explain why your Dracken has been rejecting all of the other dominants."

"I don't mean to hurt their feelings, I just really like Blaise."

"That is quite alright dearest, they are not going to be happy, but then the only way they would be happy was if you had chosen them as your mate, which you are not going to."

"Can I go back to having a semi-normal life now? I'm sure the rumours in the school are terrible by now. When I left I was dying from an incurable, deadly disease. God knows what the students have come up with now."

"Of course my little dear. You leave the clean-up to me, you just have to announce Blaise as your mate to the other dominants and then you are free to do as you please."

Harry did not relish the thought of telling the hundred or so dominant Drackens that they had wasted a journey or that he already had a mate and it wasn't any of them.

He stood in the huge common room, looking at all of their hopeful eyes and lustful gazes and tucked his white wings into his body, some of the white scales were getting a slight purple tint to them and Harry couldn't wait until he finally, proudly, wore the colours of his mate.

"You spent longer with him!" One dominant burst out. "I want a longer interview as well."

"None of you are going to get another minute of my time. I'm sorry, but it seems that I have already found my first mate. Elder Trintus believes that Blaise and I mated from our very first handshake, which is why I have been less receptive to any of your advances. I'm sorry, but I am no longer looking for a mate."

There was uproar, yells of denial, screams of rage and deep growls that had the hair on the back of his neck standing up on end.

Harry was very glad for the strong presence of Blaise at his back, his arms around his shoulders and his wings flared out, ready to wrap around him if needed.

"You know you cannot seek retribution." Elder Trintus spoke up loudly, his voice easily carrying over the shouts and growls of the dominants. "Against Harry or Blaise. But this isn't over yet, Harry is a very powerful Dracken and will require another mate at least, possibly two or even three more, you all have the chance to try again."

Harry hated that too, being offered up like a piece of meat or a raffle prize. He might not be human anymore, but he was still alive damn it! He still had feelings and thoughts and he was still the same person he was before, he just had wings, claws and fangs. Oh and scales, can't forget his glittery, white scales, which were turning a very light purple in patches. He couldn't wait until they went the same dark amethyst as Blaise's, he smiled and looked at his wing scales over his shoulder. He really, really couldn't wait.

With most of the dominants calm now that they had been informed that they could possibly become his mate still, Harry felt secure enough to walk through them, with Blaise of course, and out into Hogwarts' grounds.

He slipped his hand into Blaise's much larger one and smiled to his mate. Now they had time to get to know one another and enjoy their relationship. At least until it was ruined by the introduction of a second mate, but that was way off, he had to go on to his first heat before he had to pick another mate. Harry smiled at Blaise from under his eyelashes, first things first though; they had to get to know one another better and maybe get in some practise before he officially went on to heat. It never hurt to practise after all he thought with a salacious grin.

* * *

A/N: So Harry and Blaise are now officially mates, not that they weren't before, but now everyone knows. Harry is on his way to his first heat, which is going to be a chapter of nothing but pure smut which can no longer be posted on this site, so if you want to see that chapter you have to venture to a different website to find it.

Harry is **not** being abused by Blaise, nor does Blaise throttle him. Blaise places his hand over the back of Harry's neck and digs his claws in as a reprimand for bad behaviour. It has to be painful to make it an incentive for submissives to be good. A submissive needs to be obedient to their dominant because back when Drackens were new, they were hunted and killed. A submissive needed to listen to their dominant immediately and not ten minutes later when it could be too late for both of them.

That instinct has passed down through the genes and while they aren't in as much danger as their ancestors, there are still a lot of people who do not like Drackens and would see them exterminated. Blaise is trying to instil his dominance on Harry to help keep him safe, he is **not** abusing him.

Thanks again to **Kitta-Baby**, who was the **300th reviewer** to this new version of the story.

**Solomon**: Links to the other websites that have Rise of the Drackens on them are in my profile page.

**crystalclear8050**: I've never watched a Very Potter Musical. I just don't think it would be something I'm interested in. The Counsel did not know about Regulus being a Dracken. I'm not sure about leaving in the poll that wasn't really a poll. There doesn't seem to be much point, though I do still have all the old review responses.

**On Pluto**: They don't know, but it is assumed for the reasons stated in the fic. It's very rare to have a submissive weak enough to not need a grounding mate and equally as rare to have a dominant so magically powerful as to absorb all excess magic coming from their mate by themself. Elder Trintus can feel that Harry is very magically powerful, so he's taken it for granted that Harry will need two mates to get him pregnant and a third to ground him.

**Bobette13**: See above response in answer to your first question, as to the one about the wings and scales, I cleared it up a bit more because people were having difficulty envisioning the wings, so I put in a bit more detail that the first time around. As for the shirt thing, in the first chapter Harry took his shirt off both in the bathroom and in the bedroom, so there was nothing for his wings to rip when he called them out, as for the other chapters, the wings rip through their shirts, but at school they hardly ever have the chance to pull their wings out, but like Harry in the nest scenes, a Dracken prefers not to be wearing any clothes, so yes they walk around shirtless as often as they can when they have the privacy for it.

StarLight Massacre. X


	5. Blissful Days

_Last Time_

_He slipped his hand into Blaise's much larger one and smiled to his mate. Now they had time to get to know one another and enjoy their relationship. At least until it was ruined by the introduction of a second mate, but that was way off, he had to go into his first heat before he had to pick another mate, Harry smiled at Blaise from under his eyelashes, first things first though, they had to get to know one another better and maybe get in some practise before he officially went into heat._ _It never hurt to practise after all he thought with a salacious grin._

Chapter Five – Blissful Days

Harry had come to the conclusion that Blaise was the only mate he ever wanted. He didn't want anyone else, fuck his genes or whatever it was that said he needed more than one person to become pregnant.

How ridiculous was that anyway? Girls got pregnant at the drop of a hat; it was why Hogwarts' Medi-nurse was female, so that girls would feel more comfortable talking to her. Harry thought it was a load of shit. He wouldn't feel any more embarrassed or humiliated talking to a woman about his sex life than he would a man. He'd be equally mortified either way.

As he lay on Blaise's bed in the Slytherin dormitories, three days after the hotel from hell incident, Harry was contemplating when he would go into heat. He was still eating cereals and toast by the plateful and had recently added crackers and biscuits, but he wasn't devouring bowl after bowl of fruits like Blaise had told him would be the last stage of his breeding cycle before he went into heat.

The only thing that pointed to him progressing at all was that he couldn't stand to be near meat of any sort, raw or cooked, which indicated he was just over the crest of the middle of his cycle. Blaise wasn't worried at all, he said that breeding cycles could take weeks even months before the submissive went into heat, it was different for every submissive.

Harry didn't know what he wanted his cycles to be, on the one hand, he really wanted to experience going into heat with Blaise, on the other hand, the minute he came off of heat, he would have to have a meeting to find his second mate.

"What's floating around in that gorgeous head of yours Mio Bello?" Blaise asked, coming from the bathroom fully dressed, much to Harry's disappointment.

"I'm just wondering about going into heat."

"The only thing that fills your head these days." Blaise stated affectionately. "I've told you Harry, it will happen when it happens. There is nothing to worry about."

"I was thinking that maybe we should practise first, before I go onto heat."

"Why?" Blaise asked, looking faintly offended. "I am a good lover Harry, I don't need to practise."

"But I do Blaise. This will be my first time; heat is a primal act between Drackens that is rough and instinctual. I don't want my first time to hurt Blaise."

"Oh Prezioso, come here." Blaise cooed cuddling Harry tightly. "Why didn't you tell me you were afraid? Of course if you want me to make love to you beforehand I will. I would be honoured to."

Harry smiled and held Blaise against him. "Thank you Blaise." He whispered.

Blaise gave that sexy smirk and took Harry's hand in his own. "Come or we will be late for breakfast, you need to eat."

"Why are you always trying to feed me? I feel like a pudding." Harry sighed, he was not used to eating so much, even when he was at Hogwarts and away from the poisonous influence of his relatives.

"It is in my instincts to feed my mate, just be lucky that I am already a year into my life as a Dracken, a Dracken who is new and is mated would not be able to control his instinct to feed you. He would drag a dead animal to you in the Great Hall, in front of everyone, would you prefer that?"

Harry looked faintly horrified. He didn't know what to settle on, absolute disgust or faint amusement.

"That's gross." He finally settled on saying as Blaise tugged him out of his dormitory and into the common room.

Blaise gave him a wicked smirk as he pulled Harry to cradle him under his arm, hugging him close.

"Gross or not, it is how our instincts dictate we should act. It takes a while for us to get a hold of our instincts; it took me eight weeks of running around and trying to force my housemates to submit to me before I could control myself. I don't know if you remember but I was being labelled as insane this time last year."

"I remember a mention of it and that was only because you tried to get a Gryffindor seventh year to bow down to you."

Blaise grinned then. "I remember him, he thought he was stronger than me, strutting around like he owned the place, my Dracken had to put him in his place. It was after that incident that Professor Snape got involved and started teaching me."

"It's strange thinking that Snape is a Dracken. He doesn't look like the rest."

Blaise sighed sadly and nodded. "His mate died Harry. When a Dracken's mate dies, we turn bitter and sour, especially as Professor Snape didn't have time to have a clutch of chicks with his mate. Without a mate and without chicks, well we sort of lose ourselves and we waste away. Many decide to commit suicide, but Professor Snape is far too strong to ever sink to that level."

"My god, I don't know what would happen if you suddenly died." Harry breathed in horror.

"Don't think about it Mio Bello. It is usually the submissive who dies anyway."

"Oh thanks for that."

Blaise chuckled. "Not that I would ever let you die Prezioso. Professor Snape was separated from his mate when they died, he couldn't protect them."

"That's awful, I feel bad now for ever thinking ill of him."

"Don't worry about it Harry, you didn't know, he doesn't want people to know."

Harry nodded at the hint to not mention it or to bring it up as they entered the Great Hall. Being used to sitting at the Slytherin table, Harry didn't even try to veer off towards the Gryffindor table anymore, not that Blaise would have let him. It wasn't like there was anything over there for him anyway; he'd only be eating on his own.

The only new thing about this was that Malfoy was back. Harry had had the feeling that the huge blonde had been avoiding him since he had found Harry in Blaise's bed, but he didn't know Malfoy all that well, for all he knew it could have been normal behaviour.

Blaise sat down next to a girl with long, yellow-blonde hair and opposite a boy with a pointed face and light brown hair. Harry recognised the boy as Blaise's friend Theodore Nott. This seating arrangement unfortunately left Harry sitting opposite Malfoy, who was being mauled by a fourth year girl, with the same blonde hair as the girl next to Blaise. Malfoy calmly pushed her off of himself every now and then with one arm, without stopping the calm, measured bites of his breakfast.

Harry watched curiously and Malfoy, as if he could feel Harry's gaze, lifted his head as he was chewing his bacon to lock eyes with him. Harry tilted his head as the girl once again tried to climb onto Malfoy's lap and the blonde man sighed.

"Daphne, could you please remove your sibling from my proximity." Malfoy's low, serious voice cut through all surrounding conversations and drew people's attention onto himself.

The blonde girl next to Blaise peeked around his mate's huge shoulders and looked embarrassed and faintly shocked.

"Astoria!" She exclaimed sharply. "Come here and leave Draco be, I've told you before that this behaviour is unacceptable and the continuance of it will see a letter finding its way to Mother and Father."

"She obviously hasn't been taught properly." A pug faced girl that Harry knew as Pansy Parkinson sniffed over her glass of pumpkin juice. "No self-respecting Pureblood woman would act like a desperate whore."

Daphne flushed a brilliant red and glared hatefully at Pansy as she stood up. She took a hold of her sister's arm as she passed her and started dragging her away.

"There was no need for those comments." Harry stated quietly, looking at Parkinson.

Blaise immediately stopped his conversation at the sound of his voice and turned to look at him, whether he was reprimanding him with his eyes or just giving him support Harry didn't know. He didn't care, it was wrong of Parkinson to say such things out loud, even if she did think them.

"Keep your nose out Half-blood." Parkinson sneered.

"Do not speak to him like that." Blaise threatened lightly.

"What do you even see in him Blaise?" Pansy asked snootily, looking at Harry critically. "He's too short, too skinny, his hair is awful, his face is awful, he's stupid and can't see further than his own nose. His only redeeming qualities are a passing skill in Quidditch and his eyes, only since he lost those disgusting, plebeian glasses though."

Harry would never admit how much those words hurt him. Hadn't he heard something similar from Ron's mouth not seven months ago? Blaise however was growling continuously under his breath. Harry took a hold of his hand and squeezed it reassuringly.

"You will apologise to Harry immediately." Blaise demanded, giving a pointed look to Parkinson, who quelled under his glare.

"I apologise." She stated huffily and turned away from them both, engaging Millicent Bulstrode in conversation.

Blaise wrapped an arm around Harry and the diminutive Dracken rather thought that if he had been able to Blaise would have wrapped a wing around him as well.

"Do not listen to her Mio Bello." Blaise whispered into his ear. "You are so beautiful and she is jealous because she will never be as stunning as you. Not with that nose at any rate."

Harry giggled lightly and snuggled in tighter. He felt glad that Blaise had defended him, he had been too stunned to do so himself, what with Parkinson sounding like Ron. The only difference had been that Ron had slighted him for his fame as well; it seemed that Slytherins had no problem with his celebrity status, just his appearance and his blood status, or lack thereof.

* * *

Harry growled as yet another male student went past and smacked his bum. It seemed to be a new game that the Gryffindors had started. Seamus had done it first, but Harry could tolerate the flirty Irishman doing it, he had known Seamus for five years and they both knew it meant nothing serious, it was Seamus' way of showing that they were still friends, well that and he liked Harry's new look.

Dean Thomas had done it as a joke because Seamus had, then after that it was like a tidal wave had hit, he couldn't go anywhere without having his arse smacked. Blaise didn't know about it…yet, but Harry was sure he was going to blow up about it and probably kill someone if he ever found out. He had to put a stop to it himself and soon.

Walking into the library, Harry went into the potions section and scanned for the book he wanted, which typically was on the top shelf. He was five foot five, but you had to be over six foot to reach the top shelf of the library in any section.

Sighing and resigning himself to dragging a chair over to reach it, because not only could he not take out his wings to hover high enough to reach it, but he wasn't allowed to use magic in the library anymore thanks to six third year students who had had a duel in the study area last month.

"You're not going to be able to get it down by pouting at it." A smooth, cultured voice told him.

Harry knew that voice before he even turned around to see the hulking figure of Draco Malfoy. Harry hated that the blonde had seemingly shot up a foot during the summer, they had almost been the same size last year, he had been five foot four and a half and Draco had been five foot seven, now the blonde was at least six foot five, six foot six in height.

"I was just about to get a chair." Harry defended hotly.

Malfoy rolled those silver coloured eyes and stood up from the chair he had been sat in.

"Which book do you want?"

"The big blue one."

"Well that's helpful seeing as there are several big blue books that you can't reach."

"Extremely Advanced Potions: Of a Creature Kind. It's on the top shelf." Harry replied.

Harry wasn't sure, but it looked like Draco went ten shades paler.

"Why do you want that book?" He asked, striving for nonchalance but achieving Harry's curiosity.

"Because I do." Harry replied. "Now are you going to get it down for me or do I have to go get a chair?"

Draco reached up and took down the book from the very top shelf; he didn't even need to go on his tip toes to reach it. He handed it to Harry reluctantly and it made Harry so insanely curious. What was in this book that Malfoy didn't want him to see?

"Thank you." Harry stated, before scurrying away before Malfoy could change his mind and snatch the book back off of him.

Harry checked the book out and quickly left the library. He went out into the grounds and sighed as the fresh air hit him. His wings twitched under his skin and Harry had to concentrate doubly hard to keep them hidden.

He made his way over to the lake and sat down against the tree closest to the edge; he pulled his shoes and socks off of his feet and happily dipped them into the water. Blaise would probably kill him for doing it, what with it being the end of November, but Harry didn't care, he had always loved the feeling of the icy water lapping at his toes.

He cracked open the book and started at chapter one. He had planned on just looking up Dracken pheromone suppressors, seeing as he didn't like advertising himself to every Dracken within a fifty mile radius, but Malfoy had made him so itchingly curious, he had to find out why the huge blonde hadn't wanted him to read this book.

So he was being nosy, he really didn't care, Blaise would have an eppy if he knew the reason he was scouring every page of this book, he valued privacy and Harry was just too curious to let it drop. The truth was that Draco Malfoy had always fascinated him. He followed every move the blonde made religiously and his eyes always found a way to follow his blonde nemesis, only he wasn't so much a nemesis anymore. Ever since they had come back to school things had changed, Malfoy wasn't going out of his way to torment him, in fact he hadn't even insulted him and had even helped him get the book from the too high shelves.

"Potter! Get your feet out of the water." A sharp, icy voice demanded.

Harry automatically did as he was told, the voice of a dominant Dracken forcing his submissive will, but he looked over his shoulder at who had ordered him to do so, his emerald green eyes meeting and holding the jet black eyes of Severus Snape.

"Hello Professor."

"I see Zabini hasn't yet taught you enough. Drackens do not like the cold Potter, prolonged exposure to the cold will make you very, very ill."

"Oh." Harry pouted; he loved dipping his feet into water.

"I can see that Zabini is not going to teach you efficiently enough. I expect to see you in my quarters after dinner Potter. This is not a request."

With that the Potions Professor strode away, his black cloak billowing out behind him as per usual, but Harry was half expecting the sky to fall down. He was going to have private Dracken lessons with Snape! Of all people it had to be Snape.

* * *

Blaise was not happy at the idea of private lessons with Snape, a dominant Dracken at that, never mind that Snape wasn't looking for anyone because he had already been mated, and he insisted on accompanying him.

"Honestly Blaise this is ridiculous." Harry grumbled.

Blaise's hand curled around the back of his neck and squeezed lightly, warning him not to say another word, however Harry was incensed by the action. He was not some obedient little puppy!

Moving his shoulder to try and nudge Blaise's hand away only made the hand squeeze tighter and Harry mewled in pain. He twisted in Blaise's hold and tried to kick out, but Blaise moved his leg to block the attack.

"You can't be with me twenty-four seven Blaise! No matter how much you fucking want to! What if I get a detention? Are you going to walk me there holding my hand?"

"Why do you want to be alone with Snape so much? Is it because he's older than me? More experienced? He sure as hell isn't better looking." Blaise hissed.

"Would you listen to yourself? You're being a jealous dick! I don't know what experienced is! I don't know what _inexperienced_ is because I'm a virgin! I've told you that already so get the fuck off of me!"

Blaise let his claws come out to touch the skin of Harry's neck and pulled him closer so their faces were as close as they could get.

"Do not speak to me like that."

"I'll speak to you how I damn well please!"

Harry gasped as Blaise's claws dug into his skin, but he still threw his arms out to push at Blaise's chest.

"Let the fuck go!"

"Oi!" A new voice joined their argument in the assumedly deserted corridor. "Let him go!"

Harry looked to the side and could have groaned as he saw Cormac McLaggen, a seventh year Gryffindor, standing by an open doorway just a few feet from them. He walked closer and Blaise started growling, a low sound which Cormac probably couldn't even hear, but Harry could feel under his hands which were frozen against his mate's chest.

"Do not stick your nose into other people business!" Blaise threatened.

"It is my business if you're abusing a fellow lion."

McLaggen was either stupid or crazy, probably both, Harry deduced. No one would willing walk _towards_ an enraged dominant Dracken. Not that McLaggen knew Blaise was a dominant Dracken, but the pheromones Blaise was releasing into the air should have scared any human off by now.

"Back off!" Blaise snarled, pulling Harry behind his own body and keeping him there by hooking four claws into his robes. At least it wasn't his skin.

But dear god Blaise was seeing McLaggen as a threat. Harry needed to diffuse this situation immediately!

"McLaggen its fine. Just go away. I've got a detention with Snape now anyway."

"I'll walk you there." Cormac stated confidently.

"No you won't!" Blaise burst out. Harry could feel his mate's wings pulsing under the skin of Blaise's back, through his shirt and his robes. If McLaggen didn't leave soon, he wasn't going to walk ever again.

"I'm going to be late!" Harry shouted at them both. "I'm not being late for Snape, you two stay here and fight like barbarian cavemen, I'm leaving!"

With that he hurried down the corridor and further into the dungeons. He had gotten a short missive from Snape at dinner, which had told him that his private quarters were located around the corner and six doors down from the potions classroom.

Solid arms wrapped around his waist and lifted him from the floor. They were unfamiliar and too wide to be Blaise's.

"Little submissives shouldn't be wandering around on their own, especially when they haven't consummated their mateship through a period of heat."

Harry didn't recognise the voice and he started struggling more viciously and lashing out to break himself free.

"Well you are a fiery one, good. I hate little obedient slaves; you'll be that much more fun to be around."

"Let go of me!"

"But you fit so well in my arms. I promise that you'll come to love me after we have mated, you won't be able to resist me when I have given you chicks."

Harry felt his entire body tremble with rage and he didn't care who was watching or who might see, he brought out all of his Dracken features and dug his claws deeply into his assailant's arms. Not that he needed to seeing as his wings had almost taken the other Dracken's head off.

"You little bitch! I'll kill you!" The dominant Dracken screamed. Harry didn't recognise him; he wasn't a student here, had he been at the meetings a few days ago? Damn it why hadn't he paid more attention!

"What is going on here?" Snape's silky voice cut through the noise, just as Blaise ran around the corner.

"He attacked me!" The dominant Dracken stated. "I was just talking to him and the little psycho took a chunk out of each of my arms!"

Blaise snarled at the other dominant from his place cuddling Harry, who clung to Blaise like a lifeline. He didn't want another dominant to take Blaise's place. He didn't want anyone other than Blaise's chicks. He had been shaken by the threats of forced mateship and a clutch of chicks with someone he didn't love.

'_You won't be able to resist me when I have given you chicks.'_ Harry shivered, was it true? Did a dominant Dracken only have to get him pregnant to get his love and affection? He needed answers.

"Mr Potter, is this true?" Snape addressed him, those jet black eyes warning him to not even think of lying.

"No. Well yes, I did attack him and I did gouge his arms with my claws, but he grabbed me from behind when I was walking to your rooms and he wouldn't let me go. He said that I shouldn't be walking alone when I haven't consummated my mateship, that he would make me love him once he gave me chicks. I don't want his chicks!"

Harry flinched as Blaise damn near roared in his ear. Snape was there then, holding Blaise around the throat with both of his arms and trying to calm him down. Harry wanted to step away in fright, but he didn't want to leave Blaise's side in case the other dominant snatched him and forced him to mate with him. He didn't want to mate with anyone other than Blaise!

"Potter, go to my rooms immediately." Snape ordered, but Harry didn't move. Blaise was the only one who could even try to order him around.

"Get a hold of yourself Zabini and get your mate to safety before you go on a killing rampage." Snape snarled.

Blaise's head snapped around to look right at Harry, those gorgeous indigo eyes were furious, murderous and Harry did take a step back then, only for those eyes to soften and for Blaise to scoop him into his chest.

"Shh Mio Amore, I'm not going to hurt you, I'm not angry with you. Please go to safety, I know you don't like violence and I don't want you harmed."

Harry gave one last look to Blaise before he walked off to Snape's rooms. He didn't care what happened to the other dominant Dracken; he didn't even want to think about it, so he gave in and left, because really, he just did not want to watch as Blaise tore him apart, which is what was going to happen and nothing could stop him, no person, no law, nothing. It was within Blaise's rights as a dominant Dracken to grievously maim and kill any who touched, harmed or upset his mate and Blaise was right, Harry really didn't want to stick around to watch.

* * *

Snape's private rooms calmed Harry instantaneously. They reminded him of a forest, of trees and leaves and woods and flying. Everything reminded him that he was a Dracken and he had had no want whatsoever to tuck his wings back in, or his claws or fangs or scales. He wanted them out, he wanted to feel the air against his leathery wings, he wanted to stretch them out to their fullest, which the extra wide, extra high ceilinged room allowed.

Yawning, his jaw stretching wide to accommodate his mouth full of sharp little teeth and two curving fangs, Harry automatically lay down in front of the near enough wall length fire, loving the wash of warmth it gave him, and started purring deeply.

Snape was right, he would much rather be lying here in front of this huge fireplace than swimming his feet in icy water.

A hand stroking his hair had him bolting up right and snarling, before he realised he was looking into the amused indigo eyes of his mate and he settled down again, purring even louder as Blaise pet him like an animal. It just felt so good.

"Did you kill him?" Harry asked in a quiet voice.

"Yes." Blaise answered without hesitation. "I'd kill for you Harry, you are my mate and I will not have anyone scaring you like that."

"Won't you get into trouble for killing him?" Harry asked quietly.

"No Mio Bello. Not after what he threatened and tried to do to you. Forcing a submissive into a mateship by impregnating them is not just breaking a serious law, it's obliterating it. It does not matter that he never tried to do it; just threatening to do it is enough for a death sentence that is how serious this law is. The counsel would have executed him anyway for his threatened actions. It is better that I am seen to be protecting and honouring you than to be seen as weak by sending him to the counsel just to be executed anyway."

Harry nodded and silence filled the room, but Harry couldn't keep silent for long, he had too many questions that he needed answers to.

"Could he really have made me love him just by getting me pregnant with his chicks?" Harry asked, looking from Blaise to Snape, who had seated himself in a black armchair which looked to be made out of dragon hide.

"Yes." Snape answered with a no nonsense tone. "It is a flaw in the submissive's genetic make-up. A submissive, like yourself, will love any and all chicks they give birth to and because you'll love every single thing about your chicks, you will not be able to hate the one who gave them to you, because your chicks would be half you and half the dominant who gave them to you. In time you would be unable to hate the one who had given you your chicks, but because you feel such strong emotions for them, which used to be hate, it would transfer into love."

"Why love?" Harry asked in a small voice.

"Because not only could you not hate them, but you wouldn't be able to feel any negative emotions towards them either and love is the strongest positive emotion a person can feel." Blaise told him gently, still stroking him.

"So all of the negative emotions I would have felt towards him would have built up and are then turned into the strongest positive emotion I could have possibly felt, all because of my chicks?"

Blaise nodded and brushed his fingers against his cheek, before he lay down next to him, their noses touching and they just stared at each other.

"Is this the reason you didn't want to leave me alone? Because I haven't gone into heat yet and I could be attacked by another dominant?"

"Yes." Blaise told him. "My instincts will calm down once we have consummated our mateship, but until then I will not want to risk leaving you."

"Why was he even here?" Harry burst out. "He is too old to be a student here, why was he in the school?"

Snape sighed and rubbed his eyes. "The other Drackens haven't left Potter. You need another mate and none of them want to risk losing you because they cannot get here in time. They are staying close by and many of them are holed up in the temporary house over on the other side of the lake."

"They're still on Hogwarts grounds?" Harry asked, very upset by this revelation.

"Shh Prezioso." Blaise soothed. "I am not going to leave you alone. If you thought I was bad before, it will be nothing compared to how I am going to be, I cannot control myself now that they have made a move on what is mine, I cannot afford to leave you for even a moment."

It should have bothered him, it really should have, he valued his privacy and alone time above almost everything else, but it didn't. He felt relieved, safer now that he knew Blaise wouldn't let him be attacked or let any dominant impregnate him to force him into love.

Maybe he would put a stop to it later, much later after he had already fully mated with Blaise. But for now, he could live with Blaise constantly being at his side.

* * *

Two days later and what Harry had been waiting for happened. He started craving fruits and berries of all sorts. It happened quite literally overnight. One day he was still eating cereals and toast, the next morning, he saw a bowl of apples and he sat down eating one after the other like he was a dying man.

Blaise had looked at him and then plastered himself to his side, an arm firmly around his shoulders and back and he glared at everyone who came within a five foot distance of him.

"Could you at least pretend you have some manners Potter." Malfoy told him with a regal sniff.

Harry swallowed his bite of apple and cocked his head.

"No." He answered before going right back to eating his apple.

Blaise had chuckled and happily handed him every fruit within reach, proudly watching as Harry ate them all.

"What in the name of Merlin is wrong with you?" Theodore Nott had asked.

Harry shrugged a slender shoulder and swallowed his blueberries. "I'm hungry, sue me."

"There's hungry Potter and then there's eating enough to feed a heard of Hippogriffs."

"If Harry wants to eat everything off of every plate in this hall he can!" Blaise stated.

"Fine, whatever." Theo stated morosely. "What ever happened to us being best friends? What happened to friends coming before girlfriends, or boyfriends in this case?"

"We are still friends; I just need time to settle down with Harry."

"Blaise you're acting as if you're going to marry him! This behaviour isn't normal."

"I am going to marry him, as soon as we are out of school."

"That isn't you!" Theo burst out. "You haven't been with Potter for a month yet and you're already talking about marriage!"

"Quit your whinging Nott." Malfoy drawled. "If Zabini wants to spend more time with Potter than with you let him. You don't need him to hold your hand, its Potter he's marrying not you, so stop acting like a jealous lover."

Theo went bright red and stood up from the table, moving to storm away.

"Theo!" Blaise called out. "Don't bring this up again. I've told you several times I will never be with you. You are my best friend and that is how our relationship is going to stay."

Harry watched this interaction with interest. He wasn't at all threatened by Theodore Nott. He was a human and Blaise had told him that any Dracken would choose a submissive Dracken over a human, so he was secure in the knowledge that Blaise wouldn't leave him for the other boy.

"We would be good together." Theo whispered so quietly it was like listening to the wind.

"We will never be together. I am happily with Harry and we will be married."

Harry watched Theo's Adams apple bob as he swallowed heavily. He nodded once before he left the hall at a quick pace. No one from the other tables noticed him, no one ever noticed the Slytherins. They were discarded when they shouldn't have been.

Harry was now learning that labels and net stereotypes were dangerous. Not all Slytherins were bad where not all Gryffindors were good.

It was childish to think that every Gryffindor was a squeaky clean goody two-shoes and that every Slytherin was a dark, evil, vile cretin that wanted to take over the world. There was so much more to a person than a stereotype and it was unfair to label someone and to group them with the few bad people who they shared a school house with.

Harry was a Gryffindor and he had killed several people. He had taken down Voldemort just seven months ago. He had killed Voldemort, it didn't matter that he was a Dark Lord or a ruthless, merciless murderer. Harry had killed him, one spell and he was dead. He had killed some of the Death Eaters as well. All dead and nothing to bring them back. A good person didn't kill anyone; a good Gryffindor didn't kill another living thing, a good Gryffindor did not use the illegal Unforgivable spells.

"Harry?"

Harry blinked and turned his head to look at Blaise questioningly.

"Are you alright?"

Harry smiled and nodded. "I'm fine, just thinking too hard."

"I hope you aren't reading anything into what Theo was saying."

"No, I wasn't. I'm not threatened by him."

"Good, because nothing has ever happened nor will it ever."

Harry smiled fully then and rested his head on Blaise's shoulder, still popping blueberry after blueberry into his mouth. He wasn't a good person, he had killed numerous people, but then Blaise had killed that other Dracken, they had both killed, so maybe they were meant for each other, they could be bad people together.

* * *

A/N: For those of you who picked up on it this time around, yes you met Max in the previous chapter, that tiny little snippet of him was put in there to subtly sway your minds to liking him ;)

**Vera:** It is not possible for a dominant to have two submissives no matter how powerful he is. It's only the submissive that needs his magic grounded.

**MizzTroublezxx:** I had 6,160 reviews for 44 chapters. Now I have 380 for 4 chapters.

StarLight Massacre. X


	6. Afternoon Tea Talks

Dedicated to **Kaygie** and **Null**! Thank you both so much you have kept me laughing all morning. **Kaygie**, your scenes have been invaluble to me!

_Last Time_

_Harry smiled fully then and rested his head on Blaise's shoulder, still popping blueberry after blueberry into his mouth. He wasn't a good person, he had killed numerous people, but then Blaise had killed that other Dracken, they had both killed, so maybe they were meant for each other, they could be bad people together._

Chapter Six – Afternoon Tea Talks

Harry groaned as he rolled over and once again found an arm tugging him back into a solid chest. He wanted to get up, but his stubborn mate had other ideas.

Peering over his own shoulder, Harry sent a glare to a sleeping Blaise. He once again tried to wiggle out of Blaise's hold, only to be rewarded with a tight squeeze.

Growling Harry had had enough. He put his hands in a good position on Blaise's forearm and he pushed as hard as he could. He managed it, but it truly said volumes on how strong Blaise was that it had taken all of Harry's strength just to move an arm, an arm that was attached to a heavily sleeping body. He would never be able to fight off Blaise if his mate turned violent, not that Harry ever thought that he would, he was more worried about the other dominant Drackens.

If Blaise had this much strength, then so did the other Drackens and if it varied with size and amount of muscle, some of those dominants had been at least seven foot! Some of them were so broad they had to turn sideways to fit through doorways, and okay maybe he was exaggerating a bit, but that's what it seemed like to him! They were huge, thick and broad men who could crush his puny head with one hand if he upset them.

Oh god, why did it have to be him? Why was there such a pathetic law that said every submissive that came into their inheritance had to meet every single unmated dominant in the world? It was preposterous! He hoped to high heaven that he only needed one more dominant mate to get him pregnant. He only wanted chicks, one chick would be absolutely fine with him, he just wanted a child, was that such a bad thing?

Crawling out of bed, Harry wandered into the Slytherin boys' bathroom and turned on a shower. His childish, prejudice mind had once thought that the water down in the dungeons would be icy cold, but contrary to what he had thought the water was actually warmer than in Gryffindor tower, his logical mind supplying that of course the water was warmer, it was colder in the dungeons than in the rest of the school and obviously Dumbledore didn't want his students getting frost bite.

Harry had also noticed the permanent, expertly weaved, warming charms warded into every room of the Slytherin dormitories. The common room wasn't warded, but there were _twelve_ fireplaces strategically placed around the cavernous room compared to the one and only fireplace in Gryffindor tower. Harry realised that when he had broken into the Slytherin common room with Ron back in second year, only one of those fireplaces had been lit and the few occupants of the room had been grouped around it. Obviously there was no sense in lighting all of the fireplaces if only three students were in the common room anyway.

Washing his body and his short, messy mop of hair, Harry stepped out and towelled himself dry before realising he had left his clothes in the dormitory. Sighing at his preoccupation with being angry at Blaise for not letting him go, Harry wrapped the towel around his naked self and padded back into the boys dormitory.

"Advertising yourself Potter?" A silky voice asked him softly.

Turning around Harry met the silver eyes of Draco Malfoy, who was sitting up in bed with a book in hand. Harry had a biting comment on the tip of his tongue, but it got stuck somewhere in his throat when his eyes met the gloriously bare chest of one, Draco Abraxas Malfoy.

It was smooth, broad, muscled and hairless, a delicate shade of porcelain white with two identical, light pink nipples, erect against the cold of the dungeon air. Draco's abdomen was crunched up in his part sitting, part reclining position against the headboard and it showed off his abdominal muscles clearly, Harry hadn't even known Draco had a six pack, let alone one so defined.

There was a thin, very fine trail of white blonde hair travelling from his bellybutton to under the thick duvet covering his lower half. Oh dear god, did Draco sleep naked? Since when had he become Draco? Harry swallowed and averted his eyes.

A low chuckle took his attention right back to the muscled, ivory god in front of him.

"You obviously like what you see Potter. You can't take your eyes off of me. What would Blaise think if I told him?"

'He'd likely kill you in jealous outrage.' Harry thought, but he didn't say it outwardly.

"I'm just looking." Harry replied as nonchalantly as he possibly could. "It's not as if I'm caressing you."

"I'd like you to." Draco answered with such a devilish smirk that Harry's knees went weak.

"I…I just…I…" Harry trailed off because he had absolutely no idea what he was trying to say. He needed to get back into control of this situation and quickly.

Draco chuckled deeply, sexily and it went straight down Harry's spine and into his already partially erect cock. He swallowed heavily and wetted his bone dry lips with the tip of a raspberry pink tongue. What the hell was going on here? How had he lost so much control of this situation in mere minutes?

"I need to get dressed." He stated shakily more for his own benefit than Draco's.

"By all means, I am not stopping you. It isn't like you have anything I haven't seen before. Though I wouldn't be averse to seeing what you have to offer."

Those silver eyes were now a dark grey in colour and Harry was sure that there was a meaning in it, but he couldn't for the life of him figure it out, he couldn't think at all, his mind was being clouded. He could barely breathe through an intoxicating scent floating over to him on the air. He was too hot and the room was getting warmer.

A cool, solid arm wrapped around him and Harry jerked his head back to look into sleepy indigo eyes.

"Are you well Prezioso? You are looking very flushed."

"Water was too warm." Harry replied quickly.

Blaise chuckled and pulled him back to sit on the bed and drew closed the bed hangings, blocking out those invading silver eyes. Harry could breathe easier and as he sat on Blaise's bed in nothing but a towel that was slipping from his slack grasp, he couldn't even think of his mate who was so gently laying kisses on his neck and throat.

* * *

The day passed in a huge blur of motion and noise and Harry could honestly say he didn't remember a thing about it. Harry had deduced that Malfoy's behaviour had something to do with the book he hadn't wanted him to have, he was more than halfway through it already and he hadn't found a thing, on either Drackens or anything that could possibly make Malfoy so afraid to see him with the book. Because that was what the huge blonde was, he was afraid. Those silver coloured eyes wouldn't leave the book in his hands when he read it at dinner, he would constantly search his face as if he was looking for some sign that Harry had found out whatever it was that Malfoy didn't want him to find. It was creepy.

Harry happily sipped on his honey tea as he sat opposite the Headmaster in the Headmaster's office, Fawkes happily crooning in his lap as Harry's free hand stroked that gorgeous red and gold plumage.

"Are you settling down Harry, my boy?"

Harry sighed and twirled his teacup.

"I thought I was. Things were great until that big lummox went and frightened me by telling me that he could make me love him by forcing me to have his chicks. Now I don't want to leave Blaise's side and I can't go near any boy who is bigger than me."

"Yes, I had the great delights of receiving the poor soul's body. Brought here to this office by a near hysterical house-elf who had been ordered to bring it to me by Professor Snape."

"I had wondered how they had gotten rid of the body so quickly; it was barely ten minutes before they joined me in Professor Snape's office. I didn't want to ask, I didn't really want to know too many details."

"Yes well, suffice to say that that boy regretted his actions towards you Harry."

"Are _all_ of the dominants still here?" Harry asked seemingly distractedly as he stroked Fawkes, but the Headmaster could see through the guise.

"Yes Harry and more come still every day."

"More?" Harry asked hysterically, his head shooting up and his eyes wide in alarm.

"You are one of the rarest treasures to a dominant Dracken Harry, their potential mate and Mother of their children. Many of them are well past the point of ready to settle down and have children, but they can't because they haven't found a submissive mate."

"Why don't they go with humans? I know Blaise said that they prefer another Dracken, but if they outnumber a submissive twenty to one, then surely some of them would go with humans to settle down."

Dumbledore sighed and with a wave of his wand he refilled Harry's teacup.

"A dominant Dracken will not give up his search for a submissive Harry. Even if he does settle down with a human and has children with them, he will not stop searching for a submissive. He will still be at each and every submissive meeting, regardless of his human family at home. He would disregard them all for a chance to be with a submissive Dracken."

"So they don't go with a human because they know there is still a chance that he might be chosen by a submissive and that that isn't fair on the family he'd be leaving behind."

"Exactly right my boy. But most of the dominants that have settled down with humans are over the age of fifty; they are past their supposed prime and know there is very little chance that they will be picked by a submissive because of their age alone. A submissive looking for a mate is only sixteen years old Harry, sixteen year olds do not want to be with fifty, or even thirty year old men."

"That's so sad. Age is just a number, if I found a man who I honestly loved, who was kind and gentle and patient, who took care of me and our chicks, I wouldn't care how old he was, he could be a hundred and fifty for all I would care."

Dumbledore smiled at him proudly.

"Of course you would Harry and that is why you are getting so much attention from the other Drackens, they can sense that you will not be discriminant in your choosing of a mate. They can feel it in their very blood, you are giving the older dominant's hope and that is something they have never felt before."

"But why? Surely I can't be the first one to have ever been indiscriminate?"

"No, you are not. But you are the first in a very, very long time."

"But why Professor? Why would a submissive discount an older Dracken as a mate?"

"It is a vanity thing Harry, nothing more than that. A young, pretty submissive who has so much male attention from young and handsome dominants does not want to be saddled with an elderly gentleman as a mate, regardless of how kind he is."

"That's ridiculous!" Harry snapped. "I would much rather an older and kinder mate than a young, stuck up, cruel git!"

"That my boy, is what makes you so special, you are ignoring your vanity instincts that say you should have the most handsome of Drackens as your mate, not that I'm saying young Mister Zabini is ugly mind you."

Harry laughed at the little wink Dumbledore gave him and happily bit the head off of a ginger newt. He chewed slowly, savouring the flavour of the biscuit, before he swallowed.

"I don't think I've ever had any vanity instincts, I just don't care about looks or fashion and I wouldn't care if my mate didn't either, after all if I did that would be hypocritical of me."

Dumbledore sighed. "I have seen this sort of thing before Harry, a submissive Dracken came into her inheritance only a few years before you came to Hogwarts, she was a Ravenclaw student here and for a Ravenclaw she was very vain and not as interested in studying as she had once been. She had a meeting here at Hogwarts, much like yourself, but when she saw who had turned up to greet her, she had been livid."

"Why?" Harry asked curiously.

"All of the submissives thought the same way Harry; they wanted a young, handsome dominant with the brightest, biggest wings."

"All that was left were older dominants." Harry answered, cottoning on.

"There were a few younger dominants Harry, but a decade ago the biggest age range was thirty-five to forty. There were very few dominants under the age of thirty and next to none under the age of twenty. There wasn't very much to pick from."

"What did she do? She had to have picked a mate, the urge is far too strong to resist, Blaise and me, we were near strangers and I let him touch and lick me when before I would never have let anyone near enough to me to do so."

"Oh she did pick a mate Harry. After she had ordered away everyone over the age of twenty-five."

"My god, how many were left after that?" Harry asked incredulously.

"Four. A sixteen year old, a nineteen year old, a twenty year old and a twenty-four year old female dominant, who was ordered away immediately."

"She didn't even give the female dominant a chance?"

"No Harry, just like she hadn't given the dominants over twenty-five a chance. It is very rare to find a male submissive like yourself, so female dominants rarely get a look in and are often forced to act more submissive than they are to mate with another dominant Dracken."

"I can't see that ending well."

"It never does." The Headmaster sighed.

"Which of the three dominants left did the Ravenclaw choose?"

"Well my boy, see if you can answer that yourself. One dominant had the brightest blue wings I have ever seen, only they weren't fully grown being only nineteen feet in length as he wasn't fully grown. The second had twenty-two foot wings in a dull shade of yellow and the third had twenty foot wings in a brownish-green colour. Can you guess which one she chose?"

"I wouldn't be able to pick on just size or colour of wings, but from what I heard the size of the wings is important, the bigger the better, so I assume she chose the dominant with the twenty-two foot, yellow wings regardless of personality."

"Correct you are Harry. She dismissed the very young, only recently inherited sixteen year old because his wings were only nineteen feet in length, I believe his wings are now a record twenty-eight feet in length and are still as brightly blue as they ever have been and she dismissed the twenty year old because his wings were smaller and a brown colour."

"I wouldn't mind a dominant with brown wings, it would remind me of the forest and you said his wings were a brownish-green. I would love his wings, they would calm me."

The proud smile and twinkle in those pale blue eyes made Harry blush a bit.

"You are such a loving and caring person Harry; I am amazed after everything you have been through that this beautiful and selfless young man in front of me is the outcome."

Harry did blush at that and ducked his head shyly. Dumbledore chuckled.

"But back to the point at hand. Submissive Drackens normally do not like older dominants, so all that is left are older dominants. The Ravenclaw was forced to pick between only three dominants and none of them were very compatible, all because she refused to have an open mind and was too vain to consider an older dominant."

"I…I can't see myself with anyone other than Blaise, but I know I need another mate at least, so I am going to go into the next meeting and I will give everyone a fair chance, no matter their age. In fact, I think I'll do things differently and start looking for an older mate, that will shock them all when I start from the oldest and work my way down."

Dumbledore chuckled and patted Harry's hand which was lying on his desk.

"Indeed it would my boy. You would make the older dominants very, very happy if you did that, even if you don't end up with one as a mate, they would likely be happy just to be considered. Perhaps you will set a new trend."

"I hope so. I hate attention and everything, but those dominants deserve the fair chance of having a clutch of chicks and a mate!"

"Quite right Harry, quite right."

Silence fell upon the two, a very companionable silence in which each man sipped their cooling tea.

"What will happen if the Ministry finds out that I'm a Dracken?" Harry asked quietly, voicing the fear that had been on his mind for a while.

"If they try anything Harry, we will get you away. Australia does not recognise Drackens as dark creatures and neither does South Africa, but they are considered more of a neutral grey. If the worst comes to the worst, we will get Blaise and yourself, any other mates you may have and all chicks you may have, out of the country and into either Australia or South Africa. You only need to seek asylum, Australia takes in a high number of Drackens and protects them from exportation and South Africa boasts a large Dracken culture, it is almost the perfect climate for a Dracken and many Drackens, if they do not live there already, holiday there often."

"I would rather not leave Britain. This is my home. I was born here, my parents are buried here."

"I know Harry, but that is only worst case scenario and they would have to find you first, but right now I wouldn't worry about it, you are still being heralded as the Saviour, I doubt they would admit you were a Dracken, they would rather ignore it."

"Until they become bored with singing my praises and turn on me like they always do."

"I will do my utmost to protect you Harry."

Harry smiled and drained his cup of honey tea, before using both arms to cuddle Fawkes like a teddy bear.

"I shouldn't need protecting. I should be allowed to stay in my country of birth damn it! I'm going to change everyone's views on Drackens. We aren't soulless killing machines; we only kill to protect our own! That Dracken was threatening me and was going to use my chicks against me! Blaise had every right to remove him as a threat."

"Of course he did." Dumbledore nodded serenely. "It isn't like you are killing humans, only other Drackens."

"Exactly and if I was threatened by a human, I would only have to immobilise them and call for the Aurors."

Dumbledore inclined his head and looked at his time piece on the desk.

"Good lord Harry, you have been here for five hours, I do believe Mister Zabini will be beside himself."

"Oh! I always forget the time when talking to you Professor."

The elderly man chuckled. "You do like flattering this old man my dear boy, now run along before Mister Zabini tears through the castle walls looking for you."

Harry gave his trademark grin and bounced out of the room, going in search of his errant mate.

* * *

After an hour of having every inch of his body checked for injury, bruising or odd marks, of having every inch of him sniffed to make sure no dominant had come near him, Harry had finally assured his mate that he had spent five hours safe and sound, talking to the Headmaster.

He was now lying on his stomach, on Blaise's bed having his back and the back of his neck licked repeatedly. It was so soothing and calming, yet very arousing and erotic.

"Honestly Blaise I'm fine." Harry purred, loving the heavy weight of Blaise sitting on his bum.

"I know, I'm just getting my scent back on you, you smell of ash and fire."

"Oh, that was probably Fawkes, Dumbledore's phoenix; he stayed on my lap for the whole five hours."

"I still can't fathom what you spoke about for five hours."

Harry chuckled then let out a slight moan as Blaise got him right on that one spot that made his skin tingle and his bones quiver, it just felt so amazingly good.

Blaise laughed deeply and stayed on that one spot, licking, nibbling and teasing it and Harry was panting for breath after only a few seconds of delicious torture.

"Keep it down!" An annoyed voice yelled at them from the other side of the room and Harry bolted upright and curled away from Blaise in mortification.

Blaise actively clenched and unclenched his fists, breathing deeply and heavily and Harry's eyes widened. Nott had just interrupted them. They had been having sexual contact that could quite possibly have led to them mating for the first time.

Blaise was seeing it as an interruption to their mating. Harry could not let Blaise kill his best friend when they were never going to have sex; Harry didn't feel comfortable enough yet, despite his impending heat.

"Blaise?" He called, moving to straddle Blaise's thighs. "Blaise, you know nothing was going to come of the licking. It was just to put your scent on me remember, we weren't going to mate."

Blaise's arms wrapped around him tightly and his mate buried his head in his neck, still breathing heavily, but his hands were now caressing the skin of Harry's back.

"We will never be able to mate under these conditions. You deserve better than a quick fumble in a boys dormitory with four other men listening."

Harry smiled. "That's part of why I went to talk with Dumbledore. I asked for us to have a set of private rooms. He agreed and said he could have them up and running in a few days."

Blaise grinned naughtily and Harry went pink.

"My sweet, thoughtful diletto. You are so clever." Blaise cooed.

Harry preened under the praise from his mate and snuggled in tighter. He loved being praised by his mate, it felt so different from being praised for a correct answer by the teacher, not that he had too many of those with Hermione in the class. He felt loved and cherished. He could slowly become addicted to praise from his mate, it was so much nicer than being punished by his dominant. Harry hadn't been punished in days, not since that time when he had been going to Snape's private rooms for his Dracken lessons. It felt amazing and made him feel elated and he wondered why he had ever fought against Blaise in the first place.

* * *

Harry was reminded why he fought Blaise only four hours later as he dropped down onto his knees to avoid Blaise's hand shooting out towards the back of his neck and he sunk his slender, curving fangs into the soft flesh of Blaise's side in aggravation.

His dominant yelled and Harry rolled away to avoid Blaise, who had dropped down onto his arse, both hands pressed over the freely bleeding wound in his side.

Blaise snarled at him as his Dracken attributes burst free of his human appearance. Harry unsheathed his claws and let his wings burst free of his back.

Anyone watching them would have thought that their fight was over something major from the way they were acting, but it wasn't. The fight was over what colour their bedroom carpet was going to be.

They had been given their new private rooms on the seventh floor of the school, Dumbledore had pulled out all the stops and a lot of house-elves had volunteered to put the room together so it had taken less time than expected. The only problem had been that every room had been white and they were going around with their wands colouring in the walls, floors, ceilings and fabrics.

Harry wanted the bedroom carpet to be red, to convey romance and passion. Blaise wanted the bedroom carpet to be green, not because of his ties to Slytherin, but because of Harry's eyes. Neither one was willing to compromise so Harry had yelled at Blaise and Blaise had tried to reign Harry back in. It had ended in a fight that Harry was currently winning by avoiding his dominant's attempts to grab him.

Harry leapt onto Blaise and sunk his fangs into the back of Blaise's neck, only to be pulled over a shoulder and held tight on a constricting grasp.

"Let go!" Harry screamed.

"Calm down now!" Blaise demanded.

"No! Get the fuck off of me!"

Blaise snarled and Harry suddenly found himself flat on the floor on his back with Blaise lying on top of him.

"Get off!" Harry screamed, his voice cracking with the volume of his shout.

Blaise, thoroughly fed up with his disobedient little mate, pressed his lips harshly to Harry's stopping his ear splitting shouts, his heavy body stopping, or at least attempting to stop, Harry from bucking from the floor.

Blaise took his lips from Harry's to breathe in some much needed oxygen before he peppered his unresisting mate's face with kisses. He went back to Harry's plush, pink lips and teased them apart before pressing his tongue into Harry's delectable little mouth.

Harry tasted of pomegranate. Blaise smiled despite himself, Hades had lured Persephone into the Underworld with a pomegranate. He knew he would follow his little mate to the ends of the earth perhaps that had been what Persephone had felt when Hades had offered her that ripe red fruit.

Harry lay passively under Blaise. He didn't know what had just happened or why he was suddenly not angry anymore, he felt relaxed and calm, safe and secure. Despite the fact that five minutes ago Blaise had been trying to skin him.

"Mio Amore. L'adoro Harry, mio piccolo amante." Blaise breathed a hairs breadth away from his lips.

"What are you saying?" Harry asked breathlessly.

Blaise smiled lovingly down at him. "My love. I adore you Harry, my little lover."

Harry went pink, but smiled happily. "Where did you learn Italian? It is Italian isn't it? I don't think it's French."

Blaise let out a spontaneous burst of laughter and held Harry close to him.

"Oh Harry, you are so precious to me."

"What did I say?" Harry asked in surprise.

"You are perhaps the only person in the entire of Hogwarts who does not know that I am part Italian. I have an Italian Father and a French Mother, yet I was born here in Britain."

"That must be a strange feeling, where do you live?"

Blaise's face went dark. "I live with my Mother in France Mio Prezioso. My Father is dead."

"Oh I'm sorry!"

Blaise smiled and pressed a kiss to his forehead.

"He died a long time ago Harry, much like your own parents, I was only a few weeks old, but at least I still have Mother. She will adore you; she has been waiting for grandchildren since I hit puberty."

"I…I'm not sure I'm ready yet." Harry confided. "What if I'm a bad parent?"

Blaise smiled reassuringly at him and sat up, pulling Harry into his lap to cuddle.

"You will not be a bad parent Mio Bello. Your inner instincts will guide you."

"What is it like having a Mum?" Harry asked softly.

Blaise felt his heart crack just a little at that question and held Harry tighter.

"She has always loved me, but often displays it in harsh ways. She is a dominant Dracken Mio Bello and my Father was a dominant Dracken. Long ago before they were born, they were betrothed to each other, one of the last ever Dracken betrothals, it became illegal shortly after their births to betroth any Dracken for the very reason that the male child could be a submissive or the female could be a dominant. They were set up to be married as soon as their parents knew for certain their genders, but my Mother turned out to be a dominant Dracken, something that my Grandparents had not counted on. They did not know until Mother hit her inheritance of course, but by then it was too late to turn back, the betrothal papers were solid and locked with magic."

"How horrible."

"Do not get me wrong Prezioso, they loved each other dearly, but you and I clash and we are dominant and submissive, could you imagine the fights for a dominant with another dominant? I was their only chick and Mother only got worse in her pregnancy and then later when I came about, she was too protective and hardly let Father see me as she tried to be the caring submissive Mother and the protective, sturdy dominant Father by herself, as her instincts dictated that she should."

"What happened?" Harry asked in a small voice, tilting his head to press a comforting kiss to the underside of Blaise's chin.

"She killed him Harry, it was an accident but it was destined to happen. They were both too strong, both too controlling and dominant, neither would give an inch to the other, it wasn't in their nature to do so. We fight diletto, we draw blood, we bruise the other, can you imagine their fights? How bad they would have been. She didn't mean to kill him, but she did and she has never really recovered from losing her mate in such a tragic way. She tried to move on, though never with another Dracken, she has human men now, but they never seem to last long either."

"Does she kill them?" Harry asked.

"Yes. It has gained her the name of Black Widow, but she does not mean to kill, except for the one Husband who thought it a good idea to slap me when I was four, she killed him purposefully. All Drackens are insanely protective of their chicks and that I am my Mother's one and only chick, well perhaps she overreacted, but she would not survive the loss of me as well as Father."

"I don't know which one of my parents was a Dracken, I didn't even know they or I was magical until I was eleven, let alone a magical creature."

"There is a potion to determine which parent was the magical creature Prezioso; I shall ask Severus if he is willing to brew it for you."

Harry smiled beatifically and Blaise fell a little bit more in love as he held Harry in his lap. He could still scarcely believe he had his mate already, what with the majority of the dominant Drackens being in their early thirties and still being without mates, he had thought he had a few years to wait yet, he was so glad he had Harry though, they would have beautiful and powerful chicks.

* * *

Severus Snape sighed as he stirred the Jarvey eyes into the potion. Blaise had asked him if he could brew the creature inheritance potion for Potter. He remembered making this potion before, when he was seventeen for his own mate, who wished to know where the Dracken genes had come from.

He had lost his mate, his beautiful submissive mate. They hadn't had chicks, he had suspected that his mate had been pregnant, only just, but he had been driven wild by his instincts to protect his mate, which pointed to his mate's early pregnancy. How he wished he knew for certain.

Dropping in a teaspoon of salamander ash, he stirred counter clockwise and waited. He had had no idea that Lily was a Dracken or the mate of one. She had never said. Potter had never shown signs of being a Dracken either, so maybe Potter junior's Dracken genes came from further up the family tree, perhaps a grandfather or a great Aunt.

"How I wish you were still here." Severus whispered sadly, looking to the mantel piece where one of the only pictures of him and his mate together sat.

He missed his mate every single day and often wondered why he hadn't died and joined his mate yet, but he didn't wish to kill himself, his Mother had always told him about strength and how one needed to remain strong in life to be strong in death.

He had learnt strength the hard way, his Father, Tobias, had not been the nicest of men and had beaten him and his Mother right up until his Dracken inheritance. Seeing his only son turn into a scaled part dragon with wings had been the last straw for Muggle Tobias Snape and he had had a heart attack.

His Mother had touched his face and had smiled at him, it was then that it had come out that his Mother's dead brother had been a Dracken and a great-great Grandfather had been one also. He had inadvertently killed his own Father and freed himself and his Mother, who still lived in Prince Manor surrounded by kneazles and a few select house-elves.

Finishing up the potion, Severus allowed it to cool before he bottled it up and placed it to the side ready to give to Potter and Blaise. How had it come to this? He was like a Father to all of his Slytherins, many of whom came from either abusive or neglectful homes, he cared for them and so he was reluctant to see one of his closest Slytherins get involved with a submissive Dracken.

He knew Blaise was a Dracken himself and he was happy that he had found a mate already, but submissive Drackens were so easy to be killed. They died and sometimes it was for no apparent reason, his mate had died without reason. He still had not found his mate's body, if there was even a body to find in the first place. He had no idea where to start looking and he had given up scenting out his mate after two years, there wouldn't have been a scent left to find after two years.

Snarling and furiously swiping away the lone tear that made its way out of one of his onyx coloured eyes, Severus sat heavily in his dragon hide chair. He breathed in deeply and calmed his mind using his heavy knowledge of Occlumency; he doubted he would have lasted half as long as he had if he were not so proficient in the mind arts.

There wasn't a day that went by where he did not regret going with his mate that fateful day. He had known something was wrong, but they had just had a quarrel and he had ignored his mate's worried and preoccupied state. He had let his mate leave their house in that state and his mate had never returned. He felt such overwhelming guilt and he bore it with a heavy heart and a mind of pain, if only he had stopped his mate that day, if only.

* * *

Harry actually giggled when Blaise poked his fingers deeply into his sides, tickling the hell out of him in their brand new, purple, bedroom.

Harry way lying on his back on the purple carpet having the air tickled out of him as he used his knees to try and push Blaise off of him.

"Blaise! I can't breathe." He giggled.

"But that giggle is just too cute Prezioso."

"I do not giggle!" Harry stated churlishly during a breathing break.

"Oh no?" Blaise asked with a raised eyebrow. "Then what is that beautiful sound that comes from between your lips?"

"I'm laughing! Not giggling, I don't giggle."

"Oh really?" Blaise asked with a mischievous grin, before he started tickling Harry mercilessly.

Harry giggled in forced delight as he thrashed and tried to get away from Blaise's attack.

"You, Mio Bello, are giggling."

Harry grinned as Blaise's fingers stopped moving; he leant up and pecked Blaise's lips with his own.

"I'm not giggling Blaise."

Blaise smiled softly down at Harry and Harry was amazed to see it, Blaise hardly ever smiled. He usually smirked or grinned, but never smiled.

"You look so handsome when you smile." Harry told him.

Blaise let out a chuckle and pulled Harry up to rest against his chest, their faces touching as Blaise looked deeply into those green, green eyes.

"You are beautiful Harry; no matter what you do you are always beautiful."

Harry pushed at Blaise in embarrassment and shook his head.

"No I'm not."

"Yes you are Mio Amore."

Harry rolled his eyes and yawned widely. Blaise stood up with Harry in his arms and walked up the solid set of stairs into the cavernous upper area of their bedroom. Dumbledore really did understand Drackens as he had placed their absolutely massive bed as high as he could manage underneath a huge glass skylight.

Blaise laid him down in the very centre of the bed before he crawled in next to him. They had already changed into their pyjamas, or Harry had seeing as Blaise slept commando in only a pair of pyjama bottoms.

Blaise covered Harry up in the purple duvet and pulled Harry to cuddle him gently. Pressing a kiss to Harry's cheek, Blaise placed his head on the pillow and held his mate as Harry fell asleep in his arms. He smiled at the beautiful picture of serenity, calm and peace Harry made in his sleep. He was so happy and he couldn't wait for the heat that he could feel pressing ever closer, but first Harry wanted to 'practise'. Blaise fell asleep with a very naughty smile on his face and wicked thoughts taking up his dreams.

* * *

A/N: A bit more info on Snape's mate in this chapter, very subtle hints and clues, but only one person out of all my reviewers has guessed correctly so far, hopefully with these new hints a few more will guess correctly.

To **Nefren****: **Who asked when a submissive Dracken is impregnated by two or more dominants does the chick only have one Father or is it the genetic combination of all dominants involved. The answer is the chick will have one Father and one Mother, but if Harry has a clutch of say five chicks, three of those chicks could belong to dominant A and two could belong to dominant B. Just because Harry is having a clutch at a time doesn't mean that the entire clutch belongs to one dominant.

**19 April 2012 -** I would count where we are in the reviews, but I think that would be impossible, or at least take me a very long time. I'm saying the 400th, 500th, 600th, 700th, 800th, 900th and 1000th reviers were **Kaygie** and **Null**. As it most likely was.

**chachamaru43**: No, sorry there is no possible way for two submissives to be put together, it just wouldn't work.

Thank you all for reading and reviewing,

StarLight Massacre. X


	7. Practise Heat and the Real Deal

**SEX SCENES HAVE BEEN REMOVED AND CAN BE FOUND ON ADULT FANFICTION AND ARCHIVE OF OUR OWN.**

_Last Time _

_Blaise covered Harry up in the purple duvet and pulled Harry to cuddle him gently. Pressing a kiss to Harry's cheek, Blaise placed his head on the pillow and held his mate as Harry fell asleep in his arms. He smiled at the beautiful picture of serenity, calm and peace Harry made in his sleep. He was so happy and he couldn't wait for the heat that he could feel pressing ever closer, but first Harry wanted to 'practise'. Blaise fell asleep with a very naughty smile on his face and wicked thoughts taking up his dreams._

Chapter Seven – Practise Heat and the Real Deal

Harry had decided that tonight was the night that he wanted to lose his virginity to Blaise. He had talked it over with Blaise and his mate had smirked and his eyes had gotten a decidedly lustful quality to them as he grinned and nodded his agreement.

"You're a demon." Harry complained, rolling his eyes as Blaise leisurely roved his eyes over him.

"You love me this way." Blaise answered, wrapping his arms around Harry's svelte waist.

"I love you full stop." Harry answered, loving how Blaise stiffened in shock at hearing Harry proclaim love for him for the first time.

"I love you too Harry." Blaise answered huskily, seductively.

"You know we can't have sex now." Harry exclaimed in shock. "We have classes in half an hour."

"You are right. Half an hour isn't nearly long enough for me to completely ravish you."

"Blaise!" Harry snapped, his face turning a bright pink.

Blaise chuckled, wrapping an arm around him and leading him out of their brand new rooms and all the way down to the Great Hall for breakfast.

Harry was now eating so many fruits and vegetables that the house elves had started sending up extra bowls just for Harry. After all, who else would eat vegetables for breakfast?

He sat next to Blaise and avoided looking at Malfoy opposite him, who had gone from avoiding him like the plague to following his every step.

Harry had found the Dracken section in the potions book and was amazed at how many potions there actually were. Awful, horrible potions that he couldn't imagine any Dracken ever taking. The worst one in his opinion was the 'Dissolvere Pullus' potion, or roughly translated as The Chick Dissolver.

It was a damned abortion potion for Drackens, who the hell would abort their chicks? He had shown it angrily to Blaise who had petted his head and kissed his forehead and explained calmly that it was for submissive Drackens who had been raped and had gotten pregnant by a dominant who was not their mate, to stop the dominant from taking advantage of the submissive using the chicks.

Harry had calmed down then as he realised that the potion was not used as a quick and convenient tool to kill off chicks but a way to stop submissive Drackens from being forced to love a dominant that had raped and impregnated them with chicks.

He had also found out that a submissive would usually get only the one chick from their first ever clutch, their bodies not wanting to overwhelm them with a clutch of five chicks on their first ever conception. It was a sort of easing in period where the submissive got used to their instincts and became more comfortable looking after a chick before they had their next clutch, which could produce anything from between one and five chicks.

He had also learnt that even if he had six clutches with the maximum of five chicks, there was no guarantee that any of them would be Drackens. There had been a dominant and submissive couple who had had fifty children over seventy years and not one of them had been a Dracken. It wasn't any wonder that the Dracken population was declining.

"Do you have enough fruit Mio Bello?"

Harry wordless pointed to the bowl of cubed kiwi and Blaise snatched it from the table as if someone would get there before him and take the entire serving bowl.

Harry happily spooned a good sized portion of the ripe kiwi into his own bowl before letting Blaise take it away as he speared some with his fork before eating it happily.

Harry smiled around his fork as he looked at Blaise who was spooning fruit into little pots so Harry could snack on them during the day. Harry was coming to adore the little things Blaise did for him, he was such a thoughtful mate and he really was loving and kind, except when he was giving Harry a punishment, then he was hard and unyielding. Not that Harry took the punishments lying down, the deep bite mark on Blaise's side attested to that.

Harry did feel bad though as he watched as Blaise stretched too far reaching for some cucumber sticks and pulled on the scabs. It had bruised horribly as well. He'd make it up to Blaise somehow, though he doubted that with their impending sex session that Blaise would care if he was missing a leg.

"Harry?" Blaise called out softly. "We have potions and we need to leave. Have you had enough to eat?"

Harry picked up a handful of white grapes and nodded as he took Blaise's hand with one of his own whilst the other continuously popped the grapes into his mouth.

Blaise carefully led Harry down into the dungeons with his friends all around. He glared as Draco got too close to Harry and he tugged his mate into the side of his body and wrapped an arm around Harry's shoulders.

Harry looked up at him with such adorable confusion that Blaise pulled him up slightly to press their lips together. Harry's lips tasted of the grapes he was eating and Blaise couldn't help but flick his tongue out to have a quick taste.

Blaise pulled Harry in tighter when Harry made a small noise in the back of his throat against his mouth. A small growl had him holding Harry crushingly tight and raising his eyes to glare at Draco, who was glaring back. He didn't know what the fuck had gotten into his friend, but he would not have anyone, and he meant anyone, encroaching upon what was his! Not a Dracken, not a human, not a damned bloody veela. Blaise remembered all too well the chaos those Beauxbatons girls had brought to the school. The veela Fleur had been very beautiful, she had kissed his little mate numerous times, she would not have him.

"Blaise! Too tight." Harry muffled against his chest, pushing against him to try and release his face from his robes.

Blaise immediately loosened his hold and held Harry's face in his hands, checking to make sure he hadn't accidentally done Harry any damage. He gave one last glare to Draco, before carrying on down the corridor.

"Having fun with your new posse?" A voice Harry knew very well echoed down the corridor.

Harry looked into the rage burning blue eyes of his once best friend and sighed lightly. He had been hoping to avoid this; he didn't want to get into a fight with his ex-friends. They might not care for him any longer, but he couldn't forget four years of friendship in a few months. They had been through so much together and how they could disregard him so easily hurt him deeply.

"I don't have a posse." Harry replied calmly, clenching his fist into Blaise's robes to keep his anger, and his tears, in check.

"Whatever Potter! Strutting around as if you own the castle!" Ron snapped.

"Potter could easily buy the castle is he wished." Draco replied coolly. "But I suppose you wouldn't know anything about that would you Weasley, what with you not being able to afford the bare essentials?"

Ron went as red as his hair and that enraged, jealous glint came back to his eyes as he started towards Draco, unsheathing his wand as he did so. Hermione and Seamus held him back.

"Stop it." Harry told Malfoy, glaring at the blonde.

"As you wish." Malfoy drawled boredly.

"Already taken over the Slytherins have you?" Ron spat at him. "Got Malfoy to do your bidding haven't you, you traitor!"

"Ron that's enough." Hermione spoke up from behind her boyfriend.

She placed one of her small hands onto Ron's arm and tugged him back into the Gryffindor line. She didn't once look up or make eye contact with him and that hurt Harry as well. The three of them had once been as thick as thieves, now Hermione couldn't even look at him and Ron was spitting spiteful things at him.

Harry sighed. It wasn't what he wanted, this wasn't how he had envisioned his friendship ending up five years ago, he had thought he had made friends for life. He had been wrong, so very wrong.

Dean sidled up to him, ignoring the warning growl from Blaise and patted Harry's head like one would a dog.

"Don't worry about it Harry, Ron's being a jackass and Hermione's being a prude. You still have the rest of us to look out for your back, which reminds me; I overheard the loud mouth talking to his sister. I wouldn't recommend the treacle tart tonight."

"At least he remembered it was my favourite."

"Dobby did actually, they went down to the kitchens and he mentioned that you hadn't eaten it in a while and wondered why. Hermione picked up on it and started to see if there was any truth to it."

Harry startled at that. Hermione was watching him? Did that mean she still wanted to be friends? Was she just torn because of her love for Ron? Or had she just taken an interest in passing as she was prone to do?

Harry deflated at that and Blaise, feeling the difference in his stance, brought his other arm around his front to give him a sort of sideways hug.

"Harry has been advised to eat more fruits and vegetables by Madam Pomfrey." Blaise lied smoothly. "To build up his immune system, she seems to believe that he will come down with something again soon and we are trying to prevent it."

"Madam Pomfrey seems to think it will be unavoidable no matter what I do." Harry added, picking up on Blaise's thought process immediately, they needed a ready-made excuse for when he went into heat, after all they couldn't just disappear for ten days and then pop back up like nothing had happened.

"It isn't contagious is it Har?" Seamus' Irish lilt asked as his head appeared over Dean's shoulder.

"No Seamus, just a viral infection, though it'll probably keep me in the hospital wing for a month."

"Nothing new there then." Dean grinned, as Seamus threw his head back and laughed deeply.

Harry smiled and it felt good to laugh with his old friends, even if they weren't his best friends, Seamus and Dean were his friends and he had missed them.

"Honestly Harry, the year hasn't started until you've spent at least a week in the infirmary." Neville piped up, a bit nervously in front of all the Slytherin sixth years, but he smiled kindly all the same.

"Thanks Nev!" Harry grinned back before saying with exaggerated enthusiasm and excitement. "I'll be sure to pass my illness onto you. We can spend the week in the infirmary together!"

"I think I'll pass." Neville stated.

"I won't! A week off of lessons!" Seamus enthused.

"You mean a week in the hospital wing doing homework and catch up essays." Dean told him.

Seamus' face fell and Harry laughed at him from his place snuggled into Blaise, trying to lean away from Malfoy, who appeared to be inching closer.

All of them were stopped from saying anything else by the classroom door being thrown open and Snape's head appearing around it.

"All of you get inside now and leave your insipid conversations out here!"

Harry gave a secret grin to Neville, Dean and Seamus and happily walked into the potions classroom with Blaise.

* * *

Harry chuckled under his breath as Blaise rushed to save their potion yet again. He must have done something wrong for it to have gone from a light shade of red to a violent, deep orange, but he had been sure he was following the instructions properly.

He looked at the chalkboard and wiped the sweat from his eyes; he squinted and tried to read the tiny, sharp, scrawling letters through the potion fumes of about twenty other cauldrons and Neville's creation, which was spewing blue gas. Oh, no he _had_ done it wrong; he hadn't added the powdered moonstone before adding the beetle eyes.

"Lord almighty, are you trying to kill us both?" Blaise hissed.

"Not purposefully, but I'm terrible at potions."

"I can see that love! Didn't you know that you can't add pixie wings and beetle eyes one after the other into a potion without adding moonstone between them?"

"Apparently I didn't." Harry grinned unrepentantly.

"Merlin Harry! It's in chapter seven of the potions textbook we were assigned for this year!"

"You mean I'm supposed to read it? I'm using it as a paperweight to stop my parchment from curling."

Harry laughed at Blaise's gobsmacked expression and went back to their potion. It was red again, a darker red than it had been before, but it was still red none the less, until Harry read the next line of instructions which clearly said _'add the lacewing flies'_ in Snape's god awful writing and he tipped in the bowl of lacewing flies, then the potion went a poisonous yellow.

"I think I did something wrong again." Harry told his mate seriously.

Blaise snapped out of it and looked at the potion, before he cursed and dived for the hellebore extract.

"Damn it Harry! It meant several flies, not an entire bowl!" Blaise stated exasperatedly.

"Then why did we have an entire bowl laid out?" Harry demanded.

"Because a handful of the lacewing flies need to be added to the potion every ten minutes after line twelve! The instructions clearly say that!"

Harry peered through the fumes and read the line twice over and then read a few lines down.

"Huh, so they do."

Blaise sighed and picked up his hand before laying a chaste kiss to his knuckles.

"If we don't come out of this lesson alive Mio Amore, please know that I love you."

"Oh stop being so overdramatic!" Harry demanded. "I'm not _that_ bad!"

"It pains me to inform you that you are that bad Mio Bello."

Harry huffed and turned back to the chalkboard, reading through the next line of instructions twice and then once more to be sure before he picked up the tiny bottle of cobra snake blood and tipped exactly one drop into the potion.

"Harry no!" Blaise cried.

The next thing Harry knew he was knocked to the floor with a heavy body on top of him, before he could ask Blaise what the hell he thought he was doing a massive explosion shook the very floor he was lying on.

He sat up and peered around at his fellow classmates, who were all staring wide eyed at the place where his and Blaise's desk used to be. He touched Blaise when his mate didn't move or make a sound and let out a relieved breath when one indigo eye opened to glare at him.

In the shocked silence that permeated the room, Harry shifted nervously and wiggled about on the stone floor.

"I don't know what I did wrong." He told his fellow students seriously. "I read the instructions three times."

"Cobra blood reacts very violently with the hellebore extract I used to stabilise the potion and with the amount of lacewing flies you added I'm surprised the floor is still intact." Blaise told him.

"Oh. Well at least no one was hurt." Harry replied meekly.

"Due to the containment ward that I hastily placed around your cauldron, Mister Potter." Snape's silky voice cut through the room like a knife. Harry had been wondering where the snarky git had been hiding.

"Thank you for saving us Professor." Harry simpered sarcastically. "But perhaps if your handwriting wasn't so small and illegible this might never have happened."

Harry's eyes widened the moment he realised what had spewed out of his mouth. He could see Seamus and Dean out of the corner of one eye smothering their laughs into the sleeves of their robes and Blaise out of the corner of his other eye edging away from him like he had the plague. He'd be having words with his mate about loyalty if he survived this encounter.

"Detention with me tonight Potter, seven o'clock, do not be late or I will be forced to make your life a misery."

Harry was so tempted to tell his professor that he already made Harry's life a misery, but he managed to control his wayward tongue. He needed to replace his brain to mouth filter because it was obviously broken.

"All of your potions will be ruined by now." Snape told the rest of the class. "You all have Potter to thank for that, so let me see…I think five points from Gryffindor for every potion you ruined. That equates to fifty points from Gryffindor Potter, because your feeble mind cannot even follow written instructions I highly doubt it can handle number equations."

Only several people laughed at Snape's barb. Pansy Parkinson, Theodore Nott, Crabbe and Goyle were to name a couple. Ron let out a snort, but he looked torn between amusement at Harry's suffering and anger at the prospect of losing so many points in early December.

Harry curled in on himself so he didn't have to look at the sneers sent at him by the Slytherins nor the angered looks from the Gryffindors. If it had been any other situation he would have held his head high and glared right back at them, but with it emerging that he was a Dracken, not knowing where the genes came from, the whole losing his virginity tonight that was making him nervous and the entire situation with the dominant Drackens and the prospect of picking another million mates just so he could have a baby, well he wasn't feeling very confident or much like himself.

Arms wrapped around him and a low growl rumbled through a large chest and vibrated through his body. Harry buried his head into Blaise's neck and inhaled the soothing scent deeply. He clung to Blaise as Snape ordered everyone to leave due to the fact that the lesson had now ended because their potions were unsalvageable.

Ashamedly Harry felt tears well up in his eyes and he strove desperately to blink them away. The last thing he wanted was for Blaise or Snape to see him crying and thinking him weak minded and pathetic.

"Let yourself cry Mio Prezioso." Blaise cooed to him. "It's part of the breeding cycle, your emotions are going to be out of your control until after the heat."

"Does this mean I'm closer to going on heat?"

"Yes, you are now in the last stage of the breeding cycle, I'd say in about a week you will be on heat." Blaise told him gently.

"Be thankful that your breeding cycle is two months long Potter." Snape told him. "I knew a Dracken who had a sixteen day breeding cycle. It drove both the submissive and the dominant mad."

Snape got a faraway, thoughtful look on his face and Harry realised that he was most likely thinking of his own mate, though the thought of sex and Snape in the same sentence made him shiver in revulsion. Snape had always been and would always be a teacher to him.

He didn't think he'd be able to handle having a heat every sixteen days that was a horrible thought. He could barely handle having a heat every two months, though this was his first one ever, he might change his mind after having sex with Blaise for the first time. He peeked at Blaise through his fringe; his mate was speaking with Snape about the Dracken gene potion to find out where Harry's Dracken blood came from.

Blaise was so handsome and so powerfully alluring and that he had said that he didn't need to practise for their heat indicated that he was a good lover. Harry grinned at the turn his thoughts had taken. He doubted he would want to go into heat every sixteen days, but every two months? He wouldn't mind having a sex marathon with Blaise for ten days every two months.

"Wake up Potter!" Snape snapped, waving a vial of a potion under his nose.

"This is the potion to tell you where your Dracken genes came from Bello." Blaise informed him, coming to stand close to him.

Harry nodded and looked to Snape for instructions.

"It was too much to ask for that you listened to a word I said ten minutes ago." Snape sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Swallow the potion and then prick your thumb with this knife, press your blood onto this chart."

Snape indicated the small knife and the blinding white, circular piece of paper. Harry nodded and threw back the entire potion, grimacing at the horrid taste. He picked up the knife and jammed it into his thumb and let it bleed for a bit to build up the blood before pressing it onto the chart.

He was not prepared for the sucking sensation or the zap that started at his thumb before spreading through his whole hand and then through rest of his body. He ripped his thumb away and glared accusingly at Snape.

"Did I forget to mention that it might be painful? What a shame." Snape drawled as Blaise held Harry's hand gently and kissed the bloodied thumb.

"How long do I have to wait?" Harry asked.

"It depends how far back your genes are." Snape answered slowly, as if Harry were a particularly moronic idiot.

Slowly words started forming on the circular chart, blooming outwards like a flower opening to the sunlight.

Harry looked at the names on the chart and smiled. His name was in the very middle of the white chart, then the name Lily Evans was on one side of his and the name James Potter was on the other side. Two names came from his Mother's name, Deidre Campbell and Jackson Evans. His grandparents. He grinned at finally learning their names; Aunt Petunia had always refused to tell him who they were or what they were like when he had asked when he was younger. The only thing she had ever told him was that they were decent, hardworking people who didn't deserve to be bothered by loathsome freaks.

He looked at the two names branching off from his Father's name and saw the names Dorea Black and Charlus Potter. Black, he was related to the Black family through his paternal Grandmother!

More names appeared on both sides and Harry looked quickly to see it was adding siblings. Petunia Evans appeared branching off from his maternal Grandparents names, attaching itself to his Mother's name. On his Father's name nothing appeared, but three names appeared next to his paternal Grandmother's name. Pollux Black, Cassiopeia Black and Marius Black. His Grandmother had had two older brothers and an older sister. The next level of names appeared, but only on his Father's side.

"Your genes come from your Father's side of the family." Snape told him, also looking with interest at the chart.

Harry looked up at his Professor and nodded distractedly before quickly looking back down to follow the two lines connecting the four Black siblings to two new names. Cygnus Black and Violetta Bulstrode. The name Cygnus Black was glowing a soft yellow.

"There you have it Potter. You got your Dracken genes from your Great-Grandfather Cygnus Black. The genes skipped his children and even his Grandchildren and manifested in you."

"Lucky me." Harry sighed, his eyes not leaving the parchment.

"The Black family is well known for having Dracken blood within it and no, before you ask your _godfather_ was not a Dracken." Snape added.

"I wasn't going to ask, but it would be just my luck that I am the only one in three generations to get the Dracken gene."

Blaise put an arm around him and pressed a lingering kiss to his temple.

"It isn't all bad Mio amore."

Harry looked up at Blaise and smiled.

"No, it isn't all bad." He agreed going up on his tiptoes to press their lips together in a sweet kiss.

* * *

**SMUT SECTION. THIS SECTION HAS BEEN REMOVED AND IS AVAILABLE TO VIEW ON OTHER WEBSITES.**

* * *

A/N: After the complete destruction of this chapter due to this site I am now feeling downheartened so I am going to go read my AFF version for the destroyed scene.

Huge thanks to **unique0987654321** for being the **1,100th reviewer**!

The **1,200th, 1,300th and 1,400th reviwers** were more than likely **Lizzosaur** and **JennyA**. Thank you so much!

Keep reading and reviewing and I will continue writing! Thanks again,

StarLight Massacre. X


	8. Christmas Meetings

_Last Time_

_Blaise put an arm around him and pressed a lingering kiss to his temple._

_"It isn't all bad Mio amore."_

_Harry looked up at Blaise and smiled._

_"No, it isn't all bad." He agreed going up on his tiptoes to press their lips together in a sweet kiss._

Chapter Eight – Christmas Meetings.

Harry woke up with his eyes feeling gritty and one hell of a headache. For several minutes he couldn't remember where he was, why he was here or what had happened. Then it all flooded back. The heat.

He had been on heat with Blaise for ten days! That meant that today was in actual fact Christmas Eve. Well it was the early hours of Christmas Eve it being only five o'clock in the morning.

Unfortunately other things took higher precedent than the fact that it was Christmas Eve, like his swollen bladder and his gurgling, roaring stomach that was demanding food. Harry was just glad that Blaise had already used that cream to heal him up because he was still feeling stiff and sore and that was _after_ the cream had been applied. He didn't want to think how much pain he would be in if Blaise hadn't used the cream.

Harry didn't notice Blaise wasn't in the room until after he had spent five minutes emptying his bladder. He looked around, went back up the stairs to the landing that held their nest bed and went to check their sitting room, but Blaise really wasn't there.

Collapsing into a heap in the carpet, Harry felt oddly numb and lost. He let out a high pitched, inhuman squealing roar that he was sure echoed all throughout the school. It sounded a bit like a Dragon's roar only in a higher pitch.

Harry curled up on the floor. He felt detached from himself, like he was missing half of his body. He let out the squealing roar again and this time he felt about a hundred answering vibrations in his very bones.

The door to his rooms opened and before he could turn around there was a loud thump and the sound of the door closing again, but Harry didn't care as the moment his eyes clocked deep black, layered hair and indigo eyes he pounced on his mate and licked his cheek.

"Harry why are you giving out a distress call?" Blaise asked seriously.

"What?"

"You're sending out a distress call to every dominant in the proximity, which I don't know if you remember, is quite a few hundred."

"I couldn't find you." Harry answered softly.

"Oh Mio amore! I went hunting for you! I knew you'd be hungry when you woke up."

Harry looked over Blaise's shoulder to see the half torn apart deer and his stomach rumbled loudly.

"Eat up Harry; I have already eaten my fill."

Harry near enough dived on the still warm corpse of the deer and happily tore chunks of meat from the bones to devour, getting blood everywhere and being watched by a very pleased, smug Blaise, who was watching his mate eat the meal he had killed for him.

Once he was full to bursting point Harry leant back and groaned, patting his full belly.

"Do I even want to know how you dragged a fully grown buck up here without being seen?"

Blaise grinned. "Concealment charm."

Harry grinned back and reached out for Blaise. He felt so much better; his body was back to its normal temperature, he was no longer burning and he didn't feel uncomfortable or pained anymore, with the ending of the heat, he went back to normal.

"Do you feel any better Prezioso?"

"Yes, I was so uncomfortable at the beginning of the heat, I felt like I was being boiled alive."

Blaise held Harry close and licked his mate's neck.

"I'm sorry Bello, it couldn't be helped. Your body temperature had to reach one hundred and ten degrees."

"Why?" Harry asked stunned.

"Harry why do you think Drackens call the mating period 'heat'? Like our dragon ancestors we need to raise our body temperatures up to a certain degree in order to conceive. Drackens do not like the cold and we need heat and obviously sex in order to conceive chicks."

"Our body temperatures have to be raised to a hundred and ten degrees to get children?" Harry asked astonished.

"Yes, and again when you are nesting and you are in labour, your body will raise its temperature to a hundred and ten degrees to keep the babies healthy and comfortable."

"About that, how will I give birth Blaise?"

"I'm not too sure Mio amore. I'll find out for you, I know that female submissives just birth their children naturally, but I'm not certain how you will give birth seeing as you are a male."

Harry did not like being told that his mate didn't know something so important as how he would birth their chicks. It made him angry.

"What do you mean you don't know? You've been a Dracken for a year!"

"I can't know everything Harry! Male submissives are so very rare that I never thought that I would see one! Let alone meet and mate with one!"

"But you're my dominant! You're supposed to know!" Harry screamed.

"I will find out for you now calm down and stop yelling at me." Blaise hissed.

"No!"

Blaise was on him quicker than Harry's eyes could keep up. Blaise had not been that fast before the heat.

A hand around the back of his neck forced him to his knees and kept pushing to get him onto his stomach, but the hell would Harry make it easy! He swiped a leg out and caught the back of Blaise's knee, knocking it out from under his mate and letting him collapse next to him, before he leapt up and ran, or tried to.

Blaise grabbed his ankle and yanked him back down before plastering himself to Harry's back, pressing his considerable weight down onto his mate.

"Get off!"

"Not until you calm down." Blaise told him, licking over the back of Harry's neck, lightly nibbling the skin with his teeth.

"Oh! Blaise…no!" Harry moaned, caught between anger and pleasure.

"Yes love." Blaise whispered, finding that one spot behind Harry's ear that made his mate melt.

"Why am I so angry?" Harry asked miserably.

"Because your Dracken has realised that you are not pregnant. He is angry that he will not have young to carry and nurture."

"But surely my Dracken knew I wouldn't get pregnant, I need another mate."

"We know that love, but both of our Dracken sides didn't. Our Drackens run on instinct and not much else love. The reason you have only me as a mate currently is because, though we knew otherwise, our Drackens fully believed that we would gain a clutch of chicks from mating. Your Dracken is angry that I couldn't give you chicks, my Dracken is feeling inferior and useless."

"Oh Blaise! Please don't feel like that, I'm sorry I need another mate, I don't want one."

Blaise smirked that gorgeous tilt of lips and kissed Harry gently as his mate rolled over so they were face to face.

"I don't love, but my Dracken does. Again it is purely instinct, you knew we weren't going to get chicks, I knew you needed another mate to get chicks, but our Drackens have only just found out, give them time to settle down."

"I feel like something is missing." Harry confided softly. "Before you were enough, but now there is a small hole inside of me that is craving someone to fill it."

"That is your Dracken telling you that you need another mate. You will start releasing pheromones to attract the dominants to you again and then you will start calling to them. To minimise the risk of damage or injury we should hold the meeting as soon as possible, in a few days at most."

"After Christmas. I want our first Christmas together to be just you and me."

"Not Christmas love, Winter solstice. Christmas is a Muggle thing." Blaise chastised lightly.

"It will always be Christmas to me." Harry stated stubbornly.

Blaise smiled and pecked Harry's lips, standing up and pulling Harry into his arms. A bout of unexpected anger towards Blaise had Harry curling away from his mate.

"I'm sorry." Harry whispered sadly.

"I know love. It isn't your fault."

"I want a bath." Harry decided, suddenly remembering that he hadn't washed or bathed in ten days. "Join me?"

Blaise smiled lecherously and dragged Harry off to the bathroom to 'bathe'.

* * *

Blaise went hunting again for dinner and then again Christmas morning, his instincts were too close to the surface for him not to hunt, which suited Harry fine seeing as he had such an enormous craving for raw meat. Blaise said it was to make up for the weeks of just grains and fruits and vegetables.

Harry finished eating the mare that Blaise had dragged through the castle just for his breakfast and smiled happily at Blaise. His emotions still hadn't calmed down and he still had unexpected bouts of anger towards Blaise, his Dracken seeing his inability to give him chicks as a failure.

Unfortunately Blaise's Dracken was moping about and was feeling like a failure and nothing Harry did could convince Blaise in Dracken form that he wasn't a failure, as a result Christmas was spent in their human forms.

Harry shyly handed Blaise a beautifully wrapped gift and watched as his mate carefully opened it and rustled the tissue paper inside before locating the gift.

Blaise pulled out a very thick, very heavy and very, very old book. He looked it over carefully noticing that it oddly did not have any title that he could see. It was covered in smooth, but age cracked, brown leather and the pages were very yellow, dry and musty with age.

Blaise carefully opened the top cover of the book and his heart almost stopped at the inscribed letters on the front page. Cægan Æðelræd Bealusearu.

"Harry? Where…where did you get _this_?" Blaise whispered reverently.

"I had a hell of a time tracking it down for you, but I remember you said you wanted it and that you and your family had been looking for a copy for generations."

"We agreed no ridiculously expensive gifts Harry! This must have cost you not only an arm and a leg, but both arms, both legs and all of your internal organs of yourself and all of your descendants for ten generations!"

Harry chuckled softly, bordering on a giggle. "It didn't cost me anything Blaise. The goblins told me that it's been sitting untouched in my bank vault for seven hundred years."

Blaise mouthed wordlessly, unable to form how much this actually meant to him. "I…thank you Harry, thank you so much!"

"Thank me by giving me my present before I go stir crazy!" Harry grinned bouncing a bit on the settee he was sitting on.

Blaise smiled so softly and tenderly at him Harry stopped all movement. Surely Blaise couldn't feel the level of love he was displaying just for him, could he? Did he love Blaise as much as Blaise seemingly loved him?

His Dracken roared and clawed at his chest, saying a firm no. They should hate Blaise for not being strong enough to give them younglings, but that wasn't Blaise's fault. He needed more than one mate, he was too strong.

'I am not too strong, he is too weak!' A voice hissed in his head that sounded suspiciously like his own. Harry gasped, clutching at his head.

"Harry? Prezioso, are you alright, what is it?"

"My head hurts."

Blaise held him so gently, run such soft fingers through his hair and pressed such light kisses against his temple that Harry started crying silent tears. Blaise deserved better than him. His own Dracken was rejecting Blaise! On Christmas day no less!

"Innamorato, what is wrong? Why are you crying?" Blaise asked stunned.

"The anger is back." Harry whispered through his tears.

"Hush now mio Diletto. We knew this would happen, we knew our Drackens would not be happy that we hadn't conceived children. It's alright if you are angry."

"But I don't want to be angry Blaise. I love you!"

Blaise smiled and gave him a sweet kiss. "Ti amo Harry."

Harry cuddled into Blaise and breathed deeply to calm himself, he didn't want to hate Blaise or be angry with him. He truly meant it when he told Blaise he loved him.

Blaise handed him a small, very intricately wrapped box and Harry looked at it, not wanting to open it and destroy the beautiful masterpiece it was.

"It isn't my chocolate then." Harry stated with a grin.

"I buy you your favourite chocolate twice a week innamorato, this gift is special." Blaise told him, bringing him in for a hug.

"I don't want to open it." Harry said softly, before hastening to explain when Blaise looked upset and offended. "It's too pretty! I don't want to destroy it."

Blaise chuckled and did a little wave with his wand before he run it up, down, over and around the little present.

"What did you just do?" Harry asked curiously.

"I took a photo of it Prezioso. A proper photo, not those silly flat muggle ones, but a moving wizarding one so you will always know what my first Winter solstice present to you looked like."

Harry hugged Blaise tightly before he carefully opened his present. It was a little blue velvet box and Harry pried the hinges open gently and gasped at the contents.

Sitting nestled in a bed of crushed silk and velvet was the most beautiful bracelet Harry had ever seen. It was an inch wide and looked more like half a cuff than a bracelet, it would fit snuggly against the base of his hand, but it would not cover his ulnar styloid. It was made of solid platinum and had a large emerald in the centre; an emerald that looked so much like his and his Mother's eyes it took his breath away. On either side of the emerald was a smaller, but no less beautiful amethyst. They were deep purple in colour, the same as Blaise's wing scales.

"Oh Blaise I love it!" Harry exclaimed, taking it out of the velvet and silk cushion and flicked open the clasp. He wrapped it around his wrist and fastened the clasp again, loving how it was tight against his skin, but didn't cut off his circulation.

There were small carvings on the bracelet, looking so delicate and flimsy that he didn't want to touch them. They looked like vines wrapping around the bracelet with off-shooting spirals.

"It's so beautiful Blaise, but what the hell? You tell me not to give you an expensive gift and here you go giving me this?"

Blaise grinned. "This is a family heirloom mio caro. The only thing I spent money on was resizing it to fit your tiny, elfin wrists and changing the gems from diamonds and rubies to emeralds and amethysts."

Harry grinned as well and hugged Blaise tightly. Blaise unclasped the bracelet when Harry's head was turned and took it off of his wrist and Harry gasped, pulling back and looking at Blaise with wide eyes.

"You missed the inscription on the inside band." Blaise told him, pointing out the elegant, cursive letters on the bottom.

'_Ti penso moltissimo.'_

"What does it mean?" Harry asked. He had a very warm feeling from the words.

"I think of you always." Blaise answered with a smile.

Harry nearly melted as Blaise fastened the bracelet back onto his wrist and kissed the back of his hand gently.

"Ti amo, Harry. Ti amo."

"Tee ammo?" Harry questioned.

Blaise chuckled and pressed his lips to Harry's temple. "Ti amo. I love you. I love you deeply Harry."

Harry smiled happily, ignoring the warmth in his cheeks as he pressed a kiss to Blaise's lips.

* * *

Christmas day was turning out to be one of the happiest Harry could ever remember. They went down for dinner in the Great Hall, where they found only a few students along with the Professors.

"Harry my boy, so nice to see that you are feeling better!" Dumbledore cried out jovially, sending him a wink.

"Yes, I felt better a few days ago Professor, but I didn't feel up to socialising much and yesterday was when I felt truly like myself again, but it being Christmas Eve, I wanted to spend the day with Blaise."

"Of course you did my boy, I am glad you are feeling better, I hope you don't have a relapse."

"Madam Pomfrey said that if I did it would be a small one a few days after I started feeling better, so I suppose if I'm going to relapse it will be any when from now to a couple of days away."

Blaise sat Harry down before sitting down himself and serving Harry a plateful of food, knowing that Harry and himself had eaten purely raw meat for the past two days. He made sure to put a bit of turkey and chicken onto the plate, before he filled the rest with vegetables and side dishes.

Harry smiled at him and started eating with polite manners that he hadn't had when he was tearing apart the mare Blaise had hunted for him. Blaise would rather watch Harry eating the prey he had killed for him.

"Someone said you had Dragon Pox!" An excitable second year Hufflepuff burst out.

Blaise glared at the little girl and she recoiled, but Harry sent his own glare to Blaise who sniffed and went back to his dinner.

"I didn't have Dragon pox, but the illness I had is contagious through skin to skin contact, so I couldn't leave my special rooms. Blaise had already caught it from me, so he stayed with me to keep me company."

"But what about food!" The little girl asked, exuberant as usual now that Harry was talking to her.

"The house elves brought us our meals; they are a different species so human illnesses don't affect them."

"Oh. What was it like?"

Harry went pink cheeked as he remembered the ten days of continuous sex and the pleasure it had brought, the smells and the sounds he and Blaise had made.

"It was boring." Harry stated lamely.

Blaise's head snapped to glare at Harry. He leant in close and blew in Harry's ear.

"I guess I'll have to up my ante next time Prezioso, so you are not so bored."

Harry went furious red in the cheeks and pushed Blaise away from him. He didn't need to defend his words. The little girl was twelve; she didn't need to hear that they had been having non-stop sex for ten days. No one at this table, of age or not, needed to know that they had been having sex at all. It was bad enough Snape and Dumbledore knew.

"I hope that you do not relapse Harry." Dumbledore stated gravely.

"So do I. I've missed enough schooling as it is, but I just have a gut feeling that it's going to happen."

"If it happens it happens, Potter." McGonagall stated. "Just make sure you catch up with your work."

"Don't worry Professor, it's all done and I'm ahead in certain subjects! Blaise is trying to tutor me with Potions as well."

"Do try not to blow out one of the castle walls Potter." Snape told him.

"I'll try Sir, but I can't make any promises."

"I think I am competent enough to stop him from blowing out a wall Professor, but blowing off one of his hands…" Blaise trailed off with a sigh and Harry nudged him as Dumbledore chuckled merrily.

Harry shook his head and popped a Brussels sprout into his mouth, chewing moodily. He stabbed at his peas and carrots before placing a forkful of mashed potatoes into his mouth and swallowing. He glared at Blaise as his mate laughed at his sulky behaviour.

The dinner passed by amicably and Harry found himself laughing and joking with Blaise and the younger students. Blaise pressed a kiss to his ear and licked it.

"You would make a wonderful Mother, Mio Bello." Blaise whispered.

Harry smiled happily and snuggled in with Blaise, still spooning Christmas pudding and extra thick double cream into his mouth, giving the odd spoonful to Blaise.

Students began trickling away at eight and Harry yawned against Blaise for the third time in five minutes.

"Come on Mio amore, let's get you into bed." Blaise whispered, standing up and pulling Harry to his feet.

Harry leant heavily on Blaise until they were out of the Great Hall and away from the curious eyes. Blaise swept Harry's legs out and caught him easily, carrying him cautiously up the stairs.

"I can walk!" Harry tried to sound angry, but a huge yawn that almost unhinged his jaw ruined the effect.

"I know." Blaise soothed gently. "But I want to carry you."

Harry didn't have the energy to fight Blaise. He just gave in and let his body relax as he was carried up to their rooms and into their bedroom. Blaise carefully climbed the narrow set of stairs leading up to the ledge that their bed was on and placed him down on it.

Blaise happily undressed Harry, quelling any arguments with a soft, 'I want to do this for you.' Leaving Harry undressed, Blaise undressed himself and climbed in next to his ethereal mate, covering them both up and wrapping his arms around Harry's waist.

"Sogni d'oro, mio amore." Blaise whispered, kissing Harry's cheek before settling down to sleep.

* * *

Harry was back in his private rooms in the hell hotel. Only this time it was more bearable with Blaise firmly by his side and his chaperone not too far behind them.

There were approximately one hundred and twenty dominants living here, there had been four deaths already from fighting and another several were injured. To be honest Harry was astounded that there wasn't more than that, but apparently word had gotten around that he didn't like violence and the dominants were trying to curb themselves.

"So Harry." Elder Trintus stated happily. "Here we are again."

"Yes, I have no idea how I'm going to choose another dominant from all of these!"

"One submissive once held a gladiator like challenge." Trintus told him reflectively. "Yes, she made all of the dominants fight each other. The one left standing at the end became her mate."

Harry was horrified that anyone could be so cruel and heartless.

"So all the others just died?" He asked.

"Oh no dear boy! No, we placed up safety measures, a rarity as normally we would let the submissive gain their mate by any means they see fit, but obviously we couldn't just cull all the dominants down to one. No, we made a single rule that if you were knocked down for more than three seconds you were automatically disqualified. It saved many dominants, but there were a few casualties and quite a few deaths despite the safety measure."

"Can I just spend some time with each one?" Harry asked.

"You want to do the interviews again?" Trintus asked.

"Not exactly. I want to be able to walk around with them; I want to see what they are like when they are relaxed and comfortable, not crammed into an overstuffed armchair opposite me. I think some of them were nervous and hid it behind inane nattering."

"Alright my dear, let's get started, after all you cannot be ill for too long or your classmates will get suspicious."

Harry walked hand in hand with Blaise, who had his wings stretched out to their max, making them seem longer than they were, but he still got dirty looks from the other Drackens, who were flaunting their twenty-five foot wings, clearly telling Blaise that theirs were longer.

Harry was dismayed to see that Dominic, the presumptuous twat who had burst into his rooms during the last meeting, was standing right in the front with his grandfather.

"Harry sweet one." Elder Getus greeted. "I hope you are well."

"I am thank you." Harry replied politely.

"You remember my grandson Dominic."

The big dominant held his hand out, but Harry didn't take it. There was a gleam in both of their eyes that he didn't like. Perhaps they remembered that he had mated with Blaise over a simple handshake and believed it would work twice in a row. Only problem was he hadn't mated with Blaise over a handshake, but a single lick to the back of the neck.

"I seem to remember telling him to leave and not to come back." Harry answered coolly.

"I have seen the error of my ways." Dominic told him, his voice very pompous.

"Good, but you will still never be my mate. I don't want you as my mate!"

"Now Harry, it isn't a choice as such but a need to have the strongest mate possible, Dominic might be the best suited mate for you."

"He's not." Harry replied stubbornly and loudly. There were a few snorts, laughs and titters from the crowd of dominants.

"If we could calm this down a bit." Elder Trintus boomed. "Harry wishes to get to know all of you in turn; he wishes to see you when you are relaxed and comfortable. You will not be permitted to take Harry away from this house or its grounds, you will not be permitted to be alone with Harry without myself and his first mate, Blaise present and you are not permitted to touch him at any time."

"Dominic will be going first." Elder Getus stated as if it was his god given right and lord did Harry's temper raise a few notches at that.

It was as if he wasn't even a person capable of intelligent speech or though patterns. His white wings with their shiny, deep purple, scales flared out and he bared his fangs to the elder man and hissed deeply.

"He won't!" Harry declared harshly. "He won't even get a fucking turn because I don't want him!"

"All dominants deserve a fair chance at becoming your mate Harry."

"Then why are you pushing your grandson at me? Why does he have to go first for everything? That isn't fair to the others!"

Blaise placed a single hand on the back of his neck, he didn't squeeze or apply any pressure, it was a warning to calm himself down lest he get himself into trouble.

Harry let his body relax and let his temper cool. He wouldn't achieve anything by yelling. He knew he didn't have to go anywhere near Dominic and the Elder knew that as well. Shouting was just giving him a headache and making him grumpy, it would be better if he turned and ignored them both, but ignoring something like that was never Harry's strongest personality trait.

"I want a list of all the names and ages of the dominants." Harry told Elder Trintus, before taking Blaise's hand and storming away to cool down.

* * *

Harry estimated that it would take at least an hour, maybe more to get the names and ages of the dominants, enough time for him to work out his frustrations with Blaise, who was very happy to help him.

They were tangled on the carpet of his private rooms before the door had fully closed, kissing and biting at the other's mouths. Harry's breath hitched when Blaise moved his mouth down his chin to nibble on his neck.

Blaise squeezed Harry's sides, moving his hands down to grip at his mate's hips, before moving them up again to divest Harry of his shirt. Licking a sugar pink nipple, Blaise smirked as Harry yelled out in surprise.

"Blaise, no teasing, please. I just need to get my anger out." Harry whined.

"As you wish." Blaise answered, ripping Harry's trousers from his legs, taking those bright grass green boxer shorts with them.

A knock on the door had Blaise roaring in rage and Harry scrambling to cover himself with something before Elder Trintus cautiously peeked around the door frame.

"I am so sorry!" He gasped as he caught sight of Blaise lying over a near enough naked Harry, who had only just managed to get his boxer shorts over his private bits in time.

"It's okay." Harry assured, throwing his arms around Blaise's neck to stop him from pouncing on the poor elderly Dracken. "Did you want something?"

"I…the list is complete. We took a register at the very first meeting; we have been updating it with every new arrival."

"Oh. Alright. We'll be there in a minute." Harry answered, pretending that he wasn't laying in his boxer shorts underneath Blaise.

The Elder nodded and left very quickly as Blaise snarled angrily.

"We'll continue this later Blaise." Harry assured him. "Nothing will stop us."

Blaise sighed and held Harry tightly, running his hands over Harry's bare skin, squeezing those beautiful thighs possessively, before moving up over Harry's covered arse and stopping on his lower back.

"Ti amo Harry." He stated seriously.

Harry grinned impishly. "Ti amo Blaise." He stated back, pronouncing the words carefully and a bit heavily, watching as Blaise smirked in happiness.

"You are learning."

"I am. You'll have to teach me more Italian Blaise. I need to know what you're saying to me."

"Anything for you little love, anything for you."

Harry chuckled happily and shimmied back into his trousers and buttoned up his shirt.

"Let's get this over with. I don't want to be here any longer than necessary."

Blaise nodded and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "Remember that I'll be with you every step of the way mio amore. If you don't like one of them, just hide behind me, I'll protect you with my life."

Harry shook his head at the declaration, but he didn't say anything as he walked out of his private rooms and back down to the Dracken common room.

* * *

A/N: I think we are almost to 2000 reviews now! Thank you so much and especially to my Facebook cult ;) Couldn't have done it without you.

Thank you to **Catdemon5** for being the **1,500th reviewer**! The **1,600th, 1,700th, 1,800th, 1,900th reviwers** were likely **Lizzosaur and Amy**. Thank you!

**Lizzosaur!** Thank you so much for keeping me entertained with your pick up lines! Look out for some of them in the revised chapter 44! Your quotes will also come in handy for our wise Nas!

StarLight Massacre. X


	9. Choosing the Second Mate

_Last Time_

"_Let's get this over with. I don't want to be here any longer than necessary."_

_Blaise nodded and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "Remember that I'll be with you every step of the way mio amore. If you don't like one of them, just hide behind me, I'll protect you with my life."_

_Harry shook his head at the declaration, but he didn't say anything as he walked out of his private rooms and back down to the Dracken common room._

Chapter Nine – Choosing The Second Mate.

Harry sat in a small room off of the Dracken common room and held the thick plastic folder in his hands and just gawped at the amount of names on the pieces of parchment it contained.

Name after name was listed, some names he couldn't even pronounce, some names were so long they took up three lines of the parchments and others were so common there were two or three of them reoccurring throughout the list.

The ages next to the names ranged from fifty-six all the way down to sixteen and Harry couldn't believe that several sixteen year olds had made their way here from all over the world.

Next to the ages were a colour, or colours, and another number that he had been told were the dominant's wing colours and sizes, so he could identify the more commonly named Drackens so he didn't scratch off the wrong person.

Harry took a quill to Dominic's name, who was listed under the section for the sixteen year olds, scratching it out forcibly much to the amusement of Blaise.

"Calm down Harry, wait until you see his face and do the same with your claws." Blaise advised.

Harry giggled lightly and a bit hysterically and scooted over to cuddle into Blaise. Everything felt so out of his control, he felt like a passenger in his own body, on a rollercoaster with nowhere to go but down.

"My dear are you well?" Elder Trintus asked concernedly.

"I just…I…why couldn't Blaise be enough? I don't want anyone else in my life. I want a family! Not a group of men accosting me and groping me every time I walk into a room. How many is it going to take?"

"I would think one more dominant will see you with a clutch of chicks." Trintus told him thoughtfully. "But you might need one, maybe two more on top of that to ground your magic and to see to the needs of your Dracken."

"I only want as many as I need to have a clutch of chicks!" Harry stated sharply.

"I wouldn't advise it my dear. Without an extra dominant to ground you, you may have bouts of irrationality or even very well go insane. I remember one submissive who fancied herself so in love with her first mate that she refused her grounding mate and six years down the line she ended up killing all of her chicks and when her lucidity came back, she killed herself in grief, leaving her mate to suffer for years before he decided to join them."

"That's horrible." Harry declared, feeling faintly sick at the thought of a Mother killing her children.

Blaise swallowed bitterly and held Harry tightly. He didn't _want_ to share his mate with anyone, but he wanted Harry killing their children and then himself even less, much, much less as in not at all, than another male, or even female, who would push him out of the frame and claim all of Harry's attention.

"It is horrible yes, but that is the fate of a Dracken who refuses their grounding mate." Trintus said simply.

"Blaise?" Harry questioned timidly.

He remembered very vividly that first meeting in the forest with his first mate, of how vehement Blaise was that he would not be permitted to have a harem or any more men than necessary to get him pregnant.

"Discount my harsh words Mio amore." Blaise said softly, brushing Harry's cheek with the back of his knuckles. "I did not know what the Elder has just told us, I would rather add as many dominants as you need than to suffer the loss of you and our chicks a few years into the future."

Harry smiled beatifically at him and Blaise felt his heart jolt. He had come to love Harry so very much. How was it possible to fall this deeply in love in just two months? He was amazed that it was only two months that had passed, it felt like an eternity. A good eternity.

He felt like he knew Harry, really knew him, the way decade old lovers knew the other like the backs of their hands. He wished to spend every minute of every day with Harry, which was probably why he was so jealous of adding in more Drackens to their relationship. It was needed to get the full family they wanted and craved, but Blaise still did not like sharing Harry.

It wasn't even a Dracken thing; Blaise thought sourly, he would have been exactly the same had he been human. He would not have wanted to share Harry at all, not with anyone. Blaise believed fully that he was taking the news so well because he wasn't human, because he was a Dracken, it was common for a submissive to have at least two mates, one to get them pregnant and then another one to ground their magic, it was rare to find a submissive weak enough to only need one dominant to impregnate and ground them or a dominant strong enough over the submissive to do both. He would not have coped very well had he and Harry been human and Harry informed him that he wanted more than one lover.

"Perhaps it would be best dearest if you got this over and done with?" Trintus suggested carefully.

He had never seen a submissive so reluctant to take a second mate before, all submissives craved children, their bodies demanded them, yet here this young, sixteen year old boy sat, looking so miserable Trintus wanted to hold him, rock him and coo at him as if he were his own chick.

"I suppose you're right." Harry sighed, making no move to untangle himself from Blaise's lap.

Blaise smiled at the picture of misery his mate made. He hated that Harry was upset and loathed himself for feeling so smug at Harry's misery, but he couldn't stop the pleasure or pride he felt that Harry really didn't want any more mates. He knew Harry would get used to them in time and that he would come to love them all, but at this moment in time, Harry wanted him and only him.

* * *

Harry stood once again in the absolutely huge common room that held over a hundred unmated, dominant Drackens who were all vying for his attention. Well most of them were anyway and they all seemed to be under the age of thirty. The older dominants were standing in the back, as if they knew they had already been discounted, as if they were only here because their instincts demanded that they be present.

It broke Harry's heart to see the hopeless and lost expressions that they all tried to hide. They were acting as if they had absolutely no shot whatsoever and Harry swallowed. He hadn't talked his plan out with Blaise. He didn't want his mate getting jealous or feel any more inadequate because Harry went looking through the older dominants first, but he had to give them hope that not all submissives were arrogant, stuck up pricks that wouldn't touch them with a four foot stick merely because of their age.

"Harry has reviewed all of your names and ages and has now decided that he would like to begin his search for his second mate." Trintus called out loudly, ensuring that all dominants heard him. "Harry are there any deciding factors which would make you completely discount one of these dominants as your mate?"

Harry had known this question was coming and he looked to Blaise, who didn't smile, didn't move his facial muscles, but wrapped him up in his arms comfortably, silently telling him that the floor was all his and that Blaise was behind him one hundred percent in anything he decided to do.

"Just get on with it!" One of the younger dominants shouted out impatiently. "Get rid of the granddads and start the process already, the waiting is killing me!"

"Who are you?" Harry asked.

"Serif Ribbin. Twenty-three." The dominant with lush heather coloured, twenty-four foot, wings answered proudly.

Harry went down the list of parchments and found Serif on the list, glad that he was the only one so he didn't have to spend any more time on him looking for wing colour; Harry took his quill and exaggeratedly scratched out the name.

"Thank you Serif, you can leave now."

"What?" He demanded.

"You can leave now. I don't want a cruel or spiteful man as a mate. Bye bye."

Blaise smothered a chuckle by pressing his mouth into Harry's hair. Serif was dragged out by the reinforcements that had come to protect Harry. The 'security' was made up of about eight to ten mated dominants who had agreed to be Harry's protection.

"Right, let's start looking for my next mate." Harry stated lackadaisically. "But first things first, if any of you are currently married or have a significant other at home, you can leave as well, I don't want to be labelled as a home wrecker thanks."

"How do you want to do this?" An older dominant asked from the back.

He looked like a hard man, with slate grey scales and charcoal coloured eyes. His hair was black, but it was thinning and lightening at the temples. He had a few facial scars, the most prominent of which looked like a claw scratch going down his left cheek, most likely put there by a right handed submissive; Harry felt such burning curiosity to ask.

"Who are you?" Harry asked instead and the dominant's eyes hardened.

"Arsenio Demetrius. Forty-two." The man answered stonily.

Harry had noticed that all the dominants answered with their name and age, like it was a raffle number or a military identity. He held a small pale hand out and smiled softly at the man, who blinked and looked faintly stunned.

"I think I'd like to get to know you first Arsenio."

"He's forty-two Harry." Blaise ducked down to whisper in his ear.

"I know, I heard him perfectly well thank you and I don't care much for age Blaise. I love a person for who they are, not for the number of years that they've been alive." Harry whispered back as Arsenio slowly picked his way through the crowd of silent Drackens.

He still looked stunned when he reached the small dais where Harry and Blaise were standing with Elder Trintus, though he tried to hide it. He looked like Harry was about to suddenly call out that he had been joking and that he wanted to get to know a young eighteen year old instead.

"You can't be serious!" Dominic found his voice at last. Harry had noticed him mouthing wordlessly for about a minute now.

"I thought I told you to leave?" Harry stated, looking dispassionately at Dominic.

They were the same age near enough, Dominic was only two weeks older than him, but the difference in their maturity levels was astounding. Harry didn't know if it was his upbringing, his personality or the knowledge that he would be a parent as soon as he went on heat next with Blaise and his new dominant that made him more mature, but whatever it was, it was not in Dominic, who had been spoilt, like so many other Drackens, by his family most likely from birth when his scent declared him a Dracken to any other Dracken standing near him.

It was the only time when a Dracken could be identified by their scent before their sixteenth birthday. The scent of a Dracken chick was very strong at birth, but it dissipated very quickly, the scent would be diluted by the smells of the outside world in between one to three hours after birth, not to return again until the child's sixteenth birthday when the genes awoke in the child's bloodstream and brought out all dormant traits and attributes.

Arsenio reached them on the dais and he gently picked up Harry's hand, laying one of the softest kisses Harry had ever felt to the face up, curled palm. Which brought out more questions in Harry's mind, were older dominants more gentle? Had they learnt to be softer and gentler over time? Was it only younger dominants who were harsh because they hadn't fully learnt to control their instincts? Or was this purely something that Arsenio did? So many questions, no answers yet, but Harry found that he would really, really like to find out.

* * *

Arsenio really was a kind man, despite his harsh demeanour and appearance. He held Harry's hand like it was made from spun glass; he didn't tread on Blaise's feet and backed off immediately if Blaise growled or hissed at something he did.

They were walking around the Dracken hell hotel, Harry taking advantage of being able to actually explore it this time around now he had a lot more protection and all the dominants were stuck in the common room. Blaise was on one side of him and Arsenio was on the other, telling him all about Greece, his homeland. Harry found himself wanting to visit the country one day, even if Arsenio didn't turn out to be his mate.

"How did you get this?" Harry asked, running his fingers lightly over the scar on his cheek, his curiosity finally bubbling over.

Arsenio smirked slightly as he reached up to touch the scar with rough fingers.

"A female submissive who did not like hearing some home truths." Arsenio answered reminiscently.

"Did it hurt?" Harry asked, fingering the scar delicately, running his fingertips over the healed, but tight, puckered skin.

"It hurt a hell of a lot." Arsenio answered, standing still and slightly slumped so Harry could touch his face. "But I have met a lot of submissives like her and you are nothing like the others."

"So I've been told." Harry answered wryly.

"What did you say to her?" Blaise asked interestedly.

Harry looked over sharply; this was the first time Blaise had actually taken interest in another dominant. Did this mean Blaise liked Arsenio?

"I just told her the truth, that she was a pampered babyish airhead who would never get a real mate because of the way she acted. I might have thrown in a few vulgar words here and there, but then I was only twenty-two at the time."

Blaise chuckled. "I did the same thing with the only other submissive apart from Harry I have met. Miette."

"Oh you were there for the Solange meeting in Toulouse then?" Arsenio asked. "I didn't even have words to say to her, I just left…quickly."

Blaise chuckled again. "I couldn't help shouting a few choice words at her, but there were so many yelling different variants of the same thing I doubt she heard any of it."

"Was she really so bad that dominants just left?" Harry asked, looking between the two.

"Oh yes." Arsenio answered. "She was a real piece of work."

"I'm almost certain she believed herself to be a Queen from the way she was acting." Blaise added. "She ended up with a fifty-eight year old dominant, the only one desperate enough to stay."

"The rumours that have been circulating are now proving to be true, eleven months in and they still do not have a chick."

"Maybe she needs more than one dominant." Harry pointed out logically. "If only one was desperate enough to stay…"

"We would have been called back regardless of our feelings towards Miette." Arsenio answered with a shake of his head. "If she had needed a second dominant, we would have had to have gone to her home again because we left of our own free will; she did not order us away."

"We'd go back just to leave again." Blaise muttered darkly.

"How could any Dracken not want chicks?" Harry asked. "I can't wait for my chicks, I want as many as I'm physically able to produce."

Blaise chuckled and kissed his temple. "You are adorable Prezioso. Ti amo."

Harry grinned happily at Blaise, before giving his attention back to Arsenio, whose giant hand was cradling his own tiny appendage carefully, as if the delicate bird bones in Harry's hand would snap if he exerted too much pressure, it made Harry feel so cherished.

* * *

The rest of the day passed in a similar fashion. Some of the older dominants weren't nearly as lovely as Arsenio had been, some were kinder, but harsher with their touches, some were strongly outspoken, but treated him like a little doll. There were some who were so set in their ways that they believed Harry should be kept locked up in a house with a chain and ball, Harry put a small X next to their names on the list of names he was carrying around.

He was making notes next to names and on some he put a little tick, if it got that far he would go to a second round sort of thing and see if he liked them anymore and hopefully he would choose a mate from them.

Dominic was being a very spoilt brat, but he wasn't the only one. Many of the younger dominants were beside themselves in anger that Harry was only paying attention to the older dominants, the so called 'granddads' of the Drackens.

"When do we get a turn?" One of the young ones burst out impatiently, but not unkindly, he was bouncing slightly and reminded Harry of a little puppy, a puppy on either a sugar rush or on crack.

Harry smiled kindly and took his hand and pulled him off into the gardens, Blaise following behind at a sedate pace with Elder Trintus. He wasn't insecure anymore. Harry fully believed that Blaise was now too used to Harry walking around with other dominants to care, but he did feel better knowing that Blaise's indigo eyes never left his back.

"I'm Henley." The boy burst out, because really that was all he was, just a boy. "Oh shit, right. I'm supposed to say my age as well right? I'm sixteen. Sorry, I'm new to all of this, this is my very first meeting, I only came into my inheritance just before Christmas, my birthday is the seventeenth of December. My dad rushed me here the minute after I had finished turning into a Dracken, he didn't want me to miss you, but he needn't have bothered, Elder Trintus told us that you were in the middle of your heat and wouldn't be around for a while."

Harry didn't know whether to laugh or coo at Henley. He was one of only two dominants who were actually younger than himself. The other one was only just younger though, being born on the fourth of August. Henley was his youngest dominant suitor and Harry just wanted to bundle him up and mother him, which probably was a very bad thing seeing as Henley was supposed to be vying to be an equal lover of his with Blaise. He doubted it would work when all he had the urge to do was sit down and read Henley a fairytale story in front of a fire, underneath a thick blanket, perhaps with a mug of hot chocolate and Jesus that was a really strange urge.

"I hope I'm not boring you." Henley suddenly said and Harry blinked before he smiled softly.

"You're not boring me, carry on."

"Well my sister's dominant mate is really tough and he's big. He's huge and I know I'm not, I really hope you aren't embarrassed by me being here."

"Oh don't feel like that!" Harry cried out, reaching out to hug Henley, who despite being younger was taller than him, though he wasn't nearly as tall as some of the other's. Harry estimated that he was about five foot ten inches, with a lot of room to grow in the next couple of years, after all Blaise was still growing.

Henley's arms wrapped around him and they just held each other. It felt nice, like how you would hold a brother or a son. Harry found he liked it and he cuddled closer.

"I'm not at all embarrassed about you being here. Dominic however, him I am ashamed to have propositioning me."

"But he's the grandson of one of the Elders!" Henley cried. "It's supposed to be a huge honour to be mated to a family member of an Elder."

"I don't care if he's the Prince of Salem, he can hit the road, I don't want him at all."

Henley giggled but then covered his mouth as if he shouldn't have; Harry smiled encouragingly and took Henley's hand into his own. It was bigger than his own hand, but not by much, their hands fit together like puzzle pieces.

"So what do you like doing Henley?"

"I'm still in school so most of my time is taken up with school stuff, but I like playing Quidditch and I like swimming, our school has an indoor hot spring. The school was built over the hot spring so it's on the ground floor. We don't have dungeons like Hogwarts do, but I suppose they get really cold in winter, the hot spring keeps the entire ground floor and most of the first floor warm no matter what the season. I guess it's difficult for you to swim in the lake, it must be icy cold, even in the summer time."

"I like dipping my feet into it and I like walking around barefoot." Harry stated hastily as Henley stopped to draw breath.

"I've never walked around barefoot outside before, I mean I suppose I did as a little kid, but mum doesn't like me going out without proper seasonal wear on, I have to have a scarf and gloves, a hat and a jumper in winter, I have to wear a hat, sunglasses and sun cream in summer, that sort of thing. I'm not even allowed to go barefoot on the beach, I have to wear sandals or flip flops."

Harry mentally cooed at Henley's pouted, put out expression. Henley would make an amazing dominant later in life, when he was in his twenties, but for now, he was just a little boy whose dad had dragged him here. Harry supposed it made for good life experience; this was after all Henley's first ever meeting. Then it was Harry's first meeting as well and he took it as a compliment that none of the dominants had stormed out on him like Blaise and Arsenio had with Miette.

* * *

Harry looked at the man opposite him with a tilted head. He knew his face, he wracked his brains and prodded his mind to remember because it was killing him. Then it came to him as the man fluttered his bright blue wings, those matching, absolutely gorgeous, deep blue eyes glinting mischievously at him from under brown eyebrows. He was the man who had defended him in the fake first meeting.

"Hi." Harry greeted shyly.

The man grinned easily and shook his hand, before laying two gentle kisses to it.

"Hello. I'm Maximilius Diadesen Maddison. Thirty-one, with the mental age of a twelve year old."

Harry chuckled at the man and happily accepted the hand that was held out to him.

"I must say congratulations to you for getting under the skin of that little snot Dominic. He hasn't stopped bragging to everyone whether they'll listen or not about how he's going to have you for a mate just because his grandfather is an Elder."

Harry's fist clenched before he breathed and smiled.

"He needs to take a rain check." Harry answered seriously. "If he thinks I'll let him be my mate just because his grandfather is an Elder he seriously needs a reality shift. I've told him to leave several times."

Maximilius chuckled deeply and the sound went straight to his cock, which made him turn pink cheeked.

"I…um…what do you like doing?" Harry stammered, his face going red as he heard Blaise chuckle from behind him.

"Eating and cooking. I eat a lot of food, so you can guarantee if you accept me as a mate that we'll be visiting restaurants at least twice a week and the rest of the time I'll probably be cooking for you and Blaise. Though it might not seem like it at first glance, I do have a quiet side." Maximilius shrugged a massive shoulder and grinned down at Harry, who was probably just the right height to lick and suck at a nipple.

He blushed deeply and cursed his raunchy thoughts, blaming Elder Trintus for interrupting him and Blaise that morning.

"I like reading in front of fires. I'm not a huge fan of the cold and I'm more reclusive in the winter months."

"I like sleeping or lying down in front of fires, Blaise is the one who reads in front of them, personally I don't see how you can read in front of a fire because all it does it make me sleepy."

"His favourite thing to do is to lay on me as I read, we have a bear fur in front of our fire and if I can't find Harry, I go looking on the bear fur, because nine times out of ten that's where he is, sleeping peacefully."

Maximilius threw his head back and laughed. That laugh again went straight to Harry's cock and he subtly readjusted himself as the two dominants laughed together. He didn't know what was happening, why did Maximilius' laugh affect him so much?

"So Maximilius, do you have a job?" He asked, trying to take his mind off of his throbbing erection.

"Lord almighty, call me Max, you sound like my Mother." Max stated with a roguish grin. "Yeah I have a job, I work for a potions company that makes and sells potions to stock hospitals and small chemists all over Britain."

"You're a Potions Master?" Harry asked impressed.

"Damn right I am. I worked hard to get my Mastery in potions, achieved it when I was twenty-six, it isn't the record, but I'm still one of the youngest to do it."

"That's impressive." Blaise stated. "It might not be the record but doing a ten year mastery in six years is still an accomplishment."

"How do you know he started his Mastery at twenty?" Harry asked, fretting that he might have missed something.

Blaise chuckled along with Max, but pressed a reassuring kiss to his cheek.

"I know because a witch or wizard is not allowed to start a Potions Mastery until they are twenty years of age."

"Oh." Harry blushed a bit again, but didn't duck away, he wasn't ashamed that he didn't know little titbits' like that about the wizarding world, he hated the Dursleys but he wouldn't be ashamed of how he grew up, if he started now he'd probably break down and go mental, he'd be sharing a room with Lockhart in St Mungos before the end of the week.

"You're adorable." Max told him sincerely, bending down to kiss his hair.

Harry was surprised that Blaise actually let him, but his mate was grinning at him and moved over to them to throw an arm over his shoulder, his and Max's arms crossing on his back.

Harry found hope, perhaps it wouldn't be so difficult to find a mate that Blaise got on with after all. He seemed to really, really like Max and Harry really, really wasn't opposed to him. Perhaps things wouldn't be as bad as he first thought.

* * *

Harry was exhausted at the end of the first day. The dominants had wanted to carry on the meeting throughout the night, but Harry could barely walk through exhaustion, so Blaise had cut through all the dominants and using his authority of being Harry's first mate, had taken Harry to bed where he had curled up and snuggled into his pillow.

Blaise had clambered in next to him and had wrapped him up in his arms, holding Harry as he fell into an exhausted sleep.

Blaise stayed awake, thinking about the last day. He had watched Harry interact with all of those dominants; the majority of them men, a handful were women. He saw how Harry acted and it wasn't what he had expected. Harry didn't seem interested in them as mates, but more as friends or in the case of the youngest dominant he had even acted parental, dashing Harry's fears of not being good Mother material. The only two he had been receptive of were Arsenio and Maximilius.

Despite what he had previously been feeling this wasn't really a good sign. He didn't want Harry to have another mate, he didn't want competition to contend with for Harry's attention, but he wanted chicks with Harry and that would be impossible without at least one other dominant Dracken. Compromises compromises.

Blaise sighed lightly so he wouldn't wake Harry before he settled down to get some sleep, maybe tomorrow would prove more eventful.

* * *

Harry woke up to Blaise nibbling on his collar bone, he laughed softly and run his fingers through Blaise's thick, soft hair, tugging on it lightly.

"Morning Mio amore."

"Heya Blaise. What time is it?"

"Seven." Blaise answered distractedly as he licked over the hollow of Harry's throat.

"Should we get up?" Harry asked before Blaise found a particularly sensitive spot which made him moan.

"Do you want to?"

"Not really."

Blaise chuckled and stroked firm, yet gentle, fingers down Harry's sides. Harry giggled though he would deny it and leant up to kiss at Blaise's lips and chin.

"Are we going to finish what was interrupted yesterday?" Harry asked with a wicked grin, readjusting himself on the bed to make himself as open and sexually alluring as possible.

Not that Harry needed to, Blaise thought to himself with a smirk. Harry had the ability to get him hard with just a look.

Blaise covered Harry with his body and kissed Harry with every ounce of passion and love he held for his mate. He had already gone to tell Elder Trintus that he would be being intimate with his mate this morning and that if he interrupted them this time that he wouldn't be walking away.

Grinning as Harry mewed under him, Blaise unbuttoned Harry's shirt loving the small flush of colour spreading down Harry's body from his cheeks.

* * *

He couldn't stand it anymore. He just needed a small peak in at the submissive. He wasn't going to do anything; he just wanted to see him again. He was so beautiful, so delicate looking and his smell was inebriating.

He had cast spells upon himself to keep him from being heard or scented out, he just had to avoid being seen, it wouldn't be that difficult he only wanted a small peek.

He heard the noises before he came even close to the submissive's private rooms and he snarled lowly at the sounds of moaning and growling, of skin hitting skin. He hated that another Dracken had gotten to the submissive first. Harry had smelt so pure, so fresh at that first ever meeting. Virginal. Now he wasn't, the other Dracken had deflowered him, had stripped that pure scent from Harry's skin.

He reached the door where the sounds were originating from and pushed it open carefully, for all the notice it got he could have kicked it in because the two entwined on the bed didn't notice the door opening or him framed on the threshold.

Sweet, beautiful Harry was laid out on the bed, his long black hair was spread out on the white and gold embroidered bed covers. His white wings, which were now blemished with a deep amethyst colour, were cushioning his back. His long pale legs were wrapped around the other Dracken's waist and his hands were holding on tightly to the headboard.  
The other Dracken, Blair or something as equally unmemorable, was drenched with sweat, vile sweat that was dripping onto sweet Harry's soft and pale chest. He was leaning over Harry; his hands were placed on either side of Harry's head so he wouldn't lose his balance.  
He almost snarled when he watched that atrocity Blaise lean down to kiss sweet Harry lovingly. Harry returned Blaise's kiss in the same loving way.

He was going to step forward, he was going to put an end to this vile display, but he stopped when Blaise wrapped his arms around Harry's shoulders and shifted into a different position before he pulled Harry off of the bed to sit in his lap.

Harry gasped so loudly, wrapped his arms tightly around Blaise's neck, how he wished Harry would squeeze tighter and not let go.

"Keep going Mio Bello." The thief encouraged as he kissed Harry again, cupping one of Harry's absolutely gorgeously round, plump bum cheeks in a large hand and he actually had the gall to squeeze it!

He was mesmerised by the sight of that beautiful bum. How he would give his very life to be in the position of the other Dracken right now.

The Dracken, Blaise, leant back with Harry until he was flat on his back on the bedspread, his knees bent and his feet flat on the duvet, his toes touching the pillows where Harry's little head had lain. Sweet Harry was now kneeling on top of the other Dracken, looking a bit unsure and Lord how he wished he could have that beautiful boy sat astride him.  
He was forced to watch, entranced, as Harry gained more confidence under the sure hands of Blaise, encouraging him with light strokes and soft words of love.

The other Dracken continued to brutalise his Harry and it took all of his will power not to pounce and rip the other Dracken off before showing him exactly how delicate submissives should be treated.

Blaise carefully pulled himself from Harry and collapsed on top of him, turning his head to the side and nuzzled the side of Harry's face, trailing his hand down to the heaving chest. He reached his hand back up to brush back a strand of wild hair that was in his lover's face.

"Ti amo Harry, Li amerò per sempre."

"Ti amo Blaise." Harry whispered out softly, his throat sore and his body still not being recovered enough.

The next thing Harry knew, Blaise had disappeared from his side in a flash of orange. The sounds of snarling and ripping had him tiredly propping himself up on an elbow to see Blaise and another Dracken wrestling on the floor.

He yelled out in shock before he snatched up his wand before remembering that Drackens scales reflected offensive spells. Unsure what to do or what he could possibly do, Harry picked up the pillow lying beside him and he had thrown it before he had even thought things through.

"Stop it right now!" He screamed, his voice cracking twice with the pain it caused his already screamed raw throat.

The other Dracken, who had to have been six foot four and about thirty-eight years old, stopped immediately upon hearing his voice, Blaise however didn't and with the other Dracken's attention being on Harry, it was very easy for him to reach over and slice deeply into his exposed, vulnerable throat with four of his claws, digging the fifth claw, the one attached to his thumb, into the other side of the neck to get a cleaner swipe.

Blood spurted everywhere and Harry just sat there with his wide green eyes, blood covering him and everything around him.

"Bl…Blaise." He called out, his voice quivering.

Blaise was there then, sweeping him up and carrying him off to the bathroom, running the water and submerging the both of them in the pool sized bath which was filling very rapidly.

Blaise washed and caressed him, scrubbing off the blood and Harry let him do so, huddling in Blaise's arms. Someone had watched them making love, someone had seen them together, had watched one of their most intimate moments, it didn't matter that they were now dead. It could have easily been the other way around, Blaise could be dead and Harry being raped by an unknown dominant Dracken.

Harry clung to Blaise as if he would fall from the face of the earth if he didn't. He let Blaise dry him off, let Blaise dress him gently before he was carried carefully in Blaise's arms, facing the way they were walking because Blaise had taken hold of the dead Dracken and had started dragging him through the hell hotel, the body making a loud, wet thump after every step of the stairs and then they reached their destination. The dining hall which was full of dominant Drackens whose heads snapped up at the heavy scent of blood.

"What is the meaning of this?" Elder Getus demanded, standing up on the other side of the room.

"If anyone, and I mean anyone, tries to take Harry from me, this is what you'll get." Blaise hissed threateningly, hauling the dead man up with a show of absolute strength before slamming him onto the dining table, knocking food, plates, bowls and glasses everywhere.

"Harry are you well dear one?" Elder Trintus asked, scurrying over.

"I'm fine, just a bit shaken up. He…he attacked us as we…as we were…" Harry trailed off with a pink blush and held tighter to Blaise, who was glaring at everyone.

"Well one more off the list is what I say. When are you going to pay me any attention?"

Harry turned his head to stare incredulously at Dominic, who for all the acknowledgement he showed, was acting like there wasn't a dead body on the table in front of him.

Harry unwrapped his legs from Blaise and stood on the floor, Blaise stooping down to make sure he was actually on the floor before he let go. Harry stalked up to Dominic and stood in front of him, leaning into him.

"What did you just say?" He hissed in a deadly tone.

"When am I going to get my turn?" Dominic answered back, stressing his words as if he thought Harry was stupid.

Harry reacted purely on instinct and jammed his clenched fist into Dominic's nose, listening to the satisfying crack as it broke under the pressure.

Letting all of his frustrations out, Harry launched his knee into Dominic's gut and brought an elbow down on his back, before kicking him repeatedly as he lay curled up on the floor.

Arms wrapped around him and Harry turned immediately, arm up, claws out, ready to swipe out the person's eyes, only the eyes were a familiar shade of indigo.

Blaise held Harry's head into the juncture between his neck and shoulder, forcing him to breathe in his scent, which calmed him immediately. Blaise pulled him away from the whimpering Dominic who was being fawned over by his grandfather.

"No one demands anything from me." Harry told Blaise, but in the stunned silence nearly every Dracken there heard him. "I told him several times that I didn't want him here and that he was never going to be my mate, I told him and he didn't leave."

Harry could see Henley from his position looking over Blaise's shoulder, his young face was pale and a bit wary, but he grinned to Harry and gave him the double thumbs up, Harry smiled and laughed a bit at him, he was too cute for words.

"I know mio amore. You can do what you please in this house. He refused to leave even after being rejected, it was within your rights to attack him for his outburst."

"Come along dearest." Elder Trintus chided, appearing at his elbow and shooing them into the little room off of the common room, which was opposite the dining hall.

"Am I in trouble?" Harry asked.

"No dear, no. Your mate has explained that you were within your rights to attack Dominic, just as Blaise was within his rights to attack the Dracken who attacked you, I'm afraid Elder Getus will not see it this way however, he is very fond of Dominic, he is the only one of his grandchildren who inherited his Dracken genes, his own children having been skipped."

"What will he do?"

"Nothing!" Blaise snarled.

"He can't do anything Harry dear, now you just stay here and calm down a bit before we resume the search for your second mate."

Harry nodded and cuddled into Blaise, breathing deeply and evenly to calm his racing heart. He could hardly believe what he had just done. He had been so angry that he had just reacted, apparently when he didn't think things through his Dracken took over and he became violent.

"Harry are you feeling better?" Elder Trintus came back in to ask a few minutes later.

"Yes thank you."

"Alright dear one, the first dominant off of the rest of the list wishes to see you."

Harry stood up with a sigh and taking hold of Blaise's hand he tugged him out of the room to meet a tall, statuesque woman with jade and teal coloured wings.

"Hello Harry, I am Keeley. Thirty years old."

"Hi Keeley, this is Blaise."

Harry watched as Blaise and Keeley shook hands a bit stiffly before the day carried on pretty much the same as yesterday, only Blaise was far less receptive, was very cold towards the other dominants and very possessive of Harry.

* * *

Harry wasn't getting anywhere, Blaise wasn't letting any of the other dominants touch him, some he wouldn't even let near him and it was making everything stressful and tense.

"Blaise, love, please." Harry begged as he scared away yet another dominant by wrestling them and with a quick jab to the temple, had knocked the poor nineteen year old unconscious.

"Perhaps it would benefit you both if we stopped for today." Elder Trintus sighed.

"It will take too long." Harry complained. "People will talk and I'll have to have another heat in two months and I'll be away for ten days, the longer this takes the more people will become suspicious, I'm just glad it's still Christmas break and there are minimal students at Hogwarts to poke around."

The Elder Dracken sighed and nodded, before going out to see if there were any other Drackens brave enough to come forward. Between Harry's display this morning, Blaise presenting the dining hall with a dead body and his continued bad mood it was any wonder there were any Drackens left to choose from.

Harry heard Blaise suck in a breath and he looked first to his mate and then to where he was looking, his heart stopped and he leant away from the Dracken who was coming towards them. He was gorgeous with pale alabaster skin, bulky muscles and beautiful silver and pale blue wings. He was blonde haired and had silver coloured eyes. Sitting opposite them was Draco Malfoy himself.

* * *

A/N: The best part of four hours went into revising this chapter. Because so many of you complained about losing the heat scene, I toned the one in this chapter right down as it couldn't really be completely removed. If I get kicked off this site again though, I will not be posting it back up.

Thank you to **Lizzosaur** who was the **2000th reviewer**! And likely was the **2,100th and 2,200th** as well!

Thank you all for reading and reviewing! You keep this story going as strongly as it is.

StarLight Massacre. X


	10. The Ultimate Choice

_Last Time_

_The Elder Dracken sighed and nodded, before going out to see if there were any other Drackens brave enough to come forward. Between Harry's display this morning, Blaise presenting the dining hall with a dead body and his continued bad mood it was any wonder there were any Drackens left to choose from._

_Harry heard Blaise suck in a breath and he looked first to his mate and then to where he was looking, his heart stopped and he leant away from the Dracken who was coming towards them. He was gorgeous with pale alabaster skin, bulky muscles and beautiful silver and pale blue wings. He was blonde haired and had silver coloured eyes. Sitting opposite them was Draco Malfoy himself._

Chapter Ten – The Ultimate Choice.

Harry was sure he must have been seeing things, he rubbed his eyes but no, Draco Malfoy was still sitting there. Those silver eyes were still staring at him, those silver and blue wings did not disappear and neither did the matching scales.

"Good afternoon." Draco greeted politely, but all Harry could do was gawk like an idiot.

"Draco?" Blaise asked questioningly. "I…I didn't even suspect you were a Dracken, your smell, the way you acted."

The blonde sighed and ran a hand through that sun kissed white-blonde hair.

"I tried to hide what I am." He said simply and honestly. "I didn't want to be a Dracken, I still don't. I was hiding what I am with suppression potions, but I don't know what happened, they stopped working and the Dracken inside of me demanded that I release it. I refused but it clawed its way out anyway."

"It would have been Harry's appearance. Nothing can keep a dominant Dracken away from a submissive." Blaise explained. "Harry calling for a dominant and releasing pheromones would have overridden anything you were taking to supress your Dracken if you were in close contact with him and with Harry sleeping in the Slytherin dormitories every night…" Blaise trailed off with a shrug.

"Why would you hide yourself?" Harry asked, his eyes on that shirt covered chest, remembering it bare to his perusal with bunched up muscles and pale, silky skin.

"My parents Potter. Neither of them are Drackens, I have no inkling to where my genes came from, but my parents will not be happy about this at all. My Father speaks of little else other than the pure blood of his Heir. If it emerged that I was a creature, not a human, he would disown me at best."

"You got your genes from your Mother; the Black family is overflowing with Dracken blood." Blaise informed his blonde friend.

"I got my genes from the Black family, my Great-Grandfather Cygnus Black."

"Cygnus Black is my Great-Great Grandfather. His oldest son, Pollux was my Great-Grandfather." Draco said a bit awestruck at the revelation.

"Your Great-Grandfather and my Grandmother were brother and sister." Harry whispered out, he was actually related to Malfoy, it was distant and diluted, but it was still there. "Will that mess with the mating or the chicks?"

"No." Blaise told him simply. "Magic is a powerful entity Harry, as long as Draco isn't your brother, Father, son, first cousin, Uncle or Nephew there won't be any repercussions."

"You boys are talking about if you have already mated." Elder Trintus pointed out from his seat in the armchair to the side of them.

Harry cocked his head and surveyed Draco. He looked different without the cruel sneer or the harsh lines to his face.

"I need to be sure." Harry told the Elder. "I won't have my chicks put in danger of illness or deformity because of my choice in a mate. If anyone poses a risk to my babies, they will be gone before they can blink."

"You will make a wonderful, yet formidable, Mother Harry dear." Trintus told him with a smile. "You are protective of them before you even have enough mates to become pregnant, a very promising sign."

Harry went pink but he tried as best as he could to ignore the comment that the Elder had just made.

"Is it likely that Draco got his genes from Cygnus Black?"

"It is possibly very likely." Draco answered. "My parents aren't Drackens, my Grandfather Cygnus Black wasn't a Dracken and neither was my Grandmother Druella Rosier. I'm not sure about anything after that."

"The chart I did to find out where my genes came from named any and all Drackens in my line." Harry stated. "Only Cygnus Black was a Dracken apart from me, his children Pollux, Cassiopeia, Marius and my Grandmother Dorea weren't Drackens.

"My Great-Grandfather, Pollux, married Irma Crabbe; the Crabbe's have absolutely no Dracken blood in them at all." Draco sighed. "So we must have gotten our Dracken genes from the same place Harry. May I call you Harry?"

"Sure, as long as I can call you Draco."

Harry grinned then and chuckled. "Draco the Dracken. Maybe your parents knew all along, Draco is Latin for Dragon right? And Drackens are a race of humanoid dragons."

"Except I was named after the constellation Draco, like all of the Black family. My Mother wished to honour her roots."

"Why Draco? Why not another constellation like Vega or Vulpecula?"

Draco's nose scrunched up in disgust at the names and that pointed chin rose defensively.

"I fully believe that my parents chose my name because it was one of the better sounding constellations that hasn't been used before in the Black family, not because they thought I was a humanoid dragon."

"Why don't you just ask them? If you become my mate I won't let you hide who you are." Harry told him seriously.

"To be honest Potter I don't want to be here. My instincts are screaming at me, I find myself searching for you in a crowd, my eyes are drawn to you, your scent intoxicates me, my Dracken took over my body to bring me here for this meeting and the one before it…"

"You were here for the first meeting? I didn't see you." Harry interrupted.

"Because you are blind Potter. You ran right into me, I just had to hold you after that first contact. I saw the other Drackens running after you, I couldn't let them get you, you were _MINE_! I ran with you, then I started flying and you felt so good in my arms, all wrapped around my body. Then I was tackled in mid-air and thrown over the banister of the stairs, my only thought was to protect you, not myself, but you. I landed hard on my back and had all of the air knocked out of my lungs, someone ripped you from my arms but I could barely breathe let alone attempt to protect you."

"That was me taking what was mine from you." Blaise answered. "Only I didn't see it was you, all I saw was someone holding my Harry. I saw a bit of blonde hair, a flash of pale blue wing and that was it, I grabbed Harry and ran."

"Then I escaped you and ran to the castle." Harry lied fluidly giving Blaise a pointed look, reminding him that Elder Trintus was in the room.

"You're a slippery little bugger when you want to be." Blaise said affectionately.

Harry blushed twelve shades of red and smacked a hand against Blaise's thigh. "There is no need for that!"

Blaise chuckled deeply and Harry smiled. He adored Blaise's laugh.

"I didn't see your face." Harry answered Draco. "I felt your body, I remember thinking that you were wider and thicker than Blaise, and taller, but I didn't bother looking up at your face, I tucked my head under your chin and let you carry me to safety, you were so safe, I knew you wouldn't hurt me like them."

"I would not dream of harming you." Draco told him, sounding a bit put out because of that fact. "My Dracken won't even allow me to tease you anymore."

Harry laughed and sent a cheeky wink to Draco. "Blame it all on the Dracken; we all know you love me really. We're too obsessed with each other not to be."

"Speak for yourself Potter!" Draco spat. "I am not obsessed with you!"

"By your own admission your eyes automatically search for me, my scent appeals to you, you can't leave me alone, even before our inheritances we would intentionally seek the other out."

Draco went pink with anger and his fists clenched with the need to punish his cheeky submissive. Only Harry wasn't his…yet. But he would be, oh most certainly he would be, then he'd be taking the palm of his hand to that pert little bottom and turning its soft paleness into furious red.

* * *

Harry was still awake at three in the morning that night. He couldn't stop thinking about Malfoy. Draco was the third Dracken at Hogwarts, he had told them that he had been forced to tell the Headmaster due to the founding rules of the school and he didn't want to risk being expelled, but he hadn't told anyone else.

Harry thought it was sad that a young man of sixteen couldn't confide in his own parents for fear of being cast out of the family. He would like to think that if he still had his parents that he would tell them everything from his deepest fears, his highest dreams and his widest aspirations. That Draco couldn't even tell his parents that he was a Dracken for fear of rejection and disownment, it was sad and for the first time, Harry felt bad for his once school boy nemesis.

Rolling onto his belly and cuddling further into a heavily sleeping Blaise, Harry's thoughts went a mile a minute. He wanted to help Draco, but how could he? It was for the blonde to decide in the end, they were his parents and it was his life, but how Harry wanted to take a stick and beat some sense into the older Malfoys. Draco was their son, their only child, they should love him for who he was and what he aspired to become, not get rid of him the minute he did something they didn't like or approve of, it wasn't like he chose to become a Dracken, it wasn't like it was a lifestyle choice, it was something completely out of their control. They were born this way and they couldn't change themselves just to suit other people's wants or wishes. They were Drackens now for the rest of their lives, the least other people could do was be happy for them and support them as they needed it.

"Harry?" Blaise's sleepy voice cut through his internal monologuing and Harry turned to look at his drowsy mate.

"I didn't mean to wake you." Harry said softly, tucking a piece of Blaise's sleep tousled hair out of his mate's eyes, smiling at the adorable sight Blaise made, not that he'd ever insult his dominant by telling him that he looked adorable when he had just woken up.

"Why are you still awake? What's wrong?" Blaise voice got steadier and deeper as he came into full awareness; his eyes darting around for danger as he pulled Harry into his arms to protect him from the shadows.

"Nothing's here Blaise. I can't sleep because I'm thinking too hard."

"About what mio Bello?"

"Draco. I…I can't believe anyone's parents would disown their only son just because he came into an inheritance that he couldn't control."

Blaise smoothed Harry's hair away from his face and kissed that rounded cheek gently. Harry was so thoughtful and caring towards others, he just wished that it didn't keep his little mate up all night.

"Draco will be fine love. He'll work out what's best and he'll do it. He's always been the same, we don't always see eye to eye, but he is one of my friends and I've known him for a long time. His birthday is on June the fifth, so he's had a long time to think about things and he'll ultimately decide what he wants to do. What Draco Malfoy wants, Draco Malfoy gets, it's always the same."

"What if his parents do disown him Blaise?"

"They won't, but Draco is afraid because there is always the possibility that they could, that his Father could hold his inheritance and his legacy over his head for the rest of his life, that he could use it to get Draco to do as he wishes with the threat of cutting him out of the family if he refuses. Draco will not stand to be manipulated or controlled and it is that that is making him so leery of telling his parents."

"I could never treat my children that badly Blaise. Please let us never treat them so badly."

Blaise leant over and kissed Harry lingeringly. "Of course we will never treat our children so poorly mio amore. We are Drackens, mates and chicks are everything to us. Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy are humans; their only thought is to themselves, they have no obligation except those that they choose to have. They do not have instinct screaming in their heads and hearts that they can't do something they want to, if Narcissa Malfoy wished to stab Draco, she could, if Lucius Malfoy wished to disown his only son, he could, we as Drackens could not, our Dracken sides would not allow us to."

Harry nodded and his heart squeezed tightly for Draco, who was set up to lose everything if his Father wished it. Could he put a potential mate through that? Could he force them to choose between everything they had ever known and himself? Which would be the better choice, a companion for life or your parents and their legacy?

Harry himself would give up his entire legacy to have his parents back with him, but he knew it was impossible so he would choose a life companion and children, a family of his own, but Draco still had his parents, they were alive and well, how could he possibly make a choice. Would Harry have made a choice if he had been in that position? Would he still have chosen Blaise as a mate if his parents were threatening to cut all ties with him?

"Go to sleep Bello." Blaise murmured softly, pulling him down to tuck under his chin.

Harry sighed and snuggled into Blaise, wrapping himself completely around his mate, revelling in the love and protection that such an action garnered him. He closed his eyes and evened out his breathing, he needed to get some sleep. He had a second mate to choose and he needed every ounce of brain power he possessed to choose the right one, for himself, for Blaise and most of all, for his second mate.

* * *

Harry sat in the cavernous dining room with Blaise at his side and Elder Trintus sitting near them. Harry was picking at bits of raw meat, having already eaten his fill, but dominants took in more food than a submissive, so he was patiently waiting for the hundred or so dominants to finish devouring their meat.

Henley had gotten pride of place sitting closest to Harry and he was nattering at a mile a minute, Harry listening to him with a wide smile on his face. Henley was just too cute for words sometimes. The way he would constantly swap his cutlery into different hands when he was eating as if even when eating he couldn't keep still, how his legs were bouncing against the stone floor, the way his copper brown hair kept dipping into his left eye, causing him to brush it away irritated and with a scowl on that pretty boyish mouth.

Harry was holding Henley's hand on the table top, something the other dominants had picked up on and were not happy about. Harry didn't care though, Henley needed protection, he needed love and care and confidence. Harry was hoping that having a submissive pay him one-on-one attention with a room full of older, bigger, buffer, stronger dominants would give the little slender sixteen year old the boost he needed.

"…So can we please?" Henley turned to him; fork stuck in one side of his mouth and those puppy dog eyes, large, wide and imploring. Hell Henley would have made a killer submissive if he wasn't so bloody tall and likely to get bigger. He had that willowy, gangly, awkward look a teenager gets when they are nowhere near finished growing, both upwards and outwards. Harry didn't know what it was but Henley looked unfinished, like a painting put down, just waiting for the artist to come back and put in those few final touches to turn it into a masterpiece.

"Sorry Henley, what did you say? I couldn't hear you over the noise." Harry told him softly and politely.

"It's cool if you don't want to, I'll understand, but can we remain friends even if you don't pick me as a mate? Please? I like you."

Harry smiled widely and pulled Henley into a huge, tight, hug. He heard growls and snarls and an answering roar from Blaise, who knew exactly what was going on as he was close enough to hear their conversation and was warning the other dominants off.

"Of course we can Henley; I'd love nothing more than to keep in touch with you."

Henley gave that cheeky, tooth filled smile and Harry had the mental urge to coo at him and pet those copper brown waves. He managed to restrain himself, just, but he really wanted to cuddle Henley up under a blanket in front of a nice warm fire.

"You should avoid the baby dominant." A voice growled from behind him. "He can't give you what you need. You need a proper man, one who can make you scream in ecstasy and actually has the balls to get you pregnant."

Harry glared up at the twenty something dominant who was standing behind him. Henley looked crushed and Harry slid over from his chair until he was sitting on Henley's lap. Blaise had stood up and was standing between the new dominant and Harry and Henley.

The dominant was tall, not as tall as Maximilius, who at six foot eight was one of, if not _the_ tallest person there, but he was at least six foot four and his burgundy red wings were twenty-four foot long. He was bulky as well, to go with those huge shoulders. He was a thick set man and had a nice body, a very nice body in fact, but that ugly sneer slashed a potentially pretty mouth into something twisted and bitter.

"I would much, much rather have Henley as a mate than _you_." Harry snarled, throwing his arms around Henley's neck and pressing a light kiss to those plump and pouty lips to get his point across.

He had never kissed a potential mate before and he heard the outraged snarls and gasps from the other dominants.

Henley pushed a hand through his hair and gripped the back of his head and pulled Harry's lips against his own again. This time the kiss changed into something more passionate and with the introduction of Henley's tongue, Harry melted into that slender, but muscled body.

It wasn't a bad kiss, Henley was surprisingly a good kisser, not that Harry had much to compare to, but it just couldn't ignite his blood like a single kiss from Blaise could. Harry had worried for a few seconds before he had leant forward that kissing Henley would be like kissing a son or a brother, but it wasn't.

Henley wasn't a son or a brother and his Dracken recognised that now. He didn't need to Mother Henley, Henley didn't want another Mother, he wanted a lover, a mate and children. It was something that Harry couldn't give him, but he could give him confidence, it was the least he could do for the sweet boy whose Father had dragged him here, away from the rest of his family, just before Christmas.

"Harry dearest? Have you chosen your second mate?" Elder Trintus asked carefully, wary of interrupting two Drackens mating.

"No. I'm not his mate." Henley answered sadly, though he was smiling that toothy smile. "I don't think I was ever meant to be with Harry, but I hope there will be other submissives just like him in the future."

"You're such a lovely person Henley." Harry answered, cupping that boyishly rounded cheek in his hand. "Don't ever let anyone change who you are. Not every submissive wants the biggest, buffest or the most violent Dracken as a mate. In fact that last one is a major turn off for me and I'm very likely to run in the opposite direction."

"I won't, I don't want to change anymore. My Dad said I should become whatever the submissive wants me to be, but I'd just be setting myself up to fall won't I? If the submissive picks me through a lie, how can they love the real me?"

Harry smiled so proud of Henley, a just turned sixteen year old who had made a discovery that half of the dominants in this room, who were older than he was by years, hadn't made in their lifetimes. A submissive didn't want a false dominant who was only pretending to be something for that particular submissive, Harry himself was holding these interviews and meetings so he could dig through their masks and find out the people they really were under the guise that they thought he wanted to see. He wanted an honest mate, one who didn't try to hide themselves or didn't lie to him and dear god he wanted Draco Malfoy, needed him like he needed blood rushing through his veins, but could he do it? Could he put Draco through hell with his parents just because he wanted the blonde as a mate? Did he have the right to?

* * *

Harry endured another four hours of being 'wooed' by nameless faceless dominants before he ran into someone he could actually stand to be near. He was six foot six with jet black wings and deep, yellowish gold scales. His hair was pitch black and his eyes were hazel, but had a curious goldish-green shade to them when the light hit his eyes just right. He wasn't as obviously muscled as some of the other dominants, he looked more like his muscles came from manual labour rather than weight lifting twenty times his own body weight several times a day but the muscles he did have were solid and compacted until every time he moved those muscles strained under his clothing, like they wanted to break free of their confines, it was an added bonus that he was a nice man as well, if a bit misunderstood at times.

"Hi Nasta."

"Harry." He greeted with that low, deep rumble.

Nasta Tabrien Delericey was one of the older dominants; he was thirty-six years old and was a man of very few words. At first Harry had thought that perhaps Nasta had a problem with English, but after getting to know the man a bit better and poking and prodding relentlessly he had found out that the man had been born and raised in West Wales and had no problem speaking, writing and reading in several different languages, let alone English. He just didn't say very much.

"Would you like to sit with me?" Harry asked, indicating the patch of grass next to him by the lake side. True it was the end of December, coming up to January, but Harry couldn't keep away, the water called him back.

Instead of verbally answering Nasta took him up on his offer and eased himself down into the patch of grass that Harry had defrosted with a spell and had warmed up with another.

He reclined back on those solid forearms and gently tugged Harry to lean against him. Nasta was warm and Harry buried his frosty, red coloured nose into Nasta's chest and did the same with his frozen fingers, only he slipped those under Nasta's shirt and held onto the warm skin of his sides.

A thick, heavy arm draped around his back and tugged him impossibly closer, a large hand moving up and down his back quickly and with a heavy pressure, giving him friction to warm up his cold body. He hadn't noticed how cold he actually was.

"You will freeze to death one of these days if you aren't more careful." Nasta grunted at him, sitting upright and removing his thick, woollen coat before wrapping Harry up in it in a manner that left no room for arguments or protests.

The coat came to Nasta's calves, but it covered Harry's feet, but it was so warm and smelt like fire and musk, like Nasta did and Harry inhaled deeply.

He didn't bother asking Nasta if he was cold wearing just a jumper as Harry had taken his warm coat. The man probably wouldn't answer or would just give him a look that told him not to be stupid, that of course he wasn't cold and if he was he wouldn't care nor accept the coat back.

Harry smiled and pressed a chaste kiss to Nasta's stubbled cheek. Nasta's arm tightened around him and pressed the full length of their bodies together. Harry grinned when he thought that if Elder Trintus were here he'd have a heart attack at the position they were in, Nasta reclining back on just one forearm, the other still wrapped around Harry's back and Harry sat straddling the older dominant's lap.

As it was, Elder Trintus and Elder Getus were trying to control the situation in the common room involving several dominants; it was why Harry was taking a small break outside so he wouldn't be accidentally hurt in the 'fray' going on inside.

Blaise was around though, he had gone to stretch his muscles, but Harry knew that he wouldn't have let him out of his sight, wherever Blaise was, he could see them both perfectly and had possibly moved close enough to hear them and react immediately if it was needed, not that it would be needed, but instincts were instincts after all.

"Do you have a job Nasta?" Harry asked curiously some time later.

"Yes." Was the deep, immediate reply, but Nasta did not elaborate, Harry wondered if Nasta had a phobia of speaking too much.

"Can I know what it is?" Harry peeked up at the dominant to find those gorgeous hazel eyes, that had taken on a golden hint to match his scales in the weak winter sunlight, were looking down at him with something akin to adoration.

"I work on a dragon reserve back home in Wales."

Again no more information that what Harry had asked for. Getting information, hell getting any words from Nasta was like squeezing blood from a stone.

"What sort of dragons do you keep?" Harry tried to keep the man talking.

"Mostly Welsh greens, we can't have many of the exotic or tropical dragons, they can't adjust to the unpredictable, fluctuating climate or the wet and windy weather of Wales."

Nasta's hand slowed the up and down motion on Harry's back, but did not stop, turning the movement more into a caress that was both relaxing him and warming his skin under the borrowed coat.

"Do you find it, I don't know…strange that you're a humanoid dragon working on a dragon reserve?"

"No. The dragons like me more than the ordinary humans. They listen to me and they never try to hurt me. I'm less of a threat to them because they understand my instincts and motives better than the unreadable humans."

That was probably the most Nasta had ever said in one sentence and Harry rewarded him with another kiss to the cheek, again Nasta's arm squeezed impossibly tighter and expelled the air from Harry's lungs, making him laugh huffily.

"I love the way you laugh." Nasta told him quietly.

"You don't have to try and crush me to get me to laugh." Harry replied with a cheeky grin.

The one side of Nasta's mouth lifted in a smile slash smirk. It's appearance made Harry's knees go weak and he was incredibly grateful that he was already sitting down.

They lapsed into the familiar silence that seemed to always be around Nasta, it was a very welcomed change from the noisy, headache inducing dominants that were always squawking and shouting at him or each other in the hell hotel.

Harry must have fallen asleep because the next thing he knew he was being rudely awoken by shouting and growling. He was being held carefully and gently in someone's arms, both his head and body being protected by a large hand and a thick arm respectively.

Harry looked through the fingers of the hand protecting his head and sighed as he saw the familiar form of Dominic. That twat just could not take a hint! He was still wearing the plaster on his broken nose and the black eye that Harry had given him.

"Give him to me!" Dominic yelled.

Nasta raised a black eyebrow incredulously and moved to walk around the annoying little bug in front of him, but the boy leapt in front of him.

"I am the grandson of an Elder of our kind! I order you to give him to me!"

"You cannot even protect yourself from a submissive, how do you think you will fare against me _boy_?"

"I don't need to fight you! My grandfather will get rid of you; he has been getting rid of dominant threats like you since these meetings started! He is barring every dominant who Harry is showing interest in from the house! They won't be able to get him and you're next!"

Harry held in a gasp. He hadn't seen Arsenio or Maximilius since he had had his meeting with them yesterday, they hadn't shown up for dinner yesterday either. He had thought that maybe they were sleeping or off doing something else, but if they had been barred from entering the hell hotel or the grounds! Oh god Elder Getus was screwing with his mateship! It wasn't any wonder he couldn't find a second mate if every dominant he showed the slightest bit of interest in disappeared!

"That is interfering with a mateship, you and your grandfather, Elder or not, will be killed for this indiscretion."

"A new law has been passed, haven't you heard? It is now against our laws to kill a mated dominant!" Dominic stated proudly. "Our kind cannot risk the submissive killing herself, or himself in this case, because of the chance of more chicks to boost our numbers."

"Your grandfather may be mated, but you are not." Nasta stated coldly.

"I will be. I will be mated to Harry once every threat is disposed of!"

"Harry told you last night that he would rather be mateless than with you."

"No submissive wants to be on their own!"

"He will not be alone." Nasta said with a cruel smile. "He already has his first mate and of course because of the new law, no mated dominant can be killed, we can't risk Harry killing himself now can we, it might drop our numbers."

Harry grinned up at Nasta, who saw it and smiled back, but didn't take his eyes from Dominic. Harry mouthed the word Henley and Nasta's eyes narrowed.

"What about the baby dominant, Henley? If you are getting rid of all threats, why is he still here? Harry has shown real interest in him."

Dominic snarled. "He wasn't a real threat until this morning! After that kiss they shared at breakfast. We wanted to get rid of him but the kid's Father is here and when that boy isn't with Harry he's with his Father, we can't get to him."

Harry felt his body sag with relief. He didn't want little Henley hurt just for being friendly. They would never be mates and the both of them knew and understood that now, even more so after the kiss at breakfast.

"You're despicable. You won't get away with it. Don't you think Harry will notice when all of those he is interested in disappear?"

"Oh he will notice and he will be crushed that all of those that he is interested in have left him for a submissive meeting in Finland, a petite little dark haired girl with impossibly wide brown eyes. Irresistible to all dominants."

"There isn't a submissive meeting in Finland; we would have all felt the call."

"We would have yes, but a submissive wouldn't feel another submissive calling for dominants."

"You heinous bastard! You will tear Harry apart with this!"

"I don't care as long as I get him as a mate!"

"You don't care about him at all!" Nasta growled, his black and gold wings vibrating with angry energy.

"He is too powerful to pass up! He is powerful and fertile and his children will be a force to be reckoned with."

"You loathsome little worm!" Nasta snarled. "How could you think to use a chick in such a way?"

"I guess my instincts are broken!" Dominic snarled back and Nasta reared back like he had been hit.

"You're taking a potion to supress your instincts, you little fool! Do you know how dangerous that potion is?"

"My grandfather is controlling my dosage, I will have Harry and our chicks will be the most sought after in the entire world. Think of it, the child of an Elder of the Drackens and The-Boy-Who-Lived. How much do you think one chick would auction off for? Five hundred thousand Galleons?"

Both Harry and Nasta were stunned with horror and shock. Harry felt sick right down to his stomach and he could feel the bile trying to force its way out of his throat.

"It will never happen." Nasta snarled, recovering quickly. "Harry knows your plan."

"You won't tell him!" Dominic stated confidently. "You won't have time to before my grandfather gets here to bar you from seeing him."

"I don't need to tell him." Nasta stated with a smug smile. "You already have."

Nasta moved his hand to Harry's forehead to show Dominic Harry's wide open, horrified eyes and the sixteen year old dominant screamed in rage. Harry let out the inhuman, high pitched, screeching roar that Blaise had told him was his distress call.

He immediately felt a hundred answering roars from all over the house and Nasta held him tightly, placing his back to the wall as the ante-room they were in before they reached the main house filled with dominants in full Dracken form, all of them ready to fight to protect the submissive.

The two Elder's waded through the sea of dominants to get to the front, Elder Trintus trying to get as close as possible to Harry and Elder Getus standing next to Dominic, a hand on his grandson's shoulder.

Blaise was there then, snarling at Nasta, flashing his fangs and claws, his eyes brimming with deep anger, betrayal and behind that anger was panic and fear.

"I trusted you with him!" Blaise snarled venomously.

"What is the meaning of this?" Elder Getus yelled over Blaise. "Did you think you could kidnap the submissive for yourself? This is unacceptable."

Harry knew exactly what the man was doing and he wanted to stop it now.

"Blaise!" He cried out, trying to get his dominant on his side, but he just made Blaise even more frantic as his wings twitched and he swayed from side to side, trying to find an opening to kill Nasta and get Harry back.

"I am not trying to kidnap…" Nasta started harshly, but he was cut off.

"Do not speak!" Elder Getus commanded and Harry felt a weight of power with the command.

Nasta's mouth slammed closed with a hard crack that had to have hurt his teeth, but Harry could check on Nasta once this situation was diffused, preferably immediately.

"For this heinous indiscretion you are hereby banished from seeing and speaking with the submissive in question, Harry James…"

"NO!" Harry screamed. "Blaise! No! It's not Nasta! It's him!"

Harry pointed to Dominic and Blaise's entire focus changed immediately. Blaise trusted him and it made Harry melt a bit inside, but he would savour that trust his dominant had in him when he had the time to. He could not let Elder Getus banish Nasta like he had Arsenio and Max.

"What is this?" Elder Trintus demanded harshly, his friendly, approachable demeanour changed into something deadly and powerful.

"He told us everything!" Harry yelled to make sure everyone heard him. "He is getting his grandfather to banish everyone I am showing an interest in! I liked Arsenio, he's gone! I liked Maximilius, he's gone! I liked Jensen, disappeared without a trace! I liked Henley, but the only reason he is still here is because he stays with his Father! I really like Nasta; he was next on the list! He just tried to banish him in front of you all! He isn't trying to kidnap me at all! He's trying to save me from that putrid slug who wants to sell my chicks on the black market to the highest bidder!"

Harry panted for breath in the silence that followed his furious outburst, before there was an earth shattering roar and Blaise moved quicker than Harry had ever seen him move. He had leapt upon Dominic and began smashing the back of his head into the unyielding stone beneath.

"How dare you think you can try and sell my children! Even if you somehow mated with Harry do you think that I would vanish? That I would agree to let you sell our babies? Did you?"

"You wouldn't have lived long enough to give Harry chicks!" Dominic spluttered out and Blaise roared again, slamming Dominic's head harder.

"I am no fool! You wouldn't have been able to kill me if you hired help!" Blaise spat. Harry had never seen him so upset or enraged before.

"Dominic, how could you have done such a thing?" Elder Getus stated making his voice go low and saddened, Harry saw red.

"Don't act like you weren't in on it!" He yelled. "You're the one who has banished the only dominants I saw fit as mates and all for nothing! I wouldn't have picked your grandson if he was the only dominant here! I'd have stayed with Blaise no matter how much it hurt not to have chicks! I'd rather be on my own for eternity than have your grandson as a mate!"

"You're making a mistake!" Dominic yelled ignoring the snarl Blaise gave him. "You're choosing wrong! You're supposed to go for the young, handsome Drackens with the largest, most colourful wings! Not men old enough to be your Great-Grandfather!"

"They are going to be my mates for life! I can choose who the hell I please! Forgive me for wanting a nice, kind dominant who treats me well and will help me raise our chicks' right! Not some pompous, stuck-up jackass who is cruel and harsh and would sell our children for a lousy five hundred thousand Galleons! My children are priceless and they won't be leaving my nest!"

"Anyone who thinks differently is not a Dracken at all." The smooth cultured voice of Draco Malfoy cut through the silence.

Harry held his arms out to Draco and Nasta reluctantly, very, very reluctantly, let Harry pass into Draco's arms. Harry just needed to feel that measure of safety again, like he had when he had been running from the dominants the last time he had been in this house.

Harry sniffed a few times before raising his face to Draco's, who was looking down at him with grey coloured eyes. They had gone the same colour as they had that day in the Slytherin dormitories. They had darkened with something Harry could now identify having watched Blaise's indigo eyes darken in the same way. Lust.

Lust for him, for his body and it was that which kept his head tilted towards Draco as the huge blonde leant down and captured his lips in a searing kiss, making the ultimate choice between his parents and his legacy or having Harry as a life mate.

Harry gasped and wrapped both arms around Draco's shoulders as Draco's arms shifted his body until he was plastered to Draco's front with those large hands holding his thighs in place around a trim waist.

Harry whimpered and flared his white and amethyst wings out, before he wrapped them around Draco to hide their furious, passionate kisses from onlookers. He heard a scream of rage from Dominic, before an answering roar from Blaise cut it off in the middle. He heard Blaise go back to pounding Dominic into the floor, he heard Elder Getus yelling at Blaise to get off of his grandson, he heard Elder Trintus screaming at Elder Getus about misuse of power, corruption and sabotage of a submissives mating rites and he heard the hundred or so dominants scream out their displeasure at missing their chance to get Harry for themselves, but none of it mattered to Harry, who had just claimed his second mate.

* * *

Thank you to **The Real Jackie-O** for being the **2,300****th**** reviewer**.

To **unneeded:** Harry's body scales will not change, they will remain white. Only the scales on his wings change to match all of his dominants colours.

To **Iris101: **All submissives have white wings before they mate. When submissives mate the colour of their dominant leeches into their wing scales to prove that they have fully mated. Harry's wings are not replicas of Blaise's whose wings are black with deep purple coloured scales, where Harry's wings are white and only a handful of his scales have gone purple to match Blaise's. When Harry gets more mates, he will get more colours to his wing scales, though some of them will remain white.

The colours on Harry's wings are in random odd patches, so there will be certain areas where there are different colours.

To **Sylkie:** The voyeur was a random Dracken who has no name. He became unstable through an extended period of being unmated as every Dracken reacts to rejection differently, they can either take it or they can't. This dominant couldn't and he was slightly insane, believing that he had full rights to Harry over Blaise when he didn't.

To **Jackanapes:** I loved your review. I admit that I have also tried to use up all the characters in a review – I have yet to succeed.

Everyone loves Henley, it isn't possible not to love him and OMC probably does stand for original male character but own sounds just as good.

Dominic, as you have seen in this chapter, is too stubborn to leave even after the humiliation of being beaten up by a submissive. He had a hidden agenda and the doms will now step in and take care of it, Blaise especially as it was his chicks as well that Dominic was threatening to sell.

To **Hufflepuff-Slytherin**: Blaise was not referring to Draco when he thought about Veelas. He was thinking back to Fleur in fourth year and remembering how she was all over his mate.

To **Anne: **Widowed submissives and dominants petition to have another mate. If the Elders accept their petition they have a meeting similar to the one's Harry is having to find a new mate. If they don't agree to accept the petition the submissive/dominant either remain mateless or they settle down with humans.

**unique0987654321**: Not every dominant or submissive has the same level of power, if you put a very powerful dominant with a weak submissive then his power is going to completely cover his mate's, which means that he can be the grounding mate as well because he's powerful enough to absorb the excess magic coming from his mate. Likewise if you pair a very powerful submissive with an average or weak dominant then that submissive is going to need more than one mate because there is more excess magic to absorb, so not every mated couple has more than one mate, the average is two dominants per submissive, but there are submissives with just the one mate and some have three.

**Evening12**: Harry's lightning bolt scar is still there. His Dracken inheritance only touched his 'normal' scars, so the cursed scar remains as it isn't quite so normal.

Thank you all to everyone who has read and reviewed, even if it is a short review telling me what you thought of the chapter or story as a whole.

StarLight Massacre.


	11. One was Bliss Two is Murder

_Last Time_

_Harry whimpered and flared his white and amethyst wings out, before he wrapped them around Draco to hide their furious, passionate kisses from onlookers. He heard a scream of rage from Dominic, before an answering roar from Blaise cut it off in the middle. He heard Blaise go back to pounding Dominic into the floor, he heard Elder Getus yelling at Blaise to get off of his grandson, he heard Elder Trintus screaming at Elder Getus about misuse of power, corruption and sabotage of a submissives mating rites and he heard the hundred or so dominants scream out their displeasure at missing their chance to get Harry for themselves, but none of it mattered to Harry, who had just claimed his second mate._

Chapter Eleven – One was Bliss. Two is Murder.

Harry had been assured that Elder Getus would be punished, but unfortunately the law couldn't be reversed because all the Elders agreed that it was a good law to have, so Elder Getus, as a mated dominant, could not be killed, but he had been stripped of his Elder title a very serious, and dishonourable, punishment that was both embarrassing, humiliating and disgracing. It was nothing less than that monster deserved.

Dominic was a moot point seeing as the Elders had all agreed to take him back to the Elder Hall and execute him; Blaise however did not like that one bit. He had other plans for the thing that had stated so crassly that he would sell his children on the black market and had taken Dominic hostage in the dungeons. He had assured Harry that he wouldn't be in any trouble and would in fact be saving the other Elders the trouble of having to kill Dominic themselves; the Elders didn't like killing other Drackens if they didn't have to, like nearly all politicians they didn't like getting their hands dirty.

Harry was currently buried in a bed that was so filled with pillows and blankets that he barely had room to lay in it. Blaise had made sure he was comfortable and cosy and warm because he and Draco were going to do some 'dominant bonding' by killing Dominic together…slowly.

Harry supposed he should be happy that his two dominants were seemingly getting along alright; he just wished they didn't need to kill a sixteen year old in order to do it.

Sighing Harry snuggled down further in the bed, resting his head on a pillow so soft it had to have been made with cotton wool. He yawned and tried not to think of what Blaise and Draco were doing in the dungeons with Dominic.

* * *

Blaise stood in the middle of the dungeon room and observed the little worm wriggling on the floor. Draco had tied him up with a spell that shot silk scarves from his wand tip. He had no doubts that the spell was not meant to be used in this way or for this purpose, but it kept the cocky dick from escaping them.

Draco was stalking around the outside of the room, making sure everything had been covered by the silencing spell and that there were no weapons with which the little twat could hurt them with in the unlikely event that he actually escaped and tried to defend himself.

"We're ready." Draco informed Blaise, sending a sideways glare at the filth as it screamed behind the scarf stuffed in his mouth.

"I'm wondering now if we should keep it down here overnight. We do have a gorgeous submissive waiting for us upstairs in a bed big enough for three." Blaise answered, looking to his blonde friend, fiercely stabbing out his jealousy, he didn't want Draco in bed with him and Harry, but he had no other choice, besides the look on the worm's face was worth bragging about being in bed with Harry, he could brag as much as he liked the filth would die soon anyway.

"I would rather get it over with now and not have to bother with him again. He is already cutting into the settling period, you know from experience that Harry will not be able to sleep unless I am near him. It was the same when you first mated with him." Draco answered carefully, trying not to scream at Zabini that he didn't want him in bed with him and Harry.

"True." Blaise nodded, looking back to the little bitch on the floor. "How do we do this, slow and painful or quick and painful?"

"I _would_ say quick and painful, so I can get to Harry quicker, but he deserves to be punished slowly for daring to think he could sell a child."

"Slow and painful it is then."

Dominic screamed again through the scarf and tried to rip apart the bonds; however conjured items were made with magic, so they didn't break as easily than if they had been store bought.

"Be quiet you little rat!" Blaise snarled lashing out with a hard kick. "I'm going to enjoy ripping you limb from limb. How dare you think you could get away with force mating to Harry and then selling our children to some scummy lowlife!"

- Torture scene -

Draco unsheathed his claws and dug them deeply into Dominic's calf muscles, stretching them and wiggling them around to cause the maximum amount of pain, ripping the muscles and tearing skin.

Dominic screamed and screamed through his scarf gag and Draco growled.

"Take the gag from his mouth; I want to hear how much pain I'm causing!"

Blaise glared at the bigger blonde and waited a handful of seconds before he did as asked, he was not a submissive, he was not beneath Draco bloody Malfoy.

Dominic screamed and screamed when the gag came out of his mouth and Draco grinned, twisting his claws and shoving them in even deeper, the tips of his fingers brushing against the skin on the filth's leg.

"Don't make him pass out; I want him awake until he dies." Blaise snarled.

Draco nodded silently, his jaw clenched to restrain himself from snarling back at being ordered to do anything. Harry came first and he always would, closely followed by any chicks he had, for that purpose he had to get along with Zabini, not matter how much he wanted to kill him and be alone with Harry.

"I wonder what the tender meat of his belly would taste like." Draco mused aloud, staring pointedly at the tanned, hairless expanse of skin.

"I would bet he tastes as disgusting as his insides are black." Blaise warned from his place stripping the skin from Dominic's left shin.

Draco hummed in agreement before he took the rat's right arm and snapped it at the elbow. The scream was beautiful and it echoed off of the dungeon walls sending shivers up both of their spines.

Dominic vomited through a combination of shock and pain, his body sweating profusely as tears ran down his cheeks.

"That almost went on my two hundred Galleon shoes!" Draco growled as he slammed Dominic's head into the vomit and used it as an impromptu mop.

"Please! No more!" Dominic croaked out.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" Blaise demanded. "Real dominants do not beg for their lives! They take their punishment with dignity! Didn't your Grandfather teach you that or was he too busy filling your head with ways to rape innocent submissives?"

"How could you even think to sell a defenceless baby?" Draco carried on. "Do you know what people who buy Dracken babies do to them? They keep them in a tiny cage until they are sixteen. Can you imagine that? Sixteen years in a little cage, being fed just enough to keep you alive?"

"Then once the Dracken comes into their inheritance, they take them out their cage and strap them down onto a table." Blaise took over. "On their backs first of course, the inside wing scales are much more sensitive than the outside wing scales after all, then they pin the wings down with metal stakes right through the wing bones, can't have the Dracken retracting their wings now can they?"

"Do you know what they do next?" Draco stage whispered, tugging on one of Dominic's lime green wings. "They scrape off every single, individual scale with a chisel."

"The only thing sharp and thin enough to remove our scales." Blaise added in, conjuring a plain chisel and placing it against one of the slightly raised, jade green scales.

He let Dominic feel the cool metal, the sharp edge, before using the palm of his hand he slammed it into the flat bottom of the chisel and dug off one scale.

Dominic screamed so loudly that he lost his voice, screaming silently as pain tore itself through his body originating from the point where his scale had once been.

"Do you know why it hurts so much?" Blaise asked conversationally. "It's because of two reasons. Reason one is that our wings are one of the most sensitive pieces of anatomy we possess, the inside scales more so."

"Reason two is because each and every scale has at least two to twelve nerve endings inside it, depending on where the scale is located." Draco cut in, conjuring his own chisel to place on another scale, this one turquoise blue. "Not to mention the amount of blood vessels in them, which is why you are bleeding so heavily from just one missing scale."

"Which brings us back to what happens to our proverbial Dracken tied down on a table. They will let him or her bleed to death. Can you imagine the slow, painful agony this Dracken would be in? Having each and every scale removed, growing weaker and weaker, screams becoming harsh sobs of pain and choked gasps for air before finally, sweet blackness claims them, they will never wake again. They will bleed to death on this table, surrounded by people who neither care nor lose sleep over it, content that every scale they collect will get them sixteen Galleons, mere pocket change to some."

"Could you live with that, knowing that that Dracken could have been your own child? Your own flesh and blood! The baby that you sold to them so that they could treat it like a fucking animal and then kill it sixteen years later!" Draco snarled.

Dominic was snivelling into the floor, not caring that the side of his face was still lying in the pool of his own vomit.

"Did you know that our wings are never more sensitive than in the first year of our Dracken lives?" Blaise told the cowering boy on the floor. "You're still sixteen aren't you? Not much older than Harry and younger than Draco here. You are feeling everything that your future chicks would have felt had we let you live long enough to have them."

Blaise pressed the chisel against a pretty teal coloured scale and dug the chisel in slowly, going deeply into the wing before levering it so the handle went down and the blade of the chisel came up, tearing off another scale as it did so.

"How many scales do you think he has?" Draco asked, putting up a façade of cool, disinterest even as his silver eyes gleamed with excitement. "A hundred thousand? You know if we strip him of his scales we could get one point six million Galleons and if we haggle a bit we could get even more."

Blaise chuckled darkly and ripped off another scale. "Did you know the brighter and more pretty the scale the more Galleons we can get? There are some potions that need a certain colour of scale; I can think of three off of the top of my head and two of them need blue scales, something you have possession of."

"It's something to do with the chemicals needed to make the colour." Draco informed his friend. "Different chemicals in our bodies make different colours that react differently to certain ingredients. I know for certain that orange scales react violently if used in a shrinking solution, the chemicals that make the orange pigment reacts to bat saliva and turn it into a corrosive acid which then reacts with the foundation ingredient to cause one hell of an explosion."

"I know yellow and green scales are used in healing potions and look, our vile 'friend' here owns green scales, St Mungos will pay through the teeth to get their hands on those."

"Please, no more! I'll do anything." Dominic sobbed.

"Don't you think your children would have begged for their lives as well as they were strapped down and put through the same hell that you are going through now? Only you've been a pampered prick for sixteen years, not starved and kept in a cage!" Blaise yelled tearing off a green scale at the same time Draco sawed off a blue one.

"PLEASE!" Dominic screeched.

"No!" Draco hissed. "You would have seen Harry killed for taking his chicks from him! It would have DESTROYED HIM! All for your selfish gain! He would have begged and pleaded for his babies back, but you would have already sold them to be reared and slaughtered like pigs! You wouldn't have been able to get them back for him if you wanted to or not!"

Blaise yelled in rage, he had been trying not to think of how Harry would have reacted to learning his mate had sold his chicks, he dreaded the day Harry found out what would have happened to his defenceless babies had Dominic managed to get his hands on them, how crushed he would be, how sick it would make him.

Seeing red Blaise ripped off four scales in quick succession, hearing, but not caring about the screams and pleads Dominic was emitting. Harry was his sweet, but fiery sub, this thing would have betrayed sweet little Harry in the worst possible way, would have watched as Harry retreated and withdrew into himself before finally not being able to take the slow, mournful suffering anymore and killing himself.

This bastard would have caused Harry this unbearable, slow suffering, would have watched and not batted an eyelid! All for five hundred thousand Galleons a chick.

Roaring again, Blaise stabbed off several scales before throwing away the chisel and sinking his claws into the tender belly of the other dominant, ripping and tearing.

- End torture scene -

Huge arms encircled his shoulders and just held him as silent tears made tracks down his face. Harry was the most important person in the world to him; just thinking about what Harry would have gone through if this spineless prick's plan had succeeded caused the blinding rage to set in again and he used both fists to cave in the gurgling Dominic's rib cage finally killing the worthless mass of flesh.

Those arms held him tighter and a face pressed against the back of his neck, soft soothing noises coming from the strong throat. Blaise turned around and let himself be emotionally weak, just this once, accepting the comfort from the other dominant that he would share Harry with, that he would share the rest of his life with and share all those precious moments with, letting out all the pain and anger and sorrow he felt, the images of a little girl looking just like Harry, but with his wing colouring strapped to a table and screaming and pleading with her captors as they peeled her deep amethyst wing scales off one by one, of Harry sitting in the corner of a dark room, tears marring his beautiful face, a picture of the little girl in his hands and a little pink teddy in the other held closely to his chest, rocking slowly backwards and forwards before picking up the silver knife sitting next to him and plunging it deeply into his own heart.

"It will never happen." Draco assured Blaise, knowing exactly what he was thinking as he was picturing something very similar; only the child looked just like him, with Harry's stunning emerald eyes.

* * *

Harry was sitting up in bed when Draco and Blaise came into the bedroom, jogging up the winding stairs to reach the platform that the bed was kept on.

He just looked at them before gesturing that they join him in the bed, which they did so after stripping down to their boxer shorts, or in Draco's case, boxer briefs. Harry snuggled in with a dominant on either side of him, holding him close. He knew what they had done, that their hands were now blood stained, but he found he didn't care.

He had found out quickly that he hadn't been able to sleep; he had thought it might be his conscience beating seven levels of hell out of him for letting his two dominants kill a sixteen year old, but he found that sleep was misting his eyes the moment he came into contact with his dominants.

He didn't care about Dominic, didn't care that he was dead; in fact he was quite glad he was dead, all he cared about were his two dominants holding him so close in the bed that they would share, at least for a little while, if he really did need a third mate then he was going to need a much bigger bed.

* * *

All three of them got to sleep in the next day, it still being the Christmas holidays there were no lessons to get up early to prepare for and with Harry knowing the location of the kitchens they didn't even need to get up for breakfast.

Draco was the first one awake and he remained perfectly still as he looked to the flawless face that was turned towards him. Harry truly was beautiful and he felt so privileged to be able to wake up next to him and he hoped to wake up next to him for the rest of their lives.

It was strange, he hadn't wanted to be a Dracken, had fought every single step of the way, but now, looking into the finely boned, delicate face of Harry 'Scar head' Potter, he realised that he didn't want to fight anymore. He was perfectly content to lie here and never move if it made the young man sleeping next to him happy.

Unfortunately he couldn't continue lying next to his little mate as nature called him urgently to the bathroom, where after he finished his morning business, his vanity called him to bathe and primp himself. He had been bad before, but with the Dracken inheritance and the proud, vanity instincts, he became almost manic with his morning routine and Merlin help anyone who even dared to slight his appearance, hair or clothing.

"Are you going to take all day?" An annoyed sleep slurred voice demanded. "The rest of us mere mortals need the bathroom as well you know!"

Draco's hand itched to smack his submissive's arse red raw, but he controlled the urge and instead unlocked the bathroom door to let Harry shuffle inside and take care of business. Draco's annoyance lessened as he realised just how badly his submissive needed to take a piss. He wouldn't be a good dominant if he had made Harry wait for another five minutes, making him hold in all that urine would have been cruel.

"Come on Harry; piss for Britain why don't you." Blaise teased from the doorway.

"I _was_ going to ask if you wanted to join me in the shower, but now I think I'll share it with my flannel instead."

"Oh don't be like that Prezioso. You know I was only teasing." Blaise backtracked.

"Nope. You can have a shower all on your own." Harry stated as he flushed the toilet, washed his hands before stripping off his boxers and climbing into the shower cubicle.

It was the first time Draco had seen Harry completely naked and his mouth was bone dry and his muscles twitched to move and go and join him, his blood filled cock tenting his black trousers fully agreed with his muscles, if only his brain would regain function so he would be able to remember how to move his tension filled limbs.

All of that beautiful, silky looking soft skin layered over firm, lithe muscles and such a delectable looking bum, he had to taste it.

"Don't even think about it." Blaise growled softly so Harry wouldn't hear him over the running water. "If Harry says no, he means no, got it?"

"He said no to your company not mine!" Draco growled back.

"He'll react badly to you, I'm trying to help! Harry is very shy and will not welcome your sudden advances, give him some time to adjust to you first!"

Draco snarled, trying to work out if Zabini was doing this on purpose to block any intimacy he might have with his submissive and so he had less one on one time with Harry or if he actually was trying to help.

Growling angrily Draco stalked towards the bathroom door, but stopped as he reached Blaise.

"If you are lying to me, I will maim you whilst you sleep."

"Duly noted." Blaise spat back, watching as Draco walked through the doorway back into the bedroom.

Harry never took very long in the shower and he was in and out within ten minutes. He came out wearing a fluffy white towel and looked so adorable with his messy hair, dripping wet and falling all over his face and neck that Blaise chuckled and kissed a delicate cheek.

"Where did Blondie go?"

"I believe he went back into the bedroom to primp in the mirror we keep beside the wardrobes."

"I am not primping in the bedroom mirror!" A harsh snarl came from the next room.

"Of course you're not." Blaise answered soothing, whilst rolling his eyes to Harry, who stifled a giggle with his hand.

"If it's a fight you want, you'll get it!" Draco stormed into the bathroom and shoved Blaise's shoulders.

"Stop it!" Harry cried out in horror. The last thing in the world he wanted was his dominants fighting with each other and over such a little thing as well.

The both of them ignored Harry as they faced off with one another, Blaise furious that Draco had physically manhandled him and Draco's instincts telling him that he needed to both impress his new submissive and show the other dominant just who was bigger and stronger.

"Stop it now or I swear to god I'll walk out!" Harry threatened, holding his towel closer.

When neither Draco nor Blaise took any notice of him and continued wrestling around the bathroom floor Harry got angry.

"I'm going to slice up all your clothes and books!"

When this still got him no reaction he took a pair of scissors from the bathroom cabinet to cut up their clothes with and walked to the bathroom door. Half way there his Dracken side came out, coaxed out by the fighting dominants and his own anger. As his hair rapidly grew to tumble down his back he got a better idea and he fingered the silky tresses. He wouldn't miss the hair, it was a pain to brush and keep tidy, it was always in the way, he honestly didn't know how girls could keep their hair long, but then he supposed that was why girls were always wearing ponytails, buns, plaits, braids and the like, to keep it from getting in the damned way.

The million Galleon question however was how much did Draco and Blaise like his long hair and would they even care if he cut it in rebellion?

"I'm going to cut all of my hair off!" He shouted over their snarls and roars and it was then that both heads snapped towards him, taking in the long, silky wave of jet black hair and the pair of scissors.

Harry ran and put as many obstacles between them as possible, clenching his hand around the end of the pair of scissors so even if he fell they wouldn't hurt him.

He backed into a corner of the common room slash living room and gripped all of his hair in his hand and placed the hair between the blades of the scissors.

Draco and Blaise found him like that, glaring at the both of them with his hair in his hand held tightly to his head and the scissors poised, ready to snip away that beautiful fall of hair.

"Harry, mio diletto, please don't." Blaise begged. "I am sorry, I let my instincts take over and I couldn't pull myself away when I heard you shouting, please, don't do this."

"Your hair is part of your Dracken appeal." Draco told him and Harry turned his glare onto the blonde. "All submissive Drackens have long hair Harry."

"I don't care! I won't have you fighting! We're supposed to be a family! How can we be a family if you are always at each other's throats? How can I bring a child into this world when you two quarrel and bicker over the smallest things? What example would that set for our chicks?"

"What are you saying?" Blaise asked fearfully.

"You stop acting like kids and learn to love one another! We will be a family or we will never have chicks! I would never bring a child in this world with you two fighting and shedding blood all over my newborn baby!"

Harry's rage grew and his hands tightened, cutting into a few strands of hair which fell over his closed fist like wilted flowers.

"Alright Harry, whatever you want, but please put the scissors down. I'll try to get on better with Draco, I promise."

"No! You won't try at all; you _will_ get on better with each other! You were friends before all of this you can at least be civil to one another in the beginning, but you will love one another before I will bring a baby into this world!"

Both dominants nodded, they just wanted Harry to put the scissors down and Draco, who was unused to Harry's bouts of rebellion, was growing angry with his submissive, they shouldn't be having this discussion, they had told him to put the scissors down and he should have damn well listened to them!

"It's alright Harry, I promise Draco and I will work things out, we just need a settling in period to get out all of our bad feelings and then we'll be fine."

"Just put the damn scissors down already." Draco snapped, being glared at by both Harry and Blaise for his impatient outburst. "What? Harry is a submissive he should do as he's told!"

"I am not a doormat!" Harry yelled, his anger flooding his body once more, making him feel shaky. "I will not jump the minute you tell me to! I will not bow to your every command nor crawl around after you like a love sick dog! I'm a submissive Dracken yeah, but all that means to me is that I get fucked instead of fucking someone and if you carry on you won't be fucking me until the moon turns neon green! Do you understand me?"

"I am your dominant mate…!"

"And so is Blaise! You have to learn to put up with each other because I will not put one of you before the other! I already love you both the same! I want chicks with you, but not if every hour of every day is a fucking power struggle between you! I won't have it!"

"We understand Harry." Blaise soothed. "Please put the scissors down."

Harry sniffed and moved to take the scissors from his hair.

"You'd look awful with short hair in Dracken form anyway." Draco huffed and just like that Harry saw red.

Putting the scissors back against the base of his skull, Harry let out a small yell and closed his hand, the blades of the scissors easily cutting through his thick fall of hair. He threw the mound of hair onto the carpet and the scissors after them, glaring at Draco who looked a bit shell shocked, staring at the pile of hair.

Harry's head immediately felt lighter without the mass of hair and he fluffed it up, it felt nice, he felt more like himself as his hair bounced back into messy tufts of uneven patches as the weight that was holding it straight and neat was taken away. He would have to visit a proper barber to have it evened out and cut neater, but he felt elated.

It didn't last long as Draco leapt at him and grabbed him into his arms, dragging him to the settee and sitting on it. He tugged the knot out of the towel that was the only thing he was wearing, the only thing covering his naked body and Harry yelled out, trying to cover himself as the towel came free.

Before he could even scream, shout, cover himself or punch Draco in the nose, he was flipped over Draco's knee and a hard slap landed on his left bum cheek. Harry found his voice then.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" He yelled out.

His only answer was an even harder slap to his other bum cheek.

"Stop it!" He screamed, trying to wiggle his hands free, but they were clasped tightly together in one of Draco's huge hands. He tried rolling off of Draco's lap, but the hand that continued spanking him just quickly and effectively tugged him back before carrying on with the slaps.

"You are never to disobey your dominant!" Draco breathed harshly bringing his hand down continuously onto Harry's now flaming red bum. He had been right; it looked even more delicious stained red and covered in his handprints.

It took twelve hard slaps before Harry started crying, twenty slaps before Harry stopped yelling abuse at Draco, twenty-five before he stopped trying to get away, thirty-six before he started pleading for Draco to stop and forty-two before he started begging for Blaise.

"I am sorry Prezioso; it is against the Dracken laws to interfere with a dominant punishing his submissive. It is Draco's right to punish misbehaviour in any manner in which he chooses."

"It's just your luck that I prefer spanking to punish unruly little subs." Draco growled. "That I love seeing my hand turning your pale, peachy little bottom flame red."

"Please stop, I'm sorry." Harry whispered as the continuous, stinging smacks to his arse caused it to throb painfully and the humiliation of being in this position made tears of shame clog his throat.

Draco ignored the soft pleads to stop until Harry stopped begging and just lay on his lap passively, sobbing his heart out.

He petted the beacon red bum and soothed it, feeling the heat radiating from it from at least two inches away from Harry's skin.

Draco moved Harry until he lay over the arm of the settee, his little sub too docile to move, too humiliated to do anything other than what Draco did for him.

Blaise moved to Harry's head as soon as the punishment was over, smoothing the butchered hair out of Harry's red rimmed eyes, brushing the still falling tears off of his cheeks and kissing those red raw lips, from where Harry had bitten into them at the start of the punishment to keep from crying out.

Draco leant down and pressed a loving kiss to one bum cheek before kissing the other, letting his tongue come out to sooth the heated skin.

Harry let out a broken sob and just lay there like a weak little kitten and let his dominants do whatever they pleased. He had lost the battle, but he had won the war. He might have a red bum and wouldn't be able to sit down comfortably for a few hours, but his hair was gone, he had cut it and it would take years before it grew to the length it was before and if he had any say in it, he would keep his hair short in both his human and Dracken appearances, short hair was just better suited to him and no matter how many punishments he had to endure, he would not take any demands his dominants gave him lying down.

* * *

Thanks to **tamzingrace** for being the **2,400th reviewer**!

**gobert**: You're not reading too much into it, that was done deliberately for the very reason you stated. It was Blaise's instincts coming out at an early stage.

**Zept**: Jensen is one of Harry's suitors. He's mentioned, but he was edited out of the final cut. So really he's just another dominant Dracken.

Happy reading readers!

StarLight Massacre. X


	12. Retribution

EVERYONE CALM DOWN! I KNOW EXACTLY WHAT I'M DOING AND DRACO'S BEHAVIOUR IS IN NO WAY PERMANENT, OR EVEN SEMI PERMANENT!

_Last Time_

_Harry let out a broken sob and just lay there like a weak little kitten and let his dominants do whatever they pleased. He had lost the battle, but he had won the war. He might have a red bum and wouldn't be able to sit down comfortably for a few hours, but his hair was gone, he had cut it and it would take years before it grew to the length it was before and if he had any say in it, he would keep his hair short in both his human and Dracken appearances, short hair was just better suited to him__and no matter how many punishments he had to endure, he would not take any demands his dominants gave him lying down._

Chapter Twelve - Retribution.

"Come on Harry, let's get you to bed." Blaise said softly, glaring at Draco over Harry's body.

"I just woke up." Harry mourned.

"Just until I can get some salve for you." Blaise promised. "Then you can do as you please."

Blaise gently carried Harry back into their bedroom and up the stairs attached to the outside wall and placed Harry gently in the bed, the sunlight coming through the skylight and making Harry's naked body glow with the harsh light and his scales to look like little mirrors.

"You just stay here mio amore, I'll be back soon."

Blaise kissed Harry gently and let his mate stretch out on top of the duvet, basking in the warm sunlight that encased their whole bed, trying not to be distracted by the sight of Harry's beautiful body.

Harry turned onto his stomach and Blaise was reminded exactly why he had put Harry to bed. He held his hand over the burning bum and clenched his fists tightly, Draco seriously needed a head check if he thought that he could hit Harry so hard and for so long without any repercussions.

Blaise kissed Harry's cheek, which was lying on his folded arms on the bed. He turned and jumped right from the platform, ignoring the stairs, and landed in a crouch.

"Blaise are you okay?" Harry's soft voice called from up on the platform.

"Perfectly fine Prezioso. Go to sleep."

It was very fortunate for Harry that he couldn't see the look on Blaise's face, or he would never have slept again.

Blaise walked out of the bedroom and softly closed the bedroom door behind him, placing up a hasty silencing charm before storming into the common room and yanking Draco out of his seat, the blonde still sitting where he had cruelly punished Harry for such a small offence.

"What the hell was that?" Blaise hissed, lashing out and catching Draco's chin with an uppercut as hard as he could possibly manage. It hurt, but damn did that bright red mark look good on Malfoy's chin.

"I was punishing an unruly submissive!" Draco hissed back defensively. "He shouldn't have cut his hair! He should have listened to us!"

"He would have if you hadn't opened your huge mouth and shoved your whole foot and half of your leg into it! Harry looks gorgeous no matter what length his hair is! He'd look just as good covered in muck and dressed in a sack with a shaved head! How could you have hit him so hard? He's going to be bruised for a week!"

"I didn't hit him hard!" Draco snapped back.

"His arse is already bruising Malfoy! Why the hell did you give him fifty spanks, that's an outrageous number!"

"How many do you give him then? Two or three? That's not enough to even chastise him."

"I don't hit him at all!" Blaise spat. "I squeeze the back of his neck; if he carries on I either squeeze tighter or dig in claws."

"So digging your claws into his neck is better than spanking him? At least I can't paralyse him!"

"Yes it is better because I have never so much as bruised him! My claws have never pierced skin! The closest I have ever come to hurting him was when I broke his virginity! It isn't a dominants place to hurt any submissive let alone their own!"

Draco looked confused and Blaise sighed and dug his fingernails into the palms of his hands to keep from punching that strong, flawless face again.

"Punishment is fine Draco, but only if the punishment fits the crime, Harry cutting his hair was a minor offence. Harry has a temper, it won't be beaten out of him, it's part of who he is, he also has a very high level of justice and moral, that is just Harry. If you take those things away from him, he wouldn't be Harry anymore; you cannot punish him so severely for such a small thing as an act of rebellion."

"We have to punish the small offences or he won't learn to obey when it comes to something serious."

"He would listen. Harry is not some stupid little pet Draco, he has a brain and he has his own set of instincts that tell him to listen to us."

"Then why didn't those instincts work this morning?"

"Because Harry's anger over took his natural instincts!" Blaise cried, hoping to Merlin that Draco got this through his skull before he damaged Harry irreparably. "I don't want a broken submissive for the rest of my life Draco, I want Harry to remain exactly as he is! If you can't accept that then I'm going to have to eliminate the threat you pose to my submissive."

"He's _my_ submissive as well!"

"But I don't want to kill his personality or his soul! You need to learn what is acceptable and what isn't Draco and what you did to Harry this morning was not acceptable, if you do it again, I'll step in to stop you, fuck the laws I'll take my chances with the Elders!"

Blaise took hold of Draco's arm and dragged him out of the room.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Draco yelled.

"I don't trust you alone with Harry and you need someone else to talk sense into you, we're going to Snape, me to get some salve for Harry and you to learn exactly how much is really too much!"

* * *

Severus was slowly going insane, he was sure of it. Being surrounded by all of these Drackens was bringing back all sorts of memories, instincts and thoughts that he would rather remain buried.

Thoughts about his mate and his life before he had lost his little mate. He remembered his submissive perfectly, despite there being very few pictures left. That soft black hair and laughing grey eyes, the slight and slender body and that beautiful, confident smile.

Eighteen, his mate had died at just eighteen years of age, two years after becoming a Dracken and only nineteen months after they had mated for the first time. Why?

He asked himself that question every single day, why had his mate died? Why had his mate left the house? Why had it been his mate who had died and for what purpose? He had no answers, no one had any answers and it was for that reason that he remained behind. He refused to move on until he knew exactly how his beloved had died and why.

A hammering on the door to his private quarters had him sighing in exasperation, if this was that infernal Ravenclaw with more questions on the essay he had set for the winter holidays he would throttle her.

He carefully placed the photograph he had been holding and staring at back onto his mantel piece and scrubbed his face with long, thin, pale hands, before fixing a harsh scowl onto his face and strode towards the door.

He had been all set to yell at whoever was on the other side, but he had not expected who was standing on his threshold. The newly mated Blaise Zabini and Draco Malfoy. They were glaring and snarling at each other and Severus sighed, ushering the two boys into his living room and gesturing for them to sit on opposite chairs.

"What is the meaning of this?"

"I need some salve for Harry, Sir." Blaise told him, his voice tight with anger.

Severus rubbed the bridge of his nose with a forefinger and thumb.

"What for and what happened to the boy?"

"Bruising and because Malfoy hit him too hard!"

That made Severus' head snap up. He knew the boy had had a second meeting for a second mate, but he had had no idea who had been chosen.

"Why was Mister Malfoy hitting Potter at all?"

"I'm his second mate." Draco grumbled.

"I had no idea you were a Dracken Draco, your Father didn't mention it to me at all."

"Because he doesn't know." Draco answered, raising his head to send icy eyes at his Godfather.

"How could he not know he had an adolescent Dracken in his house all summer?"

"I took the suppression potion for six months; I'd still be taking it if it hadn't started becoming ineffective."

Severus blanched and went even paler, making his skin seem grey in colouring.

"You took a suppression potion for six months?" He asked softly, dangerously quietly. "Which one?"

"The one that covers everything, instinct, appearance, actions, I didn't want to be a Dracken! I thought if I just kept taking it everything would be fine."

"Idiot boy!" Snape snapped, standing up and looming over the form of his Godson, whipping out his wand and performing diagnostic checks.

"You should not even be allowed near a submissive!" Snape hissed which perked Blaise up and got him listening intently to his mentor. "That potion was designed for temporary use only! It is supposed to be used to hide us from those wishing our kind harm, it isn't designed to be used for longer than two months, three months at the absolute maximum, you could have killed yourself!"

"Instead he almost killed Harry."

"What did you do to the boy?" Snape asked, almost dreading the answer.

"I just spanked him."

"For twenty minutes!" Blaise burst out. "Fifty hits and all of them were too hard!"

Snape closed his eyes and run a hand down his face. "Blaise, top shelf of the cabinet furthest from the door, the green paste. It'll sooth the skin and heal the bruising, Draco and I need to have a little…_chat_."

Blaise nodded and went to retrieve the paste, sending one last glare to Draco before he left to go and tend to Harry. He wasn't finished with the blonde, not by a long shot, after Professor Snape was finished, he'd take his revenge on what was left for his little mate.

* * *

Harry couldn't sleep. He hated the settling in period because no matter how much he didn't want Draco near him at the moment, he needed the brute to be able to sleep.

Sighing and sitting up, making sure to use his knees and not his burning bum, Harry got up and got dressed. Blaise had told him to stay, but to be honest he didn't feel like doing anything his dominants told him to do today.

The suddenness of Draco just grabbing him and dragging him around had startled him for those few crucial seconds in which he could have gotten away from the blonde; he wouldn't be taken by surprise again now he knew how the big brute liked to punish his submissive. Spanking though, really? He never would have thought the blonde would lower himself to do something so undignified as to spank anyone.

But now he knew otherwise and he would damn well make sure he was ready to fight the next time Draco decided to humiliate him. Punishment he could deal with, being spanked like a naughty toddler he could not, his cheeks burnt as much as his bum every time he thought about it.

Making his way down to the lake, Harry spun around in a circle, loving the frosty air and the clean, pure whiteness of the freshly fallen, crisp snow. Everything seemed muted when snow had fallen, like the blanket muffled out every other noise. It was so quiet and peaceful, especially before lunchtime, which would be when the few occupants left in the castle would converge upon the grounds, building snowmen, making snow angels and the always epic snowball fight.

He grinned as he remembered last year, when he, Fred and George had taken on Ron, Hermione, Seamus and Dean. He, Fred and George had won, mainly because they had cheated by putting one of Fred and George's inventions, stunning gel, inside the snowballs. They had wrapped the snow around the gel and when it hit bare skin, namely the faces of their poor victims; the unlucky victim was stunned for thirty seconds.

Harry sat on a high rock at the edge of the lake, crouched on his feet so his sore bum wouldn't touch the cold stone, and looked out over the frozen mass of water. This time last year had been a happy time for him. He had still had his two best friends, he wasn't a creature whom the Ministry hated and his life had been happy, yet now he may not have had his two best friends, but Voldemort was gone, he had a mate whom adored him and whom he adored back, he had another mate who he loved, but at the moment disliked and he was content with his life and so much happier now than he ever had been. He actually had a future, that future may have only been having mates and chicks, but really, that was all he needed, what he wanted. A family.

Arms wrapped around him and a nose nuzzled into his hair. Harry started and looked up at the person touching him, only to relax as he realised that it was only Nasta.

"You scared me." Harry told the dominant Dracken.

"Sorry." Nasta replied shortly, but sincerely as he rubbed his nose against Harry's cheek.

Nasta tried to pull Harry so he was sitting down properly, but Harry went down on his knees instead, not willing to let his bum hurt more than it already did. Maybe he should have stayed in bed until Blaise got back with that salve after all.

"You are in pain." Nasta told him, not asking, knowing.

Harry stayed quiet, but so did Nasta and the older Dracken had a lot more practise at being silent than Harry did and he finally broke after fifteen minutes of straight, oppressing silence.

"My new dominant punished me because I cut my hair when he told me not to."

"He should not have punished you so much as for you to feel pain. It is not a dominant's place to hurt their submissive, not even through punishment." Nasta told him seriously, those hazel eyes flecked with a light, sage green in the dim, weak winter sunlight. There wasn't enough light for those eyes to go golden like the scales on his wings, but Harry would bet those eyes looked gorgeous in the summer sunlight.

"But I cut my hair when he said not to."

Nasta snorted softly in amusement. "All submissives push their new dominants, it is a way to test their boundaries and find out what they can do and what will cause them to be punished. For example if you were to dance around naked I would find it terribly amusing, yet I know certain dominants would punish you for it, they would see your body as being theirs, not for anyone else's eyes. It is usually younger dominants who would cover you up in jealousy and possessiveness and punish you for bearing all, most of us older dominants would laugh, we are more secure in our mateships, in the knowledge that our submissive is ours and will not stray from us. Each dominant will see your actions differently; there were many who believed you should have been punished for what you did to Dominic in the dining room, that you should have let your dominant mate handle the defence of yourself, a submissive fighting for themself is a turn off to them. I however thought you looked just as sexy beating the shit out of him as you always do."

Harry grinned at Nasta, who was opening up to him more and saying more to him. That last bout of speech was more than Harry had ever heard him say put together.

"I don't know what to comment on." Harry answered. "That you think me beating the hell out of someone is a turn on or that you want to watch me dance around naked."

"I…that is not what I meant." Nasta told him, his cheeks turning a telling shade of red.

Harry laughed and forgot for one moment that his bum had been slapped raw. He turned around to face Nasta and sat heavily on the rock on his bum.

Harry yelped and scrambled to get off his bum, slipping and sliding over the rock as pain danced through his lower body.

Nasta lifted him up easily with an arm around his back and his other hand hovered over his arse.

"I can feel the heat from here, through your clothes, how hard did he actually hit you?" Nasta demanded furiously.

Harry had never seen the calm, reserved, near silent man this angry before, not even when he had faced Dominic saying all of those disgusting things.

"It…it wasn't that hard!" Harry defended. "It's nothing."

"Harry, are your dominants abusing you?" Nasta asked, his deep voice dropping down to a low, growling bass.

"No!" Harry replied quickly and sharply, remembering how the Dursleys used to treat him. That was abuse. Starving him, beating him until he could barely breathe and keeping him in a cupboard for eleven years. That was abuse, not a bloody spanking, not matter how sore his arse was.

Nasta just looked at him before lifting one of those muscled arms to his mouth and biting down, he pressed the bloody part of his arm to Harry's mouth and Harry looked at him horrified.

"Such a look." Nasta told him with a hint of wry amusement. "Dracken blood has healing properties, just take a bit and you won't feel the pain anymore, the bruising will remain however."

"Why didn't Blaise know of this?" Harry asked suspiciously.

"He is still a young dominant Harry, he is only a year old, I have been a Dracken for twenty-one years this February."

"You're birthday is in February?"

"Yes, the third. I'll be thirty-seven."

Harry smiled and carefully flicked his tongue out to taste the blood dribbling down Nasta's arm. It tasted like blood at first, nothing special. Coppery and metallic, like sucking on pennies, but there was a very subtle hint of power in the blood, was it to do with magic or the Dracken? He didn't know, he hardly went up to people and asked to taste their blood.

Harry licked gently against the teeth marks and smiled as his bum started to go numb and the almost forgotten pain in his fist (left over from battering Dominic.) began to fade. He felt so much better and over all stronger and healthier.

"The next time you are injured or hurt, just ask your dominant for a bit of blood, you don't even need a lot, just a few mouthfuls. They need to get used to it anyway, you will be biting holes in them with your fangs when you are pregnant."

"Why?" Harry asked slightly alarmed.

"When pregnant you will need to feed from your dominants bodily liquids to keep your chicks healthy and strong, this includes blood, saliva, semen and sweat." Nasta told him.

Harry's mind jolted back to the book he had read when he had first found out he was a Dracken.

'_It is believed that in order to keep the offspring healthy and growing strongly the dominant Dracken will need to share his liquids with his submissive. He will do this by kissing his mate to share his saliva, touching to share his sweat, ejaculating into his mate to give his semen and feeding his blood to his mate and child.'_

Holy fuck was this pregnancy going to be complicated! It was then that Harry thought to ask Nasta about how he would give birth, surely after twenty years being a Dracken Nasta would know?

"Nasta?"

The older Dracken just looked at him, not saying anything, but giving him his full, undivided attention to prompt him on.

"Do you know how I'll give birth? Blaise doesn't know and Draco doesn't even want to be a Dracken, so I doubt he'll know."

"With male submissives it is harder. It will take all of your strength and energy Harry and your mates need to be ready to get to you as soon as possible."

"But you know how?"

"Yes." Nasta remained silent for so long that Harry was about to prod him to tell him when he started speaking again. "You will essentially give yourself a caesarean section Harry, you will be in Dracken form and you will use your claws to slit open your abdomen and the walls of your womb and you will pull your baby out. You _will_ need to have a flask of some sort with one of your dominant's blood in it because as soon as the baby is out, the cord is cut and the placenta is removed, you need to drain it before you bleed to death or get an infection."

Harry gaped at Nasta and silently begged him to tell him that he had been joking.

"I…I can't do that!" He squeaked, coughing to cover up the fact that he had squeaked, but the amused smirk told him that Nasta had heard it.

"You can do it. It's natural instinct mixed with a lot of common sense."

"There! I can't do it; I've been told a million times that I have no common sense to speak of!"

Nasta shook his head at how adorable the little submissive was and took him into his arms.

"You can do it. The common sense bit is just drinking every drop of your dominant's blood, making sure the baby is actually breathing and safe in the nest and pulling out the placenta."

"Ergh, I have to pull bits out of me, that just doesn't seem right."

Nasta chuckled and pressed a soft kiss to Harry's forehead. "I am sure you will do just fine, every submissive has misgivings about their first pregnancy, it gets easier the more clutches you have."

"I'm going to be scarred something terrible if I have to keep slicing myself open."

Nasta shook his head. "Dominant's blood will get rid of all scar tissue if you take it quickly enough. Now little Harry, tell me which dominant bruised you, I would assume your new one, your first dominant did not seem the type to hurt you so."

"It was Draco, but he only spanked me." Harry assured, then realised what he had admitted to and went red with embarrassment.

"Some dominants prefer spanking; personally I have never found it appealing."

"How would you punish me?" Harry asked, before blushing a brighter red.

Nasta's hazel eyes sparkled and he run gentle fingertips over Harry's cheek. "It would depend on what you had done little submissive, but I am a biting sort of guy. I would press my teeth against the inside of your wrist, if you carried on I would bite down, not enough to break skin, but enough for a brief spark of pain, if you still carried on, the fangs would come out to pinch your skin. No dominant has the right to make his submissive bleed or feel excessive pain, there are laws against it."

"What do you mean laws against it? Could Draco get into trouble? I don't think he knows of the laws."

"Then he needs to be taught by someone who does know the laws. He could get into very serious trouble had he made you bleed, submissive blood is even more precious than dominant blood. That he has hit you hard enough to bruise is also an offence. It is against the laws lain down to protect the submissive mate from abusive dominant mates."

"It wasn't really abuse Nasta, he just hit too hard." Harry replied softly. "Blaise thinks it's because he was taking a suppression potion."

"He was taking a suppression potion?" Nasta asked seriously. "For how long?"

"I…about six months."

"He should not be near you." Nasta stated furiously. "It will take him a while to come back into himself after being under a suppression potion for so long. No wonder he hit you so hard, he most likely does not know how hard he hit you, how much it was hurting you. His instincts will be skewed and he will be unable to judge his actions or yours properly."

"So it was an accident?" Harry asked a slight hope in his heart.

"If it is true that he has been under that suppression potion for so long then most likely yes, it was an accident, but that is no excuse! He should never have hit you in the first place!"

"It's alright. If it was a onetime thing, I can deal with it. If he starts doing it regularly or hitting me any other way, I'll skin him."

Nasta smiled at him, those perfectly white teeth glinting. No wonder he had a teeth fetish. If Harry had teeth as white as that he'd be biting everything in sight as well. Alas he drank far too much coffee to ever have teeth so white without bleaching them and he wasn't that vain.

"At least I know you don't drink coffee." Harry mumbled, bringing up a little finger to push Nasta's top lip away from his teeth so he could glare at their pearly whiteness.

Nasta laughed and pulled him into a hug. "I drink pure fruit juices, I always have. My Father would have locked me in my bedroom if he even thought I had drank coffee when I was a teenager and now, I just don't like the taste of it, too bitter for my tongue."

Harry smiled a bit sadly. "I've never really had anyone to care whether I drank it or not."

Nasta's eyes narrowed at that comment, but he said nothing. It wasn't his place, Harry didn't even know him that well, but he would keep an eye, and an ear, out for Harry and if he found out that anyone was abusing the little submissive, he'd kill them, quickly and simply. It would be an elimination job only.

"Are all the other dominants back yet?" Harry asked curiously. "The ones that Elder Getus sent away."

"Many of them believed their chance was gone so they went home to wallow, it will take them a while to get back depending on where they are coming from, but some have come back."

Harry smiled. "I'm glad. They deserve just as much of a chance as everyone else!"

Nasta cupped Harry's small face in large hands and pressed their lips together gently. "You are too kind Harry. Many of those dominants do not deserve you and would not treat you properly."

"I'll weed them out." Harry told him surely. "I don't go into these things half-cocked and Blaise is happy to help me and I'm sure with how jealous Draco is showing that he is that more than half of them will scatter or be beaten to a pulp."

"You don't like violence." Nasta stated, playing with Harry's messy tufts of black hair.

"I know I don't, but Draco does. He seems to be channelling the violence and vanity instincts more than any other, I'm not sure if that's the fault of the suppression potion or not."

"It is. His instincts will be all over the place until the potion is completely out of his system, that he has been taking it for so long is a cause for concern, it could have lain down deposits in his soft tissues."

Harry sighed and leant into Nasta, letting the older man hold him and calm him. He wished Blaise was there, Blaise's cuddles were the best, he had just the right amount of muscle, just the right height and knew just how much pressure Harry liked, squeezy tight, but not enough to make him feel crushed or suffocated. No one else seemed to be able to hug him like Blaise.

"Harry!"

Speak of the devil and he shall appear. Harry thought wryly as he looked to see Blaise charging through the snowy grounds towards him.

"Harry why did you leave our rooms?" Blaise demanded as he reached them, swiping him from the rock and from Nasta's arms to hold him.

"I needed to get away to clear my head." Harry answered.

Blaise sighed but nodded, holding Harry tightly. Merlin, how much fear and panic had he been in when he realised that Harry wasn't in their rooms? He had thought his heart had stopped beating, thoughts and horrific scenarios going through his mind as he thought what could have happened to his little mate.

"I was so worried about you Mio Bello! Please don't do that to me again."

"Where is Draco?" Harry asked more than a little bit wary.

"He is with Professor Snape, learning exactly how a dominant should treat a submissive, what he did to you this morning was unacceptable Prezioso, never let anyone treat you like that, ever."

"Oh don't worry, Draco's going to get payback for what he did to me, no one spanks me like that and gets away with it! I was thinking about turning that cologne he likes so much into skunk liquid, that and I was hoping to have sex with you with him lying next to us. That will teach him not to mess with me!"

Blaise shook his head as Nasta chuckled beside them.

"The latter is very evil Harry, besides I think between myself and Professor Snape, Draco will be sufficiently punished."

"You don't understand Blaise! He humiliated me! I am not a naughty toddler! I deserve the same amount of respect as any adult! I am not pranking him because he hurt me; I'm doing it to make myself feel better about being humiliated by him."

Blaise nodded. "That is fair enough Bello, if you need any help, just ask for it. Now let's get you back inside, you are freezing cold and I have the salve for you."

Harry nodded his acceptance and waved goodbye to Nasta, who smiled at him and jumped up onto the rock he had been sitting on and waved to him, before turning to the lake to brood.

* * *

Harry was once again lying on his huge bed having his bum smoothed by Blaise's hand, applying the green paste to the bruised parts of his bum. He had told Blaise about Nasta giving him his blood and Blaise had smacked his head with a hand.

"I should have remembered that! Hell I was told enough times! I'm so sorry Harry."

"That's alright. I also found out from Nasta how I'm going to give birth. I'll cut myself open with my claws and pull the baby free."

Blaise went white under his tanned skin and he kissed the base of Harry's spine.

"I think that would be unbearable to hear." Blaise whispered into the skin of his back. "I am glad I will not be allowed near you enough to see it. I would likely lose my mind."

"I'll need a flask of your blood as well, to heal the split once the baby is out."

"I'll make sure to make one up every day for you, just in case you go into labour early."

Harry smiled and turned to look over his shoulder at Blaise, who leant forward and kissed him deeply, lovingly, passionately.

"No sex for a few days Harry, not with your bottom so injured. Professor Snape's orders."

Harry sighed and nodded unhappily. "I'm going to go change Draco's cologne. No one will want to go near him then."

Blaise chuckled. "He can't even punish you for it Bello. He won't know for definite it was you and this isn't even worth a punishment."

Harry grinned wider and hugged Blaise before scooping up his wand and jogging naked to the bathroom, where Draco's cologne had been placed in the wall cabinet over the sink. He opened it and sniffed deeply. It really was a nice cologne, spices and slightly musky with a hint of sandalwood. He grinned; Draco loved this cologne and put it on every morning. He waved his wand over the bottle and inhaled again. He almost vomited and quickly screwed the lid back on, casting a mild scent disperser on it that would wear off after eighteen hours, enough time for Draco to put it on before it started smelling foul. The wonderful thing about skunk liquid was that it was so terribly difficult to get rid of it, no matter how much Draco scrubbed, he wouldn't get rid of the smell. It was perfect.

"You are too pleased with yourself." Blaise told him as he waltzed back into the bedroom.

"I feel elated!" Harry replied. "I've got my own back on a dick who humiliated me."

Blaise shook his head and went back to reading the book that Harry had given him for Christmas. It was a bitch translating it, but it was everything he had expected and more.

"I'm going to go and visit Dumbledore. I'll be back in time for dinner!"

It spoke volumes on how much their relationship had grown and how comfortable their Dracken's were with each other now that they were settled that Blaise just waved him off with a warning to be careful.

Harry rushed to get himself dressed and happily made his way through the school, not having to go up or down any stairs because the Headmaster's office and Harry's rooms were on the same floor and he chirpily spoke the password (Toffee Tails) to the gargoyle.

He knocked on the door and was told to enter, Dumbledore was rustling through a pile of parchment when Harry entered and closed the door behind him, but when the elderly man looked up he cried out in joy at seeing him.

"Ah! Harry my boy, come in and sit down! Tea?"

"Yes please." Harry smiled, sitting down opposite his Headmaster, gratefully accepting the china cup full of his honey tea.

"What brings you here my boy?"

"Can't I just come and have a chat and a cup of tea?"

"Of course you can, which reminds me."

Dumbledore stood up and swept around his office like a small hurricane, obviously looking for something.

"Now where did I put it? Ah, here we are."

He handed Harry several colourful boxes and a pile of letters.

"Christmas presents I believe, Harry. I hope you don't mind that I intercepted them and kept them here for you, I didn't think it a good idea to interrupt your mate meetings with these given the senders of a few of them, so I kept them here, I had meant to give them to you sooner, but it must have slipped my mind."

Harry chuckled, but grew sombre as he realised what Dumbledore had meant by who had sent them, some of the packages were from the Weasleys.

Harry opened the letters first and smiled at the Christmas cards from Remus, Hagrid, members of the Order of the Phoenix and one from the Weasley family.

He almost cried when he read the hurtful words in the letter Ron had sent him, Hermione hadn't sent him anything, but he hadn't been expecting her to.

"Who has upset you dear boy?"

"Ron being stupid again." Harry replied swiping away the moisture from his eyes angrily. "Calling me names and saying I'm a traitor to Godric Gryffindor for fraternising with the enemy."

"Meaning Misters Zabini and Malfoy."

Harry nodded and put Ron's letter to the back of the pile.

"Well I can certainly say that Godric Gryffindor would have been proud to have you as one of his lions."

Harry smiled and opened his present from Hagrid. It was a bundle of bright and colourful feathers.

"Ah, I see Hagrid has been preening the Hippogriffs again. Hippogriff feathers are very valuable."

"He sent me a box full of unicorn tail hairs last year." Harry grinned. "I don't think Hagrid knows the value of the things he sends me and if he does, then he obviously doesn't care."

"I believe it is the latter dear boy, Hagrid has never been a materialistic person and as long as his pets are healthy and well, he is happy."

"Good old Hagrid."

Dumbledore chuckled and Harry put aside the bundle of feathers to open the next parcel. It contained books from everyone's favourite werewolf teacher. Lupin had given him Defence books and a book entitled Pranking Potions for Morons with a small note that Sirius had seen it in his Snuffles form and had bought it for him last March and had been planning on giving it to him for Christmas.

That made Harry a bit sad but he held the book close and tried fruitlessly to absorb the presence of his Godfather from it, knowing that Sirius must have touched this book, had handled it, had bought it especially for him. He missed Sirius and it was so unfair that he was gone, but he was and he needed to come to grips with it because his slight obsession with the veil in the Department of Mysteries was becoming just a tad unhealthy.

Harry opened the next present which didn't have a label on it and then looked at his Headmaster, who put a finger to his lips.

"I can't be seen as showing you any special treatment Harry, but I'm sure a couple pairs of nice socks can be inconspicuous enough."

Harry laughed and pulled out the 'inconspicuous' socks, one pair which were bright red with little gold snakes slithering over them and the other pair emerald green with silver lions roaring.

"I had those custom made for you my boy; a dear friend of mine owns a sock shop."

Harry didn't know whether to laugh or not at that, what were the chances of this friend only being the Headmaster's friend because of how many Galleons the man spent in the sock shop.

He loved the theme of the socks though, one pair with Gryffindor colours but the little snakes to represent the Slytherin house, because of his mates and the other pair the opposite, with Slytherin colours and lions for his house.

"Thank you so much Sir! I love them."

Dumbledore beamed at him and urged him to open the last of his presents. Harry did cry when he opened the biggest one to find a soft, dark green knitted jumper with a blue H in the middle. A Weasley jumper. He picked up the letter that came with it and read it with shaking hands.

'_Harry dear, _

_I've been told that you are very ill; I do hope you feel better soon, but you make sure that you stay in bed and rest young man! If you must get up wear something on your feet and your new jumper to keep warm, do you hear me? Take in lots of fluids, I've sent you some chicken broth in a thermos flask, it is under a stasis charm so it won't spoil, just send a mild heating charm at it before you drink it and make sure that you do drink it, all of it! It has nutrient potions in it to help you regain your strength quicker. _

_I was very upset that this illness meant that you couldn't come to us for Christmas dear, so I've sent you some homemade mince pies and some treacle tart, I know it's your favourite, and also some sweets and fudge, just don't over do it with the treats, wait until you are better or I will come down to Hogwarts and give you such a telling off!_

_Have a happy Christmas and I hope to hear that you are better soon dear; Arthur and I are so worried about you, _

_All my love, Molly Weasley._

Harry wiped his eyes and looked through the large box of treats. There was a paper plate of fudge wrapped in Clingfilm, a foil package that was obviously a large slice of treacle tart, a tin that contained the minced pies, a box of Bertie Botts every flavour beans, a box of iced cauldron cakes and a huge thermos flask with the aforementioned broth.

"I see Molly is trying to feed you to death, I believe I made the mistake of telling her you were too unwell to visit for Christmas when she fire called me to demand why you had not been on the train."

Harry chuckled wetly and rubbed his eyes. He had been so afraid that Mrs Weasley would hate him because Ron was being a prat; it was amazing to know that she still cared for him, even though he and Ron were fighting.

Harry opened his last present to stop himself from thinking about Mrs Weasley so he wouldn't start bawling his eyes out. It was a prank parcel from the twins, who wished him well because they had heard that he was actually ill and not just overeating their puking pastilles and wished him happy pranking of their 'idiot brother, Ronnikins' and anyone else who decided to pick on 'their little brother' and their financial backer.

Harry grinned and went picking through the box, finding new material and some things that would definitely come in handy for getting back at not only Ron, but Draco as well.

Harry put all of his presents into the one big box, all except his new jumper, which he pulled on over his tee shirt. He didn't have any decent jumpers and the Weasley jumper he had received last year was much too tight around the armpits and about four inches too short in the stomach area after the growth spurt brought on by his Dracken inheritance.

Harry happily finished off his tea and his talk with the Headmaster, before he picked up his box of presents and left to go back to Blaise and Draco, if the blonde wasn't still being chewed out by Professor Snape that was, to get ready to go to dinner, he was more than a bit hungry. He just wished Blaise would go hunting for him; he was sort of craving raw meat.

* * *

Harry met Blaise in the common room, where the indigo eyed man had migrated with his book, only now he had a pad of parchment and a quill and was making notes and difficult translations and it gave Harry a migraine just looking at them.

"Are you ready for dinner Blaise?" Harry asked softly, leaning over the back of the settee to wrap his arms around Blaise's shoulders.

"Just about. This book is giving me a headache."

"Perhaps I shouldn't have given it to you then." Harry teased.

Blaise looked to him with startled eyes. "No matter how many headaches I get, I love this book Harry, thank you for giving it to me. Ti amo."

Harry smiled happily and took Blaise's hand. Tugging him out of their private rooms and towards the Great Hall. He was ravenous and he realised the reason why was because he hadn't eaten anything today.

"Where is Draco?" Harry asked.

"Still with Professor Snape, you can't learn how to be a better dominant Dracken in one day Harry; he'll be staying with Professor Snape until he knows how to treat you properly."

"Good, I don't want to be around him at the moment, even if it means I won't be able to sleep for a few days."

"Professor Snape gave me a sleeping potion for you to take, it isn't as strong or as addictive as the Dreamless Sleep potion, but it should help you get some sleep without Draco being near you."

Harry smiled happily and took Blaise's hand, it was then that he noticed the bruised and skinned knuckles; he pulled the hand up to his eyelevel and gasped at how sore it looked. He pressed a kiss to them and looked to Blaise, silently demanding an explanation.

"I punched Draco. He had no right to treat you like he did."

"Nasta said that Draco could be pulled up before the Elders for what he did."

"Professor Snape said something similar. It is a serious crime to hurt a submissive."

"I don't want him to be punished; I just don't want him to do it again."

"Which is why he is being taught by Professor Snape instead of standing in a counsel room full of Elders."

"I'm going to get my own back though." Harry stated determinedly.

Blaise smirked proudly and pulled Harry into a one armed, sideways hug as they walked into the Great Hall.

"I know you are Mio Prezioso and I am behind you one hundred percent."

Harry smiled and cuddled into Blaise more fully. Hopefully soon, everything would work out for the best. He wanted a family, but only if Draco could learn how to treat him with the respect he deserved, otherwise he would never let the blonde near him, or any chicks he had in the future.

* * *

Thank you to **Sorafiredemon** for being the **2,500th reviewer!**

Happy reading!

StarLight Massacre. X


	13. Realisations

_Last Time_

_Harry smiled and cuddled into Blaise more fully. Hopefully soon, everything would work out for the best. He wanted a family, but only if Draco could learn how to treat him with the respect he deserved, otherwise he would never let the blonde near him, or any chicks he had in the future._

Chapter Thirteen – Realisations

Harry didn't see Draco for the next six days, but he saw an awful lot of Nasta, who was always in the school grounds whenever Harry ventured outside, which was quite a bit.

His bum was perfectly pale and non-bruised again, he could sit on it in comfort and he could have sex with Blaise again, something he had been taking full advantage of.

The students had come back off of the Christmas holidays and lessons were set to resume the next day. Harry was dreading it, not only because it meant school work and lessons and homework, but because it marked Draco's return to civilisation and to their private rooms.

Blaise, who had been 'visiting' the blonde in Professor Snape's quarters, had assured him that Draco had been learning some very heavy lessons with Professor Snape, Harry believed that, but were those lessons enough to make the great Draco Malfoy change his ways? Harry guessed he would find out soon enough.

He hated how skewed his decision had been, Draco had felt so safe, so warm and protective, but he had turned out the opposite. Draco had hurt not only his flesh, but his pride and his trust as well and it would take a lot for the blonde to earn those things back. Harry believed that his hurt pride would take the longest to recover, but he hoped it returned when Draco had been thoroughly pranked.

The skunk liquid in the cologne had been a massive success, in more ways than one. Draco had collected his things whilst Harry and Blaise had been at dinner, as per Snape's request, he had put the cologne on at the start of the day that marked the return to normal school activities, like he always did, and he had gone to breakfast as always, well away from Harry and Blaise, again per Snape's request, and had been mauled again by Daphne's younger sister Astoria. The scent disperser had worn off halfway through breakfast and the little girl, who had gotten a large mouthful of the smell, had been physically sick, all over Malfoy's lap.

Harry had laughed so hard he had almost passed out through a lack of a sufficient oxygen supply. There had been no way that Malfoy didn't know it had been him who had organised and carried out the prank, but as he passed by their part of the table he had just swallowed heavily, nodded his head to the both of them and had simply said that he, Harry, had the right to do anything he wanted as revenge for his previous abominable actions, before he carried on walking to get changed and to possibly have a shower. Draco had stunk for the rest of the day and everyone had given him a very wide berth.

Harry had been quite stunned by what Draco had said, but what really got him were the little gifts that Draco had begun sending him. Blaise had explained to him that Snape had ordered Draco to make it up to him in any way he saw fit and Blaise had told him that because Draco had been brought up an old fashioned Englishman, he was sending wooing gifts to Harry to help make up for his harsh actions.

They weren't big gifts or lavish things, one had been a handwritten apology card, another had been a box of chocolate frogs and Draco had even given him his own, real snitch, not one of those practise ones, which reminded Harry that he actually was the Gryffindor Seeker still.

Quidditch season had started just as he had found Blaise and he just hadn't cared enough about anything other than the indigo eyed man he loved so very much. He had been ignoring his team, but his absence had been explained away as his 'illness' and Ginny, who had taken over temporary team captaincy and his Seeker position, had welcomed him back with open arms, exclaiming that they had a match in two weeks' time against Ravenclaw and that if they didn't win it then they were out of the running for the cup due to their heavy defeat to Slytherin in November.

Harry was all too happy to take up the captaincy and his Seeker position once more and the entire team was very glad to see him back, but he had a hell of a time catching up on the team building exercises, he didn't even know the names of the rest of the team, well he knew two, Ginny, who went back to her original position of Chaser once he took over the Seeker position once more and Dean Thomas, another Chaser, who was ecstatic that Harry was back to being fit enough to play.

Harry was so excited he could hardly contain it, he told Blaise who sighed and looked up at the ceiling with a frown, which made Harry frown.

"Good bye Quidditch cup."

Harry snorted and smacked Blaise's shoulder, who then proceeded to pull him down into a kiss, right in the middle of the Great Hall, in front of everyone.

The rumours had been flying like wildfire throughout Hogwarts about the relationship of Harry Potter and Blaise Zabini. A Gryffindor and a Slytherin. There were even rumours now that Harry's illness had been a sexual disease, which wasn't strictly true as the heat period, whilst being a purely sexual desire, wasn't a disease, more of a condition than anything else.

Blaise verbally attacked anyone who dared say that they had had a sexual disease within earshot of him. Harry just laughed it off; he was too used to people saying shit about him to care. He had grown thick enough skin during his childhood, which had only layered up to protect him even more as he got older and the wizarding world started on him.

It was only a day later that Harry heard that Draco was facing expulsion for physically attacking a seventh year student. He and Blaise had been called out of their lessons to go to Dumbledore's office, where they met Dumbledore, Snape, Draco and a Hufflepuff seventh year student who was badly bruised and cut.

"Draco, what did you do?" Harry demanded as he looked at the Hufflepuff. "You promised you were changed! That the potion was all gone!"

"It is all gone." Draco answered softly. "I did this with full knowledge of what I was doing."

"Why?" Harry cried out. "Why would you try and ruin our mat…relationship by doing this!" Harry gave a quick glance to the Hufflepuff, who didn't seem to have noticed his little slip of words.

"He called you a slut!" Draco hissed. "He was bragging to his little friends about how easy you were and how quickly he could get you into his bed. I _had_ to defend you!"

Harry opened his mouth but a soft continuous growl had him looking next to him, to Blaise, who was glaring so hard at the guy in the chair it was a wonder it hadn't exploded. Blaise's claws were out and he was flexing them carefully, as if he was fantasising about and thinking of the best way to slice into the Hufflepuff in the chair.

Harry flung himself around Blaise, who carefully caught him and held him, but did not take his eyes from the seventh year, nor re-sheath his claws.

"I told you that you had to control yourself!" Snape snarled. "This is not controlling yourself!"

"He was dishonouring Harry!" Draco spat back. "I couldn't let him do it! I had to set him straight."

Harry sighed and blocked out the two dominant Drackens arguing. He didn't care who called him what or said anything about him, yet he understood that both of his mates wouldn't stand for his 'honour' to be tarnished.

Harry just hoped that Draco hadn't defended his honour in such an obvious manner as to tip off the Hufflepuff that the blonde wasn't human. That would be a disaster waiting to happen.

"Boys please!" Dumbledore called out before looking to the poor Hufflepuff opposite him. "Mister Roberts, will you agree to not press charges or will you face the law knowing that Mister Malfoy was within his rights as the lover of the person in question that you allegedly dishonoured."

"I don't understand." The Hufflepuff groaned. "All I did was have a joke with my friends about how easy Potter's become. I mean he's a Gryffindor and rumour has it he has several Slytherin lovers. If he'll let a Slytherin near him then obviously he's desperate enough to have anyone."

"That isn't true!" Harry burst out, the Hufflepuff jumping in his seat at the harsh sound. "I only have Blaise and Draco as my lovers! It's my business why or who I have in my bed! If I wanted a hundred men in my bed I damn well would and I wouldn't give a flying fuck what you or your little bitches thought of me!"

Blaise wrapped his arms around him and soothed him, licking the side of his neck and releasing calming pheromones.

Harry huffed out an annoyed breath, his body relaxing even though he wanted to remain angry. Stupid dominant pheromones.

"I think everyone would just like this situation to disappear." Dumbledore stated, his pale blue eyes twinkling.

The Hufflepuff nodded and Dumbledore dismissed him with a wave of his hand. The seventh year was up and gone, leaving faster as Blaise snarled at him as he went past.

Blaise took up the seat the Hufflepuff had vacated and drew Harry down onto his lap, Harry did not relax. Draco was sitting right behind him and he could hear the blonde's breathing. He hadn't forgotten the pain nor the humiliation and despite the week of pranking; he still didn't feel any better.

"Now Harry, Mister Malfoy has been thoroughly cleansed of the potion he had been taking and Professor Snape has assured me that he no longer poses a risk to you, are you willing to have him back in your rooms or would you wish for a bit more time?"

"He can come back into the rooms, but he can't sleep with me and Blaise. He hasn't earned that right yet." Harry answered. "I had Dobby come around a few days ago and he turned the unused storage cupboard into a bedroom for Draco to sleep in."

"You wish for me to sleep in a cupboard?" Draco asked incredulously.

Harry swallowed as that sentence brought up images of his tattered childhood. He had examined the new room Dobby had made himself and it in no way resembled a cupboard, having been enlarged to fit a proper bed and even a wardrobe and side tables, it was more the knowledge that the room had once been a cupboard that would rub Draco up the wrong way rather than a lack of comfort.

Not like Harry had once suffered with lying on a small camping cot with a ratty blanket and no pillow, stuffed into a space that in the end had hardly contained him and he was sure that had he not had magic to help protect his body, he would have gotten asthma from all the dust and cobwebs he had been forced to live with from such a young age.

"It's a bedroom now." Harry dismissed. "You can join Blaise and me in our bed once you have proven to me that you can refrain from hurting me. I don't trust you Draco. I chose you as a mate out of hundreds and the first thing you did was hurt me, it doesn't make for a very good first impression."

"How many times do I have to say I'm sorry?"

"You only need to say it once Draco, but only say it if you really mean it."

"Harry, I _am_ sorry, I swear it to you."

"I accept your apology Draco, now you have to prove to me that I shouldn't give up on you, that the relationship between you and I is worth the time and effort it needs to grow."

Draco nodded and sat up straighter, determination stiffening his body. He was ready to grow up and prove that he deserved a second chance, that he was worthy of Harry's love.

"Be warned Draco that I give second chances, but you'll never get a third." Harry told the blonde seriously as he slipped from Blaise's lap and left the office to go wander around the frozen school grounds.

* * *

January had settled in and it was turning out to be a blisteringly cold month, not that Harry much cared as he wrapped himself up tightly and encased himself in warming charms.

He went down to his place by the lake and hopped onto the large rock that he favoured sitting on. The lake had long since been frozen and it was even now covered in a few inches of snow. The teachers had marked its outline with bright yellow tape so no student accidentally started walking on the lake, only to get to the thinner middle and fall to their icy death.

Harry sighed as large arms wrapped around him from behind. How Nasta always knew Harry was out here he didn't know and he didn't think Nasta would answer if he asked.

Something picked at his brain however and he shifted uncomfortably. Nasta didn't breathe as loudly as the male behind him was, nor did he squeeze him quite so tightly, when the man gruffly said hello to him, Harry knew it definitely wasn't Nasta behind him, but he did recognise the voice and he grinned as he turned his body around to see those gorgeous deep blue eyes that he had missed so much.

"Maxi…" Harry cut himself off short when the absolutely huge Dracken gave him a playful glare for trying to use his full name. "Fine, I'll just call you Maxie from now on."

"My Granddad calls me Maxie." Maximilius grumbled.

"Well now I do too!" Harry said stubbornly as he threw his arms around Maximilius' neck and hugged him tightly. "I missed you! How are you? How have you been? How could you possibly think I'd send you away? I wouldn't have! I…"

A large hand covered his mouth and prevented the smaller Dracken from speaking.

"Take a breath Harry." Max grinned. "I knew exactly what the Elder was doing, it isn't the first time an Elder has abused his power and it won't be the last. I had no choice but to leave, an Elder's word is absolute. They have the power to control dominant Drackens to a certain extent during mate meetings. I was ordered away, so I had to leave, I was ordered not to see, speak or contact you in any way and I had to comply. I loathed myself for letting it happen, but there was nothing I could do."

Harry snuggled in close to Maximilius and relished in the feeling of the man he really liked being back here. Maximilius had come back. He could have just refused like some of the other Drackens that had been sent away had, claiming it was just too much trouble to try and court him. He could have stayed home, but he hadn't, he had come back on the slim chance that Harry would pick him as a third mate. Harry liked him just a little bit more for that.

"As for how I've been, well truthfully I haven't really been doing much since I was forced to leave. Wallowing would probably be the best way to describe it. I just sat at home all day, didn't talk very much and cursed myself for such a missed opportunity to have an absolutely amazing, kind, gentle and gorgeous little Dracken as a mate."

Harry chuckled, trying to ignore the blush on his cheeks as he twisted his legs out from underneath him and placed them on either side of Max's hips, which were about level with the top of the large rock. Hell was Maximilius tall.

Harry shyly played with the decorative buttons of Max's outer robe, finding the shiny black buttons with a swirl of red captivating as his twisted them around in his little fingers.

"How have you been Harry?" Max asked his voice noticeably deeper.

"I've been through hell and back and then went back to hell." Harry sighed, getting ready for the outburst when he told the other Dracken the reason why he had been sent away and what Elder Getus and his despicable Grandson had had planned for him and his chicks.

Nasta had gone ballistic and had toppled a tree in his rage. Harry looked to the stump that was all that remained of Nasta's fury after the Professors had cleaned up and sighed again. Nasta had kept hitting the tree well after it had splintered and only stopped once the tree had cracked under his onslaught and had finally fallen.

It wasn't something Harry liked seeing, such a huge display of violence and rage, but he understood that as a very reserved and quiet man, that Nasta sometimes needed a more physical release for his anger. Harry grinned as he remembered suggesting to Nasta that if he partook in more sexual activities he wouldn't need to release his anger and frustration in such a violent way. Nasta had gone red and coughed a bit before apologising for his actions and sitting down behind Harry to play with his hair. Harry loved how Nasta played silently with his hair; it was so relaxing that he often fell asleep under the ministrations.

"Are you still in hell?" Max asked him seriously.

"I think I'm climbing the limbo ladder one rung at a time."

Max chuckled at his comparison and held him so tight the air was expelled from Harry's lungs.

"What's been happening since I've been away?"

Harry told the whole gruesome story and watched as with every word Max's muscles contracted until the veins popped out, his teeth clenched together until Harry was sure they would crack and those beautiful, deep sapphire blue eyes darkened in rage to a midnight blue.

Max managed to control himself until Harry had finished speaking about what Dominic had wanted to do with him and went onto what Draco, his supposedly brand new mate, had done to him the very first morning after they had mated.

After hearing how Draco had treated him, Max lost control, just like Nasta had, and he exploded in rage, only instead of taking out his anger with his fists, he screamed long and loud, deep and guttural like an animal. The harsh sound echoed for miles and reverberated through Harry's spine, giving him bone deep chills. He would not like to ever be on Max's bad side.

Harry frowned sadly and waited until Max had finished screaming himself breathless. Max held him so tightly Harry thought his bones would break as Max sniffed and touched every inch of him to determine if he had any injuries. Nasta had done it as well so Harry believed it to be a dominant instinct.

"That they even dare!" Max hissed deeply.

"It isn't that bad Maxie." Harry assured with a smile. "Draco was beaten by Blaise and Professor Snape and Blaise and Draco killed Dominic, I think they ripped his scales off of his wings and after gifting some to Professor Snape, they sold the rest to an apothecary, though I don't know why."

"Because that's what the little shit would have seen done to your chicks."

"What?" Harry whispered in horror, his breath leaving him, his body going icy cold that had nothing to do with the harsh January wind pinking his exposed skin.

"When those disgusting hoarders find a Dracken they strap them down and hack off every single wing scale, they'd steal our body scales as well if they weren't completely smooth and flat so no tool can gouge them out. They drain the blood into buckets and cut out the heart, liver, tongue, sex organs and eyes. All are very valuable and are used in all sorts of rare and obscure potions, rituals; the scales can even be used in jewellery."

"He wanted to do that to my babies?" Harry asked, feeling as though someone had hold of his heart and they were squeezing tighter and not letting go. He couldn't breathe.

"He would have scented them out at birth and handed the Dracken babies over to the smugglers, who would have kept the baby in a cage or a small prison cell, keeping the baby alive, but barely, then when the Dracken comes into their inheritance, they start the harvesting process."

Harry felt his stomach bubble and before he could stop himself he had leant over the side of the rock and vomited everything he had eaten.

Max rubbed his back firmly, but his body was shaking in anger and horror, disgusted that anyone could even think to hand their own child off to one of _those_ people. If they could even be called people. His mind slipped to his Mother and a white hot wash of rage seared his insides, that little shit had died too quickly.

"Oh god, no one told me. I just thought my baby would have been killed instantly, that was excruciating enough. I thought everyone hated Drackens and would kill one on sight. This…that's too much to bear! I can't…I can't think about it! My babies! Tortured, suffering, harvested for potions ingredients."

Harry was sick again as tears fell down his cheeks. He held tightly onto Maximilius and let the large man sooth him.

Max nosed around Harry's cheek and licked at the tears that fell from those stunning eyes. He kissed each closed eyelid as Harry sobbed and cried. It tugged at his heart to see Harry so upset, he felt he had to do something to help, he had caused Harry these tears by telling him what would happen to his babies, this was his problem to rectify.

He moved his nose down Harry's cheek until his mouth hovered over Harry's. He lightly pressed against those petal soft, plump lips and held Harry tightly, hoping to convey safety and love.

Harry gasped in surprise and Max flicked his tongue into Harry's mouth, ignoring the slight sour taste that Harry's vomiting had left. Harry clenched his hands into his hair and tugged lightly, wrapping his legs around Max's thick waist.

Max kissed more deeply when Harry didn't push him away, running his tongue over every inch of that delectable mouth. Under the sour taste of bile was a sweeter taste, chocolate and fudge, Harry had been eating chocolate and a hell of a lot of it by the taste of it.

They broke apart for air, Harry heaving in lungfuls and Max breathing deeply and evenly trying to calm his racing heart. He inhaled deeply, his eyes widening before he inhaled again. He pulled Harry to him and kissed him for all he was worth.

Harry made a small noise when he needed air again and Max broke their lips apart so they could both breathe.

"You're releasing mating pheromones." He panted breathlessly. "You are looking for a mate."

"But I haven't had my second heat with Draco." Harry protested thickly.

"Harry you don't understand, your Dracken is rejecting Draco because of his treatment of you, your Dracken is sending out pheromones to attract a different mate."

Harry's eyes went wide and his stomach clenched awfully. His Dracken was rejecting Draco? But he had chosen to give the blonde a second chance! It had been the potion's fault that Draco's instincts were so messed up, not Draco's! He didn't want to reject Draco!

Max kissed him again and this time Harry struggled. Max let him go immediately, but still held him around the waist.

"I have to get to Draco; I have to make this right Max! I know what he did to me was wrong, but it wasn't his fault! He was under the effects of that suppressant potion; I don't want to lose him! Not when he still has a chance to prove to me that he can be a good mate!"

Harry shimmied off of the rock and landed with slightly bended knees ready to run off to the school to find his two mates. Max caught his arm and pulled him into one last kiss, before giving him a smile and a light shove towards the school, before he turned and trekked off towards the hell hotel.

Harry watched him go before he snapped out of his thoughts and took off running. Draco had risked everything just to be his mate, his family, his reputation, his legacy…everything! Harry couldn't repay that by rejecting the blonde now, he would not let his stupid Dracken dictate that to him! His Dracken side would not ruin everything for them! He would not allow that part of himself to reject Draco when he still wanted the blonde; he didn't care what his Dracken thought Draco was _HIS_!

* * *

A/N: Have a nose at the descriptions of the Drackens that are either in the story or that are suitors of Harry's. Feel free to ask questions, but just so you know these descriptions are very basic guidelines only and some of them you have never even heard of before and some might not even appear in the story at all.

Arsenio Demetrius 

42 years old with cropped black hair that is thinning and greying at the temples. He is Greek and lives in his homeland of Athens in Greece. He has charcoal eyes and black wings with slate grey scales. He has a few scars on his face, the most prominent of which is a claw scar running the length of his left cheek which he got from insulting a submissive when he was 22.

Arsenio is kind and gentle with Harry despite his harsh appearance and demeanour and holds Harry's hand like it is made of spun glass. He is courteous and polite, respecting not only Harry's wishes but Blaise's as well.

Arsenio is 6 foot 3 inches tall with a slender frame. He enjoys politics and debating and has a Ministry job back in his home of Greece.

Maximilius Diadesen Maddox? (Maddison)

31 years old but has a self-admitted mental age of 12. He is 6 foot 8 inches tall and has thick brown hair and gorgeous, deep blue, sapphire coloured eyes. He has bright blue, 28 foot wings with cobalt blue and coal black scales.

He enjoys cooking and eating as well as reading in front of fires. He dislikes the cold and becomes reclusive in the winter months. He is a Potions Master having gotten his mastery at 26, one of the youngest to ever do so. He currently works for a potions company that makes and sells potions to stock hospitals chemists and small clinics all over Britain.

Max's laugh is deep and alluring, it sexually arouses Harry who is at the right height to lick Max's nipples.

Max is very muscled and very fit. Harry can only just about wrap his legs around his waist.

Nasta Tabrien Delericey 

36 years old, nearly 37 his birthday being on the 3rd of February. He is 6 foot 6 inches tall with jet black, 26 foot wings and yellowish-gold scales. He always has a small growth of stubble on his face. He has pitch black hair that is ear length and floppy. He has soft hazel eyes that have a goldish-green tint to them; in different light settings they can appear fully green or fully gold.

He isn't as obviously muscled as most of the other Dracken's whom Harry compares to bodybuilders; the muscles Nasta has are solid and compacted from manual labour and Harry notes that they strain his clothing every time he moves 'like they want to break free of their confines.'

Nasta is a nice man, but misunderstood at times due to the fact that he doesn't speak much. He was born and raised in West Wales and works as a Dragon handler on the Welsh Dragon Reserve.

Nasta can write, read and speak fluently in several different languages and can convey what he means with just a look. He smells like musk and fire and his presence soothes Harry to the point where he can relax so much he falls asleep.

Nasta is not a jealous or possessive lover and would punish his mate by laying his teeth against the submissive's inner wrist and biting down just enough to hurt. He finds the idea of Harry standing up for himself sexy and is a very confident man.

Nasta finds the idea of a dominant abusing a submissive repulsive and becomes very angry if it is mentioned near him.

Nasta drinks pure fruit juices, his Father having not allowed him to drink any coffee or carbonated drinks as a child or teenager.

Henley Jackson 

Sixteen years old, birthday on the 17th of December. He is 5 foot 10 inches tall with a slender, only slightly muscled, willowy, gangly body that has the typical still growing teenage awkwardness and he has wavy copper brown hair which keeps flopping into his left eye causing him to constantly swipe it away and milk chocolate coloured eyes. He has a pretty, boyish mouth, rounded cheeks and a cheeky, toothy smile. His wings are 19 feet in length and are beige coloured with lemon yellow and light brown scales the colour of Demerara sugar.

He is quite naïve due to his age and reminds Harry of a crack addicted puppy. Henley loves Quidditch and swimming. He talks a lot and needs a bit more confidence.

He has an older sister who is also a Dracken, who is mated and a very over protective Mother and a Father who is pushing him to be mated.

Elder Trintus 

67 years old with short silvery grey hair. He is 6 foot exactly and gives the impression of a once fit and strong man grown frail with age. His eyes are a deep brown and are very kind.

Trintus is now an Elder of the Dracken counsel and has earned the title of submissive chaperone. He has a female submissive whom he married several years after their mateship; they have had eight clutches of chicks and have twenty-seven children. None of them were Drackens.

Elder Getus

63 years old with longish, slicked back iron grey hair turned black in places with oil. He has brown eyes that have the appearance of ice. He is mated to a female submissive and has never seen the need to marry her. They had twelve clutches of chicks and have thirty-nine children, none of them were Drackens.

He has twelve grandchildren and only one of them was a Dracken, Dominic. Elder Getus is a determined and stern man who stops at nothing to get what he wants. This determination comes across as obsession.

Jensen Cian Kyron 

33 years old with dark blonde almost brown hair and brown eyes. He has 25 foot, forest green wings and ocean blue and mint green scales. He is very adventurous and enjoys all outdoor activities, though he admits that rock climbing is by far is favourite.

Jensen is 6 foot 1 inches tall and is athletically built. He has gained muscles from the many different sports he partakes in. Jensen is energetic and strongly motivated to keep himself in shape which he has confessed to stemming from a childhood fear of becoming overweight.

He is nearly obsessed with his health and watches everything he eats; he proudly boasts that he has never had a tooth cavity and states that his family has not had any degenerative inherited diseases in four decades.

Elijah 'Eli' Waterstone

28 years old. Birthday is March 10th. Eli has dark red hair and light blue eyes he is a fierce and loyal man who would stop at nothing to protect those he loves and believes that family is the most important thing in the world. He is just shy of 6 foot and his wings are 24 and a half foot long. They are a deep garnet colour with Heliotrope and cerise coloured scales.

Eli works very hard in the bookshop that his Mother owns and spends every spare minute with his family. He often babysits his Nieces and Nephews for his two sisters and his brother, none of which are Drackens.

Declan Yates

26 years old. Light brown hair and grey eyes. He has 22 foot wings that are cornflower blue. He has pearl white and dove grey scales.

Declan is a lawyer as well as owning his own law firm. He is very devoted to his job and it is because of this that submissives do not pick him as a mate.

He isn't interested is sports or physical games, preferring his job over everything else. He often eats out after confessing that he does not know how to cook past making himself a sandwich.

Declan spends his evenings doing paperwork and if he has time before he falls asleep he will read an interesting murder mystery book.

Bartholomew Nasri

50 years old. Very pale blonde hair that is nearly completely grey and black eyes. Amber coloured 23 foot wings and champagne coloured scales.

Bartholomew has been married twice, but has no children from his marriages. Both of his ex-wives (Humans) left him because he could not stop himself from reacting to the call of a submissive and forcing him to attend submissive meetings.

He believes himself to be too old to find a mate and laments that he may never settle down and have a family due to his inability to find a human mate who will put up with him constantly rushing all over the world to find a submissive.

**Arquenniel**: No. Severus' Mate's death is the same as in canon and didn't need a grounding mate. Severus and his mate were almost evenly matched with Severus being just that tad more powerful.

It is impossible to delay the Dracken inheritance, it would be like trying to delay puberty, they just have to get on with it, but bear in mind that most submissives _know_ that they are submissive Drackens because their parents have told them and they've grown up knowing that they'll be getting a near enough life mate at sixteen and could very well have a baby at seventeen. They've been groomed all of their lifes for it so to speak. There is no way for a submissive not to get pregnant once they have all of their mates around them and have gone through the heat period, so if they don't feel ready for a baby then it's tough they just have to get on with it, but just because they're pregnant doesn't mean they'll always get a baby, Dracken miscarriage is incredibly high because of the weak placenta, but no Dracken would ever cause themselves a deliberate miscarriage, remember what happened to Harry in chapter twenty-six? Their Drackens would tear them apart for allowing a miscarriage even if it wasn't their fault. Even the Dracken abortion potion has to be given by a family member or mate because a submissive would never take it willingly.

StarLight Massacre. X


	14. To Forget and Let Die or Not

_Last Time_

_Harry shimmied off of the rock and landed with slightly bended knees ready to run off to the school to find his two mates. Max caught his arm and pulled him into one last kiss, before giving him a smile and a light shove towards the school, before he turned and trekked off towards the hell hotel._

_Harry watched him go before he snapped out of his thoughts and took off running. Draco had risked everything just to be his mate, his family, his reputation, his legacy…everything! Harry couldn't repay that by rejecting the blonde now, he would not let his stupid Dracken dictate that to him! His Dracken side would not ruin everything for them! He would not allow that part of himself to reject Draco when he still wanted the blonde; he didn't care what his Dracken thought Draco was HIS!_

Chapter Fourteen – To Forgive and Let Die or Not

Harry ran until his lungs burnt with the lack of oxygen and even then he didn't stop he just slowed down. He burst into his and his mates' room and startled Blaise into overprotective mate mode.

Before Harry could even get his breath back he was wrapped up in black wings and had solid arms around him holding him close as Blaise dragged him across their living room until they reached the bedroom.

Blaise slammed the door closed and physically pushed a chest of draws in front of it as if it would stop anything that came through the door. Blaise always, _always_, forgot he was a wizard when he fully let his Dracken out, it was cute, but from a safety angle it was a very bad thing. It meant that instead of putting up wards to protect his family, Blaise would remain primal, instinctual, purely physical and against a wizard, sometimes being physical just wasn't enough.

"Blaise!" Harry shouted, pushing at his mate's chest to try and get him to release him.

"Must protect you." Blaise growled giving a final shove to the chest of draws with his back and turning around to keep his own back to the door, hunching over Harry.

"Nothing is coming through the door!" Harry insisted. "I was running because I need to ask you something!"

"You smell like an unmated dominant Dracken."

"I was with Max, you remember Maximilius don't you? The one that was sent away?"

"Why? Why were you with another man?"

"Oh god Blaise! You know I love you, I love you dearly."

"You don't go near other men!" Blaise snarled wrapping that large hand around the back of Harry's neck and squeezing.

Harry hated when Blaise went into overprotective mate mode. It made everything more tortuous and it was incredibly difficult to argue sense into a creature that was being purely primitive and acting on instinct.

"Alright Blaise, I won't go near any other men, forget that I need to be near Draco, forget that we are in a school that has about two hundred and fifty male students and that the majority of the staff here are males oh and of course that I may need even more mates, or that I might have male chicks. Yeah, I won't go near any other male." Harry stated sarcastically, getting his neck squeezed tighter as reprimand.

"Stop that!" Harry hissed, wiggling his neck about to try and dislodge Blaise's hand.

"You are _MINE_!" Blaise snarled. "You stay with _ME_! No one else is allowed to touch you!"

"How is that going to work?" Harry hissed angrily, his Dracken coming to the forefront of his mind. "I need another mate to fuck me to get pregnant because you aren't even strong enough to give me chicks!"

Immediately after Harry said those words, he wished with his life that he could take them back as Blaise's face fell into a crestfallen expression, both of their Dracken's receding, leaving their human minds at the forefront. He felt like such a bastard at that moment and he wrapped his arms tightly around Blaise.

"I'm sorry." He whispered. "I was so angry, I couldn't stop the words from coming out."

"It's okay Harry." Blaise stated back, his voice falsely strong, but Harry could hear the slight waver underneath. "I know your Dracken is still angry at me for not getting you pregnant, that won't change until you are actually pregnant."

Blaise pushed at Harry's shoulders and gently sat him on the bed whilst he stood a few paces away.

"Blaise please." Harry begged as he scooted over and wrapped his arms around Blaise's waist.

Harry desperately tried to hold his tears back, but one after the other they fell from his eyes. His Dracken was already rejecting Draco; he couldn't lose Blaise as well. His entire world was crashing and burning right in front of him and it was all his fault. Such a freak, couldn't even keep hold of the men he loved. Always a freak, freaks always died alone.

"Oh Mio Prezioso, don't cry. I hate seeing you cry." Blaise crooned, gently combing his fingers through his hair and brushing the tears from his face with his other hand. "I know you need other mates, I was just being a little jealous and possessive. I'm the one who's sorry amore."

Harry pushed his head into the front of Blaise's robes and cried even harder, words came tumbling from his mouth before he could stop them, he wasn't even thinking as he came dangerously close to revealing his most guarded secret.

"I'm sorry! Please Blaise! I'm so sorry. I promise not to be bad anymore! I promise to stop being a little freak, please don't leave."

"Dio Harry. No, I'm not leaving. I'm not going anywhere; I won't leave you Mio Bello. Please stop crying, please don't call yourself names, I love you Harry, I'm not mad at you."

Blaise sat on their bed and held Harry tightly. Harry breaking down like this scared him. He didn't know what to do, Harry was so precious to him, to see him like this caused him great pain.

"I can't lose you too." Harry whispered into his robe and Blaise shushed him gently.

"You won't lose me Harry. I'm not going anywhere."

"I'm already losing Draco, I can't lose you!" Harry continued and Blaise's head shot down to look at Harry's screwed up face. What the hell had Draco done?

"Harry, Mio amore, what has Draco done now?"

"My Dracken is rejecting him!" Harry cried out, looking up at him with such heartbreak that Blaise's words froze in his chest. "Max said that I'm releasing mating pheromones, I'm looking for another mate to replace Draco with! I don't want another mate! I'm sure Draco is better now that the potion is gone Blaise, I don't want to reject him."

"We must go and see Severus, now." Blaise stated as he stood up, placing Harry on his feet and wrapping an arm around him.

Blaise used his magic to move the chest of draws out of the way of the door and led Harry down to the dungeons before he knocked on Snape's door, he could smell Draco inside the room as well, which would kill two owls with one spell, he wouldn't have to repeat any of this to the blonde at a later date.

Snape opened the door with his usual scowl, but ushered him in once he saw who was on his threshold.

"What's the matter now?" He growled to them after he had indicated for them to sit on the settee.

"Harry's upset because another Dracken told him he is releasing mating pheromones. The other Dracken told him that Harry is subconsciously rejecting Draco as a mate and is looking for a new one."

Draco's face cracked in shock and misery. He could hardly blame Harry for rejecting him after his actions, but he had sincerely hoped that Harry would find it within him to forgive him, even though he didn't truly deserve it.

Snape looked at the submissive Dracken and inhaled deeply, noticing the very slight change in scent. He knew both Draco and Blaise would be unable to detect the change, they were already mated to the boy and would be unaffected by the pheromones he was releasing to attract a new mate to him.

"The other Dracken was correct, Harry is releasing pheromones to attract another dominant mate to him, however the pheromone is not very strong, only those within a small distance of him would be able to smell it. This is good news because Potter will not yet be hounded by every dominant in the vicinity and also because there is still time to rectify this."

"How?" Harry asked desperately. "How can I fix this?"

"You need to spend more time with Draco." Snape said, trying to keep the sneer from his face as he looked to the son of his once best friend and his once enemy. "You need to accept him and it wouldn't hurt to be intimate together."

"I don't want to force Harry to do anything with me that he doesn't want to." Draco cut in immediately.

"I know what you did to me was wrong and if you ever hit me like that again Draco, I'll beat you myself, but I never wanted to lose you as a mate. I'll do anything to fix this."

Snape hid a smirk from the three young boys in front of him. Perhaps having Potter as a submissive mate wouldn't be the end of their lives after all.

He watched with a bleeding heart as Potter crawled from Blaise to embrace Draco, kissing the blonde quickly and chastely on the mouth before snuggling into him.

"You still have to sleep in the cupboard room though." Harry told Draco seriously. "You can't come back into our bed just yet."

"I don't mind waiting for as long as you wish, as long as I can hold you like this." Draco answered his arms wrapped tightly around the smaller boy in his lap.

Perhaps Draco had learnt his lesson after all, Snape thought consideringly as he watched his Godson cuddle like a lovesick fool. He remembered when that was him and his mate. How young he had acted, how foolish they both were. He gave a small smirk remembering how his mate used to whine for his attention like a puppy and how he always used to give it to the little brat, no matter what he was doing or how important it was, he dropped everything just to spend time with his beautiful mate and now he was gone. He could feel it in his heart that his mate was no longer a part of this world, but he would not stop until he found out why and who was responsible.

He glanced quickly at the framed photograph on his mantelpiece, risking a quick smile at the picture of his younger self and the beautiful young man that sat on his lap. He wouldn't rest in peace until he found out what had happened to his beautiful submissive mate.

* * *

It had been two days and Harry went down to Snape's private quarters more times in those forty-eight hours than he had ever done before, whether willingly or, in the case of detentions, unwillingly.

Every time he asked the same question. 'Am I still producing the pheromones?' and he knew Snape's limited patience was being stretched to the extreme by the way he growled out the short, clipped 'yes' before slamming the door in his face.

Harry had spent every single free minute with Draco, talking, doing homework and even though they still argued and fought a bit, Harry thought that their relationship had started to strengthen, but he was still calling for another mate and Snape had told him the smell was getting stronger.

What made everything more difficult and made Harry panic was that he had started craving fruits and vegetables. He was in the first phase of his heat cycle and his Dracken still wasn't recognising Draco as a mate.

Draco had complained and bitched about the cupboard room, as Harry had known he would, but the blonde still slept in there every night. Harry was so conflicted. He wanted to punish Draco for what he had said and done to him, but he didn't want to lose the blonde as a mate, he was unsure what he could do that wouldn't be seen by his Dracken as him rejecting Draco further.

Harry had talked it over with Blaise and they had agreed that if Draco could behave himself, he could move into their bedroom and their bed at the end of the week, but only if he was on his best behaviour.

Nothing could have stopped the both of them from partaking in their more carnal instincts and desires, Harry just prayed that his Dracken didn't see him having sex with just Blaise, whilst Draco was well within earshot, as him rejecting Draco further.

He knew it must have been torture for Draco to listen as he and Blaise had sex right in the next room, but it couldn't be helped. He wasn't ready to have sex with Draco yet, or god forbid, both Draco and Blaise at the same time, not yet, but he knew he had to get used to the idea of the both of them being together in bed with him before he went into his next period of heat. That is if he could reverse the whole rejection thing before then.

He sighed as he soared over the bleachers on his Firebolt. He was practising with the Gryffindor team, it just his luck that Ron, who was the Keeper, had not grown-up over the Christmas holidays. The red head kept yelling out that Harry shouldn't be allowed on the team because he would purposefully hand the cup to the Slytherins.

Harry had finally had enough, his emotions were already highly strung and his anger was slowly climbing higher due to the situation he found himself in with Draco. He had yelled back that he was the Gryffindor Captain and that if Ron didn't shut his mouth and stop at least one Quaffle from going through his hoops then he was going to replace him and that they didn't need him on the team to sabotage the games to hand the Slytherins the cup because they were doing a bang up job all by themselves.

Ron had not liked that at all and his face turned so red it matched his Quidditch robes. Needless to say he hadn't been able to stop a single Quaffle from going through the goal hoops. Harry had pulled Ginny aside after the match and had asked her what was going on and why she had allowed Ron onto the team; he prayed to god that it wasn't purely because he was her brother.

"He was so much better at the try-outs Harry, I swear, he didn't miss a single Quaffle and his competitors were so much worse, all except for McLaggen, but he missed one and Ron didn't, it seemed clear cut to me."

Harry sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "We won't be able to win anything Gin if we haven't got a decent Keeper. He hasn't saved a single shot all practise; you said he was the same in the match against Slytherin?"

"No, he was worse. It was painful to watch that match Harry, he's my brother, but it was my first game ever being Captain, my face was filled with so much blood from flushing I could hardly concentrate. It had been my decision to put Ron in the team and he showed all of us up, the entire school is laughing at us, not only the Slytherins. Ravenclaw think this next match is going to be a dawdle, they don't know your fit enough to play and we should keep it that way so they underestimate us."

"To be honest Ginny it probably is going to be a cake walk if Ron can't even catch a Quaffle. We need to hold try outs again, what do you think?"

"You're the Captain Harry."

"You're my sort of Deputy Captain, you will take over the team next year as I'll probably be unable to play due to N.E., your opinion matters Gin, should we hold try-outs or do we let ourselves be crushed by Ravenclaw and lose the cup for the first time in two years."

Ginny sighed and scrubbed her freckled forehead. "We need to hold try-outs Harry, but we only have a little over a week to integrate the new Keeper before a match, can we catch them up in time?"

"It's the Keepers job to stop the Quaffle going into the hoop, even I can understand that Gin. No fancy shit, just stop the Quaffle and stay focused."

"Maybe you should take over the Keeper position then?" She said slyly.

Harry snorted. "You kidding me Gin? I can't keep still for an entire match; I have to be zooming through the air! I need dangerous manoeuvres and near Bludger misses."

"You need to try and break your neck every match." Ginny grinned.

"That too." Harry stated with a grin of his own. "Blaise is going to have a heart attack."

"Ooo, speaking of your new little love interest, I've been meaning to ask you, is he good in bed? There are rumours that he's got a ten inch cock, is it true? Come on spill!"

"Ginny!" Harry choked out, his face going redder than red.

"Ooo it is true isn't it? Damn Harry did you luck out. Does he let you ride him or is he the 'I'm on top and I'm staying on top' type, I don't like those kinds of men, I like using my legs to sink onto a nice cock."

"Fuck Ginny stop it!" Harry cried in despair as he covered his ears and screwed his eyes shut.

Ginny chuckled and patted Harry's hair like he was a puppy. "There there, the images will go away soon."

"You're fifteen! You're not legal to have sex."

Ginny actually looked at him like he had lost his mind before she burst out laughing.

"You are so innocent Harry it's endearing. So do you and the gorgeous Mister Zabini do role playing? Have you ever played innocent virgin and predatory pervert? Or is disciplinarian teacher and naughty school boy more your thing? How about doctors and patients? You could have him give you a prostate exam with his cock."

"Stop Ginny! Please I beg of you, just stop talking!"

Ginny chuckled again before kissing his cheek lightly. "I can give you some of my toys if you want them."

"What are you talking about now? What toys?"

"You and Blaise don't play with toys? I know what to get you for a late Christmas present slash Easter present. I wonder if Luna will help me."

"I…what, Luna? I…no! Stop talking about mine and Blaise's sex life!"

"Okay." Ginny relented with a smile. "Can I talk about yours and Malfoy's sex life? Is _he_ good in bed?"

"Draco and I haven't had sex so I don't know."

"Harry! You have been with him now for how long and you haven't had sex with that gorgeous man yet? Shame on you!"

"I… he's being punished!" Harry flustered out.

"Ooo, what for?"

"He spanked me Ginny!"

Ginny's grin ate up most of her face as she looked to him as if he had actually impressed her.

"Spanking really? Harry you naughty boy, never took you for the sort to like corporal punishment during sex."

"No!" Harry exclaimed, trying to gain back control of the situation. "He hit me too hard Ginny. I couldn't sit down for three days and that was with bruise salve!"

"I remember when I had that gorgeous Ravenclaw, you know the one, the tall one with those big hands, I just had to have him spank me with those. I refused the bruise salve and couldn't sit right for a week!" Ginny sighed and got a glossy look on her face.

"You liked it?" Harry asked in an incredulous, slightly curious tone.

"Oh Harry, Harry, Harry. Spanking is one of the most erotic things during sex."

"But it wasn't during sex Ginny." Harry confided softly. "He did it to punish me for cutting my hair; it's why I've been pranking him."

"You cut your hair?" Ginny asked looking him over with a critical eye. "I didn't notice. Well spanking for punishment is alright in moderation I guess, just thrust and rub against his legs next time and get yourself hard, turn it into something sexual and then you barely notice the small stinging slaps."

Harry scrunched up his face in thought before he nodded. "Alright I'll try it."

"Don't forget to tell me all about it!" Ginny stated lecherously.

Harry blushed and lightly shoved Ginny's shoulder. "How did we get to this from Quidditch try-outs?" He demanded.

"We're just sexual creatures." Ginny sighed as if put upon. "We need nice, large strong men to fuck us unconscious."

"Ginny!" Harry cried.

"Oh come on Harry, I'm not an innocent little girl anymore. Charlie ruined that when he brought his girlfriend home and fucked her without using silencing charms this summer, Mum almost beat him to death with a wooden spoon."

Harry chuckled and swung an arm around Ginny's shoulders, they were almost the same height, Ginny being five foot four and a half and him being five foot five. Just half an inch between them, at sixteen Harry should have reached at least five foot eight by now and by seventeen he should have been at least six foot if he were following his parents genes, because Remus and Sirius had told him that neither of his parents had been short, but now he would forever remain at five foot five thanks to his Dracken inheritance.

He sighed, perhaps Ginny was right and he needed to have Draco spank him again to get over his fear of it, to prove that Draco really had changed and to practise turning it into something sexual so he could escape the pain. It wasn't a true punishment so Blaise would be able to intervene if Draco got too heavy handed. The question now was, did he want to do this tonight or put it off until he gained more confidence. Would he gain confidence the longer he waited or would waiting make him lose his nerve? Damn it he was coming towards a huge hurdle and he wasn't sure if he could leap over it or not.

* * *

Harry was snuggled up with Blaise on the settee. He hadn't told the brunet about his plan to ask Draco to spank him again; he wasn't sure how he would react.

Draco walked into the room and sat down opposite them, he still wasn't confident enough to sit near the both of them, he was afraid that every small move would get him kicked out of their rooms permanently. It wasn't anyway to live.

After sitting in a tense silence for ten minutes with no one saying a damn word and the air getting thicker with tension, Harry snapped.

"Right, I can't put up with this any longer!" He burst out suddenly.

Draco looked alarmed, more than likely thinking he had done something wrong and was going to be rejected for it.

"We can't live like this!" Harry told them, standing between them and looking from one to the other. "I want this sorted out _NOW_!"

"What do you suggest Harry?" Blaise asked.

"I need to get over my fear of Draco unexpectedly touching me, you need to prove that you can touch me without hurting me Draco and we all need to forget that this happened!"

"How?" Draco asked.

"You need to spank me again." Harry rushed out with a burning face. "You have to control yourself enough not to hurt me, to not go overboard."

"You…you _want_ me to spank you?" Draco asked as if he hadn't quite heard right. "I thought you never wanted me to do it again."

"I've been enlightened that every dominant has a punishment technique that is instinctual, Blaise's is squeezing, yours is spanking, you can't change that Draco, it would be like asking me to change my scale colour to orange."

"Harry are you sure about this?" Blaise asked.

"Yes and if he gets out of hand you can intervene Blaise, it isn't a real punishment, I've asked him to do it."

Blaise nodded and moved to sit right next to Draco, who tensed up slightly at the proximity of the other dominant.

Harry breathed to calm himself as he slipped his trousers off of his legs, leaving him standing in front of both of his dominant mates in only his over large boxer shorts and his white school button up shirt. He was regretting this idea already. He felt like a tiny child standing in front of his parents waiting for a huge telling off and a cuff around the ear. Only he had never had parents to 'cuff him around the ear' he just got a harsh beating and was done with it.

"Come here Harry." Draco coaxed him. Jesus Christ his voice had gone sexily gruff; the bastard was getting aroused from this.

Harry swallowed heavily, his pride going down as well, yet he kept a very tight hold onto his dignity, he would not lose that, this was his idea after all, Draco was HIS and no one, not even his Dracken was taking his blonde brute from him.

Harry positioned himself over Draco's lap, his head in Blaise's lap, his oldest mate combing slender fingers through his hair, tugging on it soothingly as Draco slowly and hesitantly pulled down Harry's boxers and bared his bum.

Harry's face was almost purple red with his embarrassment as Draco's hand caressed his bum cheeks; he was finding it difficult to breathe.

The first slap had Harry jumping, but it was nowhere near as hard as Draco had hit him the first time, but still Blaise held onto Draco's shoulder with one hand whilst the other caressed Harry's cheek.

"How was that Harry?"

"Better than the first time. I just wasn't expecting it."

Draco smacked him again and Harry felt the sting, the brief burning pain in his bum, before Draco smacked his other bum cheek. Harry tried to think of having sex with Blaise, but as Draco's hand came down it ruined the fantasy and he couldn't think of anything but Draco's strong hand smacking against his skin.

Harry resorted to the last thing he possibly could to turn this experience sexual, jabbing himself against Draco's hip. He wasn't really expecting it to work, so when he started to get hard he let out a surprised moan, which stopped both of his dominants dead.

"Are you getting off on this?" Blaise asked nearly silently, shocked and a little bit incredulous.

"Maybe." Harry answered as he thrusted against Draco's hip again.

Draco shifted and Harry was no longer bumping his hip but rubbing over his thigh, which was so much more pleasurable. He let out a small whimper, which turned into a moan when Draco's hand came down on his bum again.

Seven more slaps and Harry barely noticed as he rubbed against Draco like a shameless whore, he did notice however when he was suddenly hoisted up and his mouth was attacked with lips, tongue and teeth. His lower body was straddling Draco's lap, a lap with a very, very hard piece of anatomy pressing against him.

A body moved to the side of him as a mouth attached itself to his neck and suckled, Harry let out a small whimper into the mouth that was attacking his own, a strong tongue mapping out the inside of his mouth.

His mouth was released as Draco moved to nibble along his neck, but Harry didn't have time to pout as his mouth was taken once more by the very familiar tongue and teeth of Blaise, who tried to suffocate Harry by trying to crawl down his throat.

Draco tore his mouth from his neck and let out a deep growling moan as Harry started rocking his hips in his lap, seeking release. Large hands cupped his bum and moved his body faster, pushed him down harder and a whimper was forced from his throat.

A breeze on his shoulder had his head moving so he could see Blaise undoing the buttons on his shirt, leaving him dressed only in a pair of boxers. Harry turned back to face those lustful silver eyes, moving his hands to tug off the silver and green tie. Oh hell he was going to have sex with Draco for the first time on their living room settee.

Harry's mouth was claimed with Draco's tongue and he rocked more firmly on the blonde's lap as a coiling pressure built up in his gut. He was close to orgasm now and he wanted it, he wanted to feel that blinding white release.

A naked chest pressing against naked back had Harry wrenching his mouth from Draco and looking over his shoulder to Blaise, who was completely naked and not a damn bit ashamed about it.

Blaise grinned lecherously at him and moved to take over the inside of his mouth again. Harry felt a small pressure on his bottom lip and realised that Blaise's fangs were out, opening his eyes, which had closed in pleasure and passion, he saw those black wings with their glinting amethyst scales.

Another set of fangs, bigger than Blaise's went through his skin around his nipple and Harry arched as his nipple was sucked and flicked and licked with a strong tongue.

"How far do you want to go Harry?" Blaise asked against his lips, detaching himself to speak and to breathe.

"All the way." Harry replied breathlessly, holding Draco's head to his nipple by those silky blonde locks.

Blaise didn't ask him if he was sure, didn't advise him that maybe waiting would be better, instead he just nodded his head and went right back to pleasuring Harry. Harry loved that about Blaise that he trusted him to know what he wanted and didn't second guess him.

Blaise lifted him from Draco's lap and sat down on the settee with him on his own lap, for a moment Harry believed that he would have to smack him for not sharing and for taking him from Draco, but he realised that Draco had indicated to Blaise to take Harry from his lap and it was obvious why as Draco started stripping himself from his clothes.

Harry watched entranced as pale, pale skin was revealed, his jaw ached to bite red marks onto that unblemished skin. As if thinking the same thing, Blaise lent Harry back in his lap until Harry's mouth was level with one of those hugely muscled thighs. Harry sank his teeth, and the fangs he hadn't known were present, into that thick thigh covered in delicate, almost invisible, silvery blonde hairs. The muscle jumped under his mouth, but Harry let go with his teeth and laved his mark with an apologetic tongue, licking and lapping before Draco wrenched his mouth away and bent down to claim it with his own.

Kisses and small nips to his belly had Harry writhing and wriggling on Blaise's lap, making small noises that were devoured by Draco.

Harry was hefted upwards and his neck almost snapped with the unexpected movement, but Draco's hands quickly cradled the back of his head as Blaise pulled him to lean against his front.

His two dominants growled at each other, but Harry couldn't for the life of him figure out why, not that he cared as he smacked the both of them upside the head.

"You have a choice, you can either both fuck me, or you can both fight each other, you can't do both."

* * *

Harry must have blacked out; either that or he had fallen unconscious because the next he knew he was lying in a soft bed with two warm, sleeping bodies on either side of him and no way to tell how much time had passed.

Groaning Harry started to move into a more comfortable position, but as pain speared through his lower body, he decided against it and lay back down in the soft warm bed, cuddling into the body he was facing and dragging the arm of the body at his back closer so he could wrap himself in it like a cocoon.

Neither of his mates had thought it a good idea to pull the duvet over them and he was going to beat the both of them for their lack of foresight. No matter, he'd use their body parts as his heater and if they complained, well it wasn't him who had forgotten to cover them all up after all, he had been fucked unconscious.

Yawning Harry snuggled into someone's back and cuddled the arm in his grasp tighter before he slipped off to sleep before he had to get up and get ready for lessons in the morning.

* * *

A/N: There's not much I can say about the destruction of this chapter only that it is by no means my idea and that I'm being forced to do it by the site, all I can do if you want to read the explicit scenes is urge you to seek them on the two other sites I post on Adultfanfiction and Archiveofourown, both links are in my profile.

Thank you all for reading! Review at your pleasure or not, but I like hearing your thoughts.

StarLight Massacre. X


	15. Quidditch

_Last Time_

_Groaning Harry started to move into a more comfortable position, but as pain speared through his lower body, he decided against it and lay back down in the soft warm bed, cuddling into the body he was facing and dragging the arm of the body at his back closer so he could wrap himself in it like a cocoon. _

_Neither of his mates had thought it a good idea to pull the duvet over them and he was going to beat the both of them for their lack of foresight. No matter, he'd use their body parts as his heater and if they complained, well it wasn't him who had forgotten to cover them all up after all, he had been fucked unconscious._

_Yawning Harry snuggled into someone's back and cuddled the arm in his grasp tighter before he slipped off to sleep before he had to get up and get ready for lessons in the morning._

Chapter Fifteen – Quidditch 

After that one night spent together, Harry moved Draco into the bedroom immediately and permanently. It was a tight squeeze in their platform bed meant for two, but it could fit the three of them if they all snuggled together.

Harry had chewed out both Draco and Blaise for not bothering to pull the duvet over them all and both had promised that next time they would make sure to tuck him in.

Harry happily waltzed down to the Great Hall and sat in between Blaise and Draco, the blonde sitting so close that their legs were squished from hip to knee, whereas before Draco had opted to sit on the opposite side of the table. Blaise automatically filled Harry's plate with all of his favourite fruits and a few slices of wholemeal toast.

Harry reached for the jar of jam and happily spread the apricot flavoured preserve thickly onto his toast. He finished it off and then went onto his slices of banana.

Draco watched avidly as he had been doing for the last couple of months, observing Harry's routine and learning his favourite foods and what were just passing fancies. When Harry reached out to grab the jug of pure, freshly squeezed, apple juice, Draco beat him to it and poured him a glass of the chilled juice with a small smile.

Harry lent over and kissed him happily on the lips in thanks. A loud squeal and the sound of flesh hitting solid wood made the two look over and down the table to little, fourteen year old Astoria Greengrass, who by the looks of it had pounded her small fists into the table, a scowl taking over her reddening face.

"What do you think you're doing?" She demanded. "He's my fiancé!"

"We were loosely betrothed Astoria, a betrothal that I have already written to my Father about breaking, you should be receiving the news either this morning or tomorrow morning depending on how important my Father deems you to be. I would expect it tomorrow at the earliest." Draco replied coldly as he held Harry's hand tightly on top of the table.

Harry sighed. He had heard all of this directly from Draco and he hadn't been happy about it, until Draco had assured him that it was a fall back plan. The terms of the betrothal were that if Draco and Astoria were not married to anyone else before Draco was twenty-five and Astoria twenty-three, then they would marry each other to carry on the name of Malfoy.

With Draco now near enough mated to Harry for life the terms of the contract were broken and the betrothal would never be fulfilled. Harry took satisfaction in that small victory, Draco didn't even like Astoria Greengrass, it would have been unfair to have married the two together and then force them to have sex to create an Heir to the Malfoy name.

Harry glared at the young girl, feeling very possessive and slightly jealous that this…_girl_ could have been married to _his_ mate. He situated himself in Draco's lap and snuggled in, enjoying both the feel of Draco's arms coming up around him, holding him tightly and the look on Astoria's face.

Blaise scooted over to the seat that Harry had vacated and hooked an arm under Draco's and held Harry's hand.

Harry revelled in the jealous looks he received. His mates would never leave him and he would never leave them, people could look all they wanted, but if they dared to touch what was his, he'd carve them up like so much meat.

* * *

Harry saw other Drackens floating around the school like ghosts as he went from class to class, he had gone to Dumbledore to see what was going on and the Headmaster had assured him that if any one of them so much as touched him they would be restricted back to the Dracken compound, but they had become so restless stuck in the same building, no matter how big, with over a hundred other Drackens that it was becoming borderline cruel.

Dumbledore had graciously allowed them to wander around the school and the extensive grounds and even allowed them to hunt the non-magical animals in the Forbidden Forest. Their presence was explained away as them being foreign students doing a research trip to find out how magical England educated their young witches and wizards. Max hadn't been able to stop laughing when Harry had told him, he had vowed to put on a false accent and ask every student he met difficult questions, calling them stupid as they got the answer wrong. Harry just shook his head having a little laugh about it.

Nasta had given a small smile and held him closer on their rock by the lake. He stated that he had been sneaking onto the grounds to see him for weeks, so he didn't need the new freedom to see him. When Harry had told him about what Max was planning to do he let out a soft snort and a muttered 'childish' before going back to nuzzle Harry's hair, whilst simultaneously playing with the small fingers of his left hand.

As soon as the Drackens had permission to be on the grounds, Harry saw Arsenio for the first time since their walk through the Dracken house; Harry grinned at him and accepted the light kiss to the cheek. Draco had growled lowly and Arsenio had looked to him coldly.

"This is Draco, my second mate." Harry explained.

"I see. I did not think you would enjoy the attentions and…_limitations_, of a jealous mate."

"I have every right to be jealous with you laying your hands on my mate!" Draco hissed.

"Hmm, I liked your first mate better Harry, at least Blaise wasn't as puerile and could actually control himself."

Harry could see the friction and the tension rising and sighed. Draco was not making the prospect of finding a third mate appealing. He absolutely refused to let Harry be near any potential mate that was older than twenty-five and was downright hostile to anyone over the age of thirty, which included Max, Nasta, Jensen and especially to Arsenio, who at forty-two, was near the same age as Lucius Malfoy, Draco's Father.

"Draco, please." Harry pleaded gently, laying a small hand on Draco's arm.

"He's old enough to be our Father!" Draco bit out.

"My Father is dead Draco. I don't remember a thing about him! Being with an older mate doesn't bother me, I've never really had a Father to compare ages to, so having a lover that is however old doesn't register to me as being inappropriate."

"It should."

"But it doesn't, so stop acting like this and let me do what I need to to get all of my mates so I can have a family of my own."

Draco growled and crossed his arms over his chest. He was still feeling unsettled and very possessive and he would continue to feel as such until Harry had gone through the final stage of his heat with him present. Then he would either return to near enough normal or Harry would get pregnant and his possessive and protective instincts would fly through the roof.

He watched sulkily as Harry laughed and strutted around with that Greek granddad and felt his Dracken curl in anger inside of him. That man had no right to touch what was his!

* * *

Harry sighed as he curled into Blaise later that afternoon. Draco had made his morning nigh on impossible to enjoy. He was so jealous it was unreal. How could he find his third mate if Draco acted like an ass every time he spoke to someone?

Popping a cherry into his mouth, Harry nibbled all of the juicy red flesh from it and poked the stone back out with his tongue, placing it in a small rubbish bag that he was using.

Blaise watched him indulgently; a small smile across those sensuous lips as he tried once again to translate the book that Harry had given to him for Christmas.

Draco was on his other side finishing his Potions essay, which was at least three foot longer than what was asked for, but as Draco had explained, where Granger just threw in every fact she could find from the books she read, he genuinely had a lot to say on the subject and found it difficult to curb himself to just a few feet of parchment. Draco actually enjoyed Potions, and he didn't just love them, he adored them. It had nothing to do with him being a Slytherin, or that Snape was his Godfather, Draco got straight Os in Potions because he damn well worked for them.

Harry hadn't known that you could go over the stated length for an essay, he thought Hermione did just because she was Hermione, but in actuality the length of an essay given was the minimal amount that the Professor would accept, true he had trouble writing the required length in most of his subjects, but all of the time he had spent editing and cutting bits out of his Defence essays to make it exactly the length that was required, wasted. He could have handed in his essay as it was, gotten much higher marks and been credited for it on top.

No more, now his Defence essays were nearly as long as Draco's Potions essays and with both Blaise and Draco helping and tutoring him in all of his classes so he could actually do the work himself who needed to copy Hermione's fact riddled homework?

Harry startled as the cherry he had reached for was picked up by a large pale hand before he could grab it, Draco held it to his mouth with a smirk and a raised eyebrow. Harry chuckled and sucked the cherry, and Draco's fingers, into his mouth. He gave the fingers a little flick with his tongue before letting them pull out from his mouth.

Blaise snorted softly beside him in amusement and lent forward to press a soft kiss to Harry's cheek as he chewed up the cherry flesh and poked out the stone.

"Why didn't you just ask for pitted cherries?" Draco asked wrinkling his nose as Harry put the nibbled clean stone into his rubbish bag.

"Because they lose their juices and I find them dryer." Harry replied simply. "They taste better this way, fresher."

Draco rolled his eyes and went back to his Potions essay. The room went back to near silence, the only sounds were the scratching of Draco's quill and the rustling of Blaise's parchment as Harry finished off his large bowl of cherries and settled down to take a short nap, pillowing his head on Blaise's thigh.

Harry was shaken awake after what seemed like only a few minutes. He groaned and pushed at the hand that was rubbing his back firmly to wake him up.

"Go 'way." He mumbled sleepily.

"Prezioso, it's dinner time." Blaise murmured to him softly.

Harry groaned as he forced himself upright, Blaise's hands on his back helping him up. Harry stretched and yawned and still he felt so tired he would rather just curl up rather than go down to eat.

"I think we might have to carry him." Draco's smooth voice sounded close by, the blonde was amused.

"Fine, just don't drop me." Harry answered, holding his arms out to where he had heard Draco's voice.

"You're serious?"

"You offered." Harry countered.

Harry had only been partly joking, but arms wrapped around his waist and hoisted him up before he could swing his feet off of the settee and stand up on his own. He was held closely and securely on Draco's hip and Harry blushed a light pink.

"I was only joking!"

Draco smirked. "It's alright if you want to be carried." The blonde stated. "I don't mind carrying you from place to place."

Harry rolled his eyes, but didn't make a fuss. Blaise had carried him around when they had first mated as well, true it had been from the Great Hall back to their rooms so no one saw them, but he just didn't care what people thought anymore.

He was a fucking submissive male Dracken! Why should such pathetic, human nattering bother him? All that mattered was his mates and his chicks, nothing else mattered, nothing else even came close to gaining his attention. Let the humans say what they wanted, as long as he had his mates and his future chicks, everything in his life was perfect.

* * *

People stared, people pointed, First years gasped and all students of all ages whispered that the evil Draco Malfoy, son of the ex-Death Eater Lucius Malfoy, had hurt the wizarding world's Saviour, the Defeater of Voldemort and his horde of vile Death Eaters.

Harry rolled his eyes to Blaise, who was walking behind Draco, keeping eye contact with Harry, who had his head pillowed on Draco's wide shoulder. Honestly if Draco had hurt him why the hell would he carry his injured body into the Great Hall where there were twenty adult witches and wizards sitting at the Head table?

Harry was pulled from his resting place and he let out a small squawk at the sudden action. Draco sat down on the bench at the Slytherin table and sat Harry comfortably on his lap, holding him loosely around the waist.

Harry didn't even try to move from where Draco had placed him, he knew the minute he moved to get off of Draco's lap, those arms would tighten and tense and become unmovable steel bands or at least Blaise's always did when he tried to move and his mate didn't want him to, he didn't see why Draco would be any different.

He scanned the table and nothing really took his fancy as Draco and Blaise both served themselves gracefully with all the manners that had been beaten into their young, impressionable minds. He tried not to notice the piles of meat they had served themselves nor the dishes and plates of the foul smelling animal bits up and down the table.

He was in the final stages of his heat now, only about a week to go before he was dragged off for ten days to have his body so pleasurably abused by his two dominants. He wondered how it would work. There were two of them now, what was going to happen? How would the both of them handle the heat? Would they take it in turns like they had that night on the settee? Would they fight each other with their Drackens in charge of their mind and bodies? He wanted to ask one of the older Drackens, but he was too embarrassed.

"Aren't you hungry Bello?" Blaise asked.

Harry sighed. "Not really."

Harry scooped a spoonful of vegetable rice onto his plate and added a couple of spoons of assorted steamed vegetables and picked at the small amount of food he had with his fork.

"Are you unwell again Harry?"

Harry, and most of the Slytherin's around them, looked to see Ginny Weasley confidently standing behind them. She placed the back of her hand against Harry's forehead, ignoring the growls from both Blaise and Draco.

"You feel a bit heated. You better not be sick again, you hear me. The crucial game is tomorrow! Can't you hold your illness at bay for another day? No, make that two days, we need you at the after party when we win."

"Potter's playing tomorrow?" The Ravenclaw Quidditch Captain, Roger Davis, asked with horror written on his face. He had overheard Ginny talking, not surprising seeing as he was sat almost directly behind where she was standing.

"He sure is Roger-boy." Ginny answered. "If he can hold his sickness off until tomorrow that is."

"I'm sure I can play tomorrow Gin." Harry answered. "But I can feel the sickness creeping up on me again. This sucks."

"Damn right it does, as long as you're better for when we play Hufflepuff."

Harry rolled his eyes and took a nibble of some steamed broccoli. Roger Davis was rushing up and down the Ravenclaw table rounding up his team. They were whining and complaining about being dragged from their dinners, until he shut them up with a curt "Potter is fit enough to play tomorrow! He's back on the Gryffindor team and we have been practising for Weasley being the Seeker! Get your arses on the pitch."

Harry chuckled lightly. "Think they'll get in enough practise to beat lil old me by tomorrow?"

"Not a chance." Ginny stated happily. "You heard Davis, they've been practising for me being the Seeker and I'm nowhere near your league, you could go pro if you wanted to."

"You just have a head on your shoulders Gin, me, I don't care what it takes as long as that snitch is in my hand at the end of the match."

"Or in your mouth." Ginny added slyly.

Harry grinned as he remembered his first ever match and nodded. "I don't care where it ends up as long as I still get the points for catching it."

"You might regret saying that if you read One Hundred Awkward Snitch Captures. One poor guy got one lodged right up his arse after a bludger hit the snitch and propelled it through the seam stitching of his leggings and right up into his rectum, poor guy had to have a Healer shove his hand up after it to yank it out because a snitch repels magic to stop the Seeker from summoning it during a match. He got the one hundred and fifty points though."

Harry burst out laughing and almost choked on a baby carrot.

"That is a vile discussion to have whilst we are dining Weasley. Are you so uncouth that you cannot restrain yourself whilst others are eating?" Parkinson sniffed pompously, delicately dabbing her mouth with a napkin before folding her knife over her fork and pushing her half eaten plate away from her body.

"Well everyone else dining has to put up with your vile face Parkinson, I'm sure they can handle the conversation." Ginny scathed back.

"Why you disgusting little blood traitor!"

"Don't you speak to her like that!" Harry hissed, flicking a spoonful of buttered peas at the rude Slytherin.

"Don't play with your food Harry." Draco admonished lightly, but otherwise ignored that his mate had just thrown a spoonful of peas and butter at his housemate, who was squawking and shrieking at her butter stained robes.

"These robes are made from crushed velvet Potter! Velvet!"

"Then maybe you should have worn plain cotton ones like everyone else." Harry stated simply, scooping up some rice to nibble on.

Ginny was roaring with laughter behind him and leant forward to rest against Draco's back, who stiffened and opened his mouth to demand her to get the hell off of him, but Harry pushed a baby corn into his mouth and pecked his lips with a smile.

He reached over and tugged on Ginny's flaming red hair and grinned at her, laughing lightly at her obvious, and infectious, laughter.

Ginny wrapped her arms around Malfoy and squeezed him.

"Damn Harry, why do you get all the good ones? Just feel these shoulders!"

"Stop molesting my ma…boyfriend please Ginny."

"What were you going to say before boyfriend hmm Harry?" Ginny asked with a salacious grin. "Have you given Malfoy here a cute nickname? Suppose anything's better than pale, pointy ferret."

"That does it, get off of me Weasley! Now!"

"Tetchy tetchy. So what is his nickname Harry?" Ginny asked again as she straightened up before she fell flat on her face because Draco had twisted his shoulder out from under her.

"I was going to say man, but they don't like me calling them my man, says it sounds too plebeian." Harry said to cover himself.

"It is plebeian." Draco sniffed, puffing himself up like a peacock.

Ginny giggled girlishly at Draco's actions and Harry gave her a look which clearly stated that she was losing it. It made her giggle harder.

"I'll be fighting fit for tomorrow Ginny, have you told Ron that he isn't playing?"

"Umm, well…no. Not yet."

"Ginny! The match is tomorrow morning!"

"You're the Captain!"

"You're the Captain that let him onto the team!"

"You kicked Weasley off the team?" Blaise asked.

"Of course I did. He's atrocious."

"He wasn't in try-outs!" Ginny defended.

"Well he is during the games and every practise we've had thus far. Put McLaggen on, brute can't be any worse than Ron."

"Oh Harry! He's awful! He thinks I'm the Captain still and he won't stop bombarding me with tips and advice, I swear he thinks _he's_ the Captain!"

"Then I'll cut him down to size and if he refuses to reform we'll use Pauley Hendix."

"Right, okay, we've practised with both. Hendix is young, but he's a damn good Keeper."

"It's because he was the Keeper when he used to play Football when he was a kid, got right into the under elevens league, could have gone pro if he hadn't have given it up to come to Hogwarts. I mean being on a broom is different to being on the ground and of course in Football you don't have balls being thrown at you or Bludgers and snitches, but it's essentially the same thing, stop the ball from going in the hoop or rather the net in Football."

"You lost me, but I'll just nod and pretend you aren't crazy." Ginny stated, patting his head and leaving them for her Gryffindor friends.

Harry smiled as he watched her bounce away, her hair swinging wildly. He snuggled into Draco and yawned.

"Have you finished Harry?" His blonde pillow asked. "You've barely touched a thing."

"I'm done; I think I'm just tired."

"Weasley said you were heated."

"Of course I am, my next heat period is in approximately a week, I got flushed the last time I neared my heat as well."

Draco nodded and stood up, this time with Harry in his arms, one arm under the bend in his knees and the other wrapped around his middle and his hand holding the top of Harry's leg. Harry's arms went around Draco's neck and he yawned more deeply as he placed his head on Draco's shoulder.

Blaise walked beside them this time and Harry noticed that there were only a couple of inches between their heights, but Draco was obviously taller and broader. Blaise was more slender, but hell if that man couldn't pack a punch.

* * *

Harry woke up the next day draped over Blaise. He blinked and looked blearily around his bedroom and yawned widely.

He was lying on his stomach, on top of Blaise, who was lying on his back, the Italian's left arm was wrapped around Harry's back, the other was under Draco's neck, who was sleeping on his side, pressed against both Harry and Blaise. The blonde was sleeping on his left arm; the other was wrapped over Harry's hip and was fisting the waistband of Blaise's boxer shorts.

One thing Harry knew for certain, he was not getting out of the bed without waking the both of them up. He groaned and tried to extract himself from the pile of bodies, but he failed spectacularly when he slipped in his groggy state of mind and accidentally kneed Blaise between the legs.

His part Italian, part French lover woke up with a scream that had Draco shooting up in the bed, his silver and pale blue wings bursting from his back in a spray of blood and wrapping tightly around Harry.

"What in the name of Merlin is wrong with you?" Draco demanded as he realised that they were in no imminent danger and that the scream had come from Blaise.

"It was my fault." Harry answered. "I tried to get out of the bed without waking the both of you up and I might have accidentally kneed Blaise in the groin."

Draco chuckled gruffly, his voice still sleep roughened. Harry shivered as he heard it.

"I have to get ready, I have a match today."

"Can't you get ready without crushing my balls?" Blaise asked in a shaky voice.

"I'm sorry Blaise; want me to kiss them better?" Harry teased.

Blaise grinned naughtily. "Yeah I do."

Harry snorted and pushed his mates away to go stumble down the winding stairs attached to the wall. He stumbled his way into the bathroom and stumbled into the shower. He'd be taking another one after the match, but he needed one to wake up.

Draco was outside the shower cubicle washing his face, Harry saw Blaise walk in with a pile of scarlet robes. His Quidditch robes. Blaise laid them on the bench outside the shower and went to wrestle the mirror from Draco so he could brush his teeth.

"You two are like a bunch of girls." Harry told them as he stepped out wearing a fluffy towel.

He patted himself dry and jumped into his pale yellow Quidditch leggings. It was unfortunate that they were so skin tight there was no room to wear any underwear; he doubted the girls could fit a thong underneath them.

He towelled his hair roughly and when he deemed it dry enough he threw the towel into the hamper for the house-elves. He pulled on his skin tight Quidditch vest, also in pale yellow, before sitting down to pull on the bright scarlet socks with two yellow stripes on the tops.

"You look gorgeous just like that." Blaise told him, leering at him through the mirror.

"Doesn't leave much to the imagination." Harry grinned back, cupping himself through the stretchy leggings.

Draco chuckled. "You should have shared a locker room with Flint then, his bulge was the size of a Quaffle."

"You actually checked him out?" Harry asked incredulously.

"Sure." Blaise answered. "It's only normal to check out the opposition and damn did he have the biggest package I've ever seen."

"Probably the part troll in him." Harry stated.

Draco almost swallowed his toothpaste as he choked out a laugh. "The Flint's don't have troll blood, Flint's Mother slept with a mountain Fae, it reacted badly to the Drow blood already in their genes and Marcus was the product, though his younger brother looks worse."

"I didn't know he had a brother."

"Yeah, the Flints were so ashamed of how he turned out they are home educating him, hardly surprising, he looks grotesque."

Harry was silently fretting inside. He had never once looked at his team-mates 'packages' he had never even been curious about it, not even as the starry-eyed eleven year old taking an after practise shower with the fourteen to sixteen year olds. It had never bothered him, but what if they had looked at him? He wasn't very big, not at all and his face grew warm and pink.

"What's the matter Harry?" Blaise asked, noticing immediately.

"I've never checked anyone out in the locker rooms." He admitted.

"Never?"

Harry shook his head and Draco grinned. "You mean the only 'packages' you've seen besides your own are mine and Blaise's?"

Harry nodded a bit shyly.

"There's no shame in that mio amore." Blaise told him lightly.

"What if they looked at me though? I've never thought about it before, but if it's normal to look, then they've been looking at me!"

"You have nothing to be ashamed of." Draco told him, wrapping arms around him and holding him tightly. "You have an absolutely gorgeous body."

"I'm not as big as everyone else."

"You've never looked so how do you know?" Blaise asked him. "You are about average Harry, I told you that Draco and I are not going to be good indicators of size, we swelled with our inheritance."

Harry pouted but nodded his head. It had never bothered him before so he wasn't going to let it bother him now, not when he had two mates who loved him for who he was. He was just put out that the other boys might have been looking at him showering.

He broke the two way hug he was getting and shrugged on his scarlet robes, tying them up with the dragon hide strings. He sat down and tugged on the dragon hide boots, lacing them up and then standing.

"How do I look?" He asked.

"Like the end of Slytherin's dream of winning the Quidditch cup." Draco grumbled.

Harry grinned widely and gave him a kiss.

"I can't help that I'm just so obviously talented on a broomstick."

"Yeah you are." Blaise stated, but the way he said it made Harry blush.

Harry pushed him. "I didn't mean it like that!" He cried out.

Draco grinned cottoning on. "I don't think it matters which way you meant it, you're amazing at both ways."

"You're both perverts." Harry huffed, walking to the sink to brush his teeth.

Blaise hopped into the shower and was out within five minutes, letting Draco hop in after him. Harry was in the living room polishing his Firebolt when they both came out.

"Lord, between you two I'm surprised the entire morning hasn't flown by, I've pampered this broom twice waiting for you to get out of the bathroom."

"I can't believe you're a Dracken and only take fifteen minutes to get ready." Draco told him. "Ten minutes of that is showering, how can you go out in public without doing your hair?"

Harry snorted. "If you hadn't noticed I did comb it and then brush it, this is just the way it lays! I can't do anything with it!"

"I'll shave it for you if you'd like." Draco stated seriously. "It might look better if you had no hair."

"You come near my hair and I'll gut you." Harry snarled.

Blaise chuckled and wrapped an arm around Harry and led him out, Draco followed behind them still laughing.

They made it to the Great Hall and Harry spotted the exhausted looking Ravenclaw team dressed in bright blue. They all looked like they had been practising all night.

Draco huffed and shook his head.

"All the practise in the world won't help them if they're too tired to even play. Idiots."

Harry grinned at Draco as the blonde regally sat down on the bench and happily sat next to him, in between the blonde and Blaise. He perused the table and selected some cut up galia melon, cut up honeydew melon and cut up watermelon. He put a bit of each in his bowl and threw a spoonful of grapes on top of them.

"Is that all you want Harry? No toast?"

Harry shook his head then cocked it as Blaise grinned. Oh hell, he was onto purely fruits; his heat was coming ever closer. He looked at Draco who smirked and he swallowed. But what was he supposed to do? He would go on heat whether he wanted to or not and Draco and Blaise would both be there, he just prayed that they didn't damn well kill each other as he whined beneath them for sex.

* * *

Harry stood in the middle of the pitch with his team in the pouring rain and the harsh winds, Ginny had told Ron at breakfast, just before they had come outside for the match that he had been dropped from the team and had been replaced by McLaggen.

He had shouted and yelled and raged, but the team had just left the hall to his profanities and Professor McGonagall's shrieks about his foul language.

Harry was sure he was going to be looking over his shoulder for the next week at least for retaliation attacks from Ron. Not that he didn't think he could handle the hot tempered red head, but he really didn't want to think on how Blaise and Draco would react to someone intent on harming their submissive mate.

Thinking about Draco and Blaise automatically drew his eyes to them, they were right in the front of the Slytherin bleachers, but what touched Harry were the little Gryffindor flags they had. It made him laugh and caused the rest of the team to look at him. He nodded to the crush of silver and green Slytherin students and the two flecks of bright red and gold.

Ginny grinned and looked to him with a naughty look.

"Your men are behind you Harry, are you going to give them a present for supporting you so much?" She asked with a wink.

Harry blushed but was saved by Madam Hooch, who gestured the Captains forward. Harry smiled at Roger Davis, who looked like he had swallowed an entire case of Fred and George's puking pastilles. He had the air of a man who was already defeated before the battle had even begun; it made Harry's self-confidence soar sky high.

Harry shook Davis' hand and mounted his broom, the minute Madam Hooch blew the whistle he was in the air, the superiority of the Firebolt ensuring that he was in the air before anyone else and he immediately zoomed off looking for the little golden ball that would win him the game.

Cho, the Ravenclaw Seeker, tailed him, Harry hated tailers, they were right up there in his list of things he hated in Quidditch, along with cheaters, illegal bludger moves and Professors jinxing his broom.

The reason he hated them was because instead of attempting to find the snitch, they just followed him everywhere he went, getting in his way and distracting him from looking for the snitch. He was aware that she was there and he clenched his broom handle with his hands and knees tightly. He was tempted to force her to crash, but it was too early in the game to give his mates heart attacks with a sudden nose dive.

Shooting off to the opposite end of the pitch, the acceleration of the Firebolt meaning that it took several moments for Cho to catch up on her Comet Two Sixty, allowing Harry to actually have a bit of time to search for the snitch. He didn't see it, but what he did see were Drackens, a lot of them, in the bleachers and dotted around the stands. They called to him like homing beacons, his eyes were drawn to them and he swallowed heavily. That wasn't right, he shouldn't have been drawn to them, he had found his second mate! He would not accept any other person as his mate; He had already had sex with Draco that was near enough marriage for him.

Swallowing and breathing calmly, Harry zoomed right down to the other end of the pitch, just as Cho had reached him. He swooped upwards and hung in mid-air as his eyes scanned for the tiny golden ball with his new superior eyesight.

"Gryffindor Chaser, Katie Bell, scores another ten points! Gryffindor lead the match forty points to ten."

Harry looked up at that and over to McLaggen who was hovering in front of his central hoop. He was a damn good Keeper so why the hell had Ravenclaw been able to score?

Harry watched as McLaggen saved a hard toss from Luke Bradley before throwing the Quaffle to Ginny, who sped off towards the Ravenclaw side of the pitch.

"What is Gryffindor Keeper, Cormac McLaggen, doing?" The commentator, a Hufflepuff fourth year, asked incredulously.

Harry sent a glare to his Keeper who was wrestling the Beater's bat from Jimmy Peakes. Harry darted towards them and very, very narrowly dodged a bat to the head, it hit his shoulder instead, very fucking hard and he growled lowly, snatching the bat from McLaggen.

"McLaggen, you are a fucking Keeper, not a Beater, get back to the fucking goal hoops and stay there or I'll call time and replace you with Hendix!"

"I was just showing him…"

"I don't care what the fuck you were doing, get back to the hoops and stay there! Oh and the next time you fucking hit me with a bat, make sure it's not my most dominant arm you aim for! How do you expect me to catch the snitch with my arm throbbing like it is?"

"I just…"

"STOP TALKING AND GET TO THE HOOPS!" Harry yelled. He could almost feel his throat tearing at the volume.

McLaggen flew off to the hoops and Harry handed the Beater's bat back to Jimmy and clapped him on the back.

"Next time he tries to take it off you, hit him with it." Harry advised.

Jimmy nodded trustingly and Harry grinned before flying off again, he growled as Cho sidled up to him and began shadowing him. He had to get rid of her; he wasn't in the bloody mood for this!

"Now after that bit of inner-match drama involving Gryffindor Captain and Seeker, Harry Potter, yelling at his Keeper, who hit his own player with a Beater's bat he shouldn't have had, Keeper Cormac McLaggen has gone back to where he is needed, but not before Ravenclaw stole another twenty points making the score forty points to thirty in favour of Gryffindor."

Harry cursed violently and bashed his hand against his broom handle. He breathed deeply and scanned the air for the snitch, hoping to god that he actually caught it and wasn't disabled by his own team member.

He curled the fingers of his right hand and pain speared through his shoulder. A bone was either fractured or he was bruised bone deep, he didn't think anything was broken because he could still move everything.

He saw a sparkle of gold and quickly darted towards it, but it wasn't the snitch, it was Nasta's golden wing scales. Harry's eyes widened in fear for the other Dracken. He was sitting in the stands surrounded by humans and he was displaying his Dracken attributes proudly for anyone to see, yet no one seemed to care or even notice.

Nasta saw him looking and smiled; he pulled a long, slender piece of wood from under his raincoat and winked. Harry sighed, Nasta had spelled himself so that only other Drackens could see him, Harry should have remembered, it had been in the book Max had given to him.

Going into a sudden and perfectly vertical nose dive from over a hundred feet up had everyone on their feet, yelling and cheering, shouting and jeering. Harry's heart was in his throat, adrenaline pumping through his body, his muscles loose and limber. He pulled up at the very last possible second and felt his knees scrape along the sand near the Gryffindor goal hoops.

Cho wasn't so lucky and she plummeted straight into the sand and rolled off of her broom, unmoving. Harry should have felt bad, but he didn't. He grinned and laughed. This match was Gryffindors; Ravenclaw no longer had a Seeker.

Harry's smile hurt his face it was that wide. He did a couple of tight twirls to let out his joy, before he happily went back to surveying the pitch for the golden ball that would get him off of his uncomfortable broom, out of his soaking wet robes and into the arms of his mates, hopefully in front of that wonderful, wood burning, fire they had in their rooms.

Madam Hooch's whistle went and Harry looked to see her calling for a time out. Harry sighed and landed under the erected covering for the Gryffindor team.

"Who called time?" He asked as soon as his team were around him.

"Davis." Ginny told him. "He wants to bring on his substitute Seeker since you took out Chang. Great job on that by the way."

Harry grinned. "Got her good. I can't stand tailers and she was practically my shadow, I had to do something."

Harry looked to his sopping wet team and nodded to each of them.

"We are doing great, sixty points to thirty is good, but not great. McLaggen, stay at the goal hoops, you got it, I am Captain you listen to me or you'll be axed! Jimmy, Ritchie, you're doing amazing, aim to take out the Chasers and keep the bludgers away from our own, you got it?"

The two young boys nodded and clashed their bats together with grins and Harry laughed at their antics.

"Ginny, Katie, Demelza, you're doing great, watch out for those Bludgers and don't forget that passing is the key to a goal!"

"That speech was worthy of Oliver." Katie told him with a grin that made Harry blush.

"Are you ready to remount?" Madam Hooch asked as she fought her way through the wind and rain to speak to them.

"Yeh, yeh we are." Harry answered and sent his team ahead of him.

"And here come the Gryffindors! Now that the little break is over we welcome substitute Ravenclaw Seeker, Heath Brodwick! Will this small, inexperienced fourth year stand up to the clear class and absolute might of Harry Potter? The most amazing Seeker and broomstick flier this school has seen in decades!"

Harry grinned as he caught sight of the quaking fourth year. He had fought a dragon on a broom when he was the age of Heath, no one could claim to have done that.

Harry set to finding the snitch as quickly as he could; he wanted to get out of this rain before he became sick for real, which would be a disaster with his impending heat. What would happen if he was sick when he went on heat? What if he was injured or unconscious? Would his mates still fuck him if he wasn't aware of what was going on or if he was injured or sick? Damn he needed answers to these questions!

Harry could have cursed Brodwick as it seemed he was mimicking his predecessor. The fourth year was following him everywhere on his Cleansweep Six. Harry sped off to the opposite end of the pitch and let his gaze wander for the snitch, a little tip he had learnt was that the snitch never showed up in your direct line of vision, he had always caught it out of the corner of his eye, so looking leisurely always worked better for him.

A bludger came about an inch from the tip of his nose and he leant back to stop it from crushing his face. He glared at the Ravenclaw Beater Duncan Inglebee, who had hit it towards him. It seemed that Davis had told his Beaters to aim for him during the time out.

Harry chanced a look at his mates, who were physically vibrating from the power of their deep growls. He swallowed, poor Inglebee, he'd probably end up with nightmares for the rest of his life for that little stunt after his mates got through with him. They wouldn't kill or injure him; Inglebee hadn't hurt him after all, but the possibility had been there.

"Gryffindor Chaser Demelza Robins scores! Ten points to Gryffindor who lead this game ninety points to forty!"

Harry let out a relieved breath, Ravenclaw hadn't been able to score past McLaggen, at least his Keeper was staying where he damn well needed to be. Harry gave a light glare to his Keeper, who had just saved a spectacular shot from Davis.

Harry floated higher and higher and unintentionally took the little fourth year Brodwick with him. It was pathetic; Brodwick should have been looking for the snitch on his own! He wasn't going to find it looking at the tail end of his Firebolt!

At a hundred and fifty foot Harry sighed and gave a grin as he leant on the handle of his broom and once again went into a vertical nosedive. He pushed the broom faster and the ground was suddenly right on top of him, but he kept his cool and went down into the maintenance trenches around the entire outside of the pitch, they were used to drain off the rain water so the pitch didn't get flooded. He dodged beams and skimmed his feet in the moat of water that had already formed and was steadily getting higher as the rain came down harder, Harry hated February games. It was always either raining, or if it was cold enough he had even played when it was snowing being frozen to his broom in the process.

He came out of the trench and looked around. He couldn't even see Brodwick anymore; he prayed that the fourth year hadn't followed him into the trenches because if he had the boy wouldn't be coming back up.

"And Harry Potter resurfaces after that spectacular and hair raising dive that left him travelling through the trenches! The Gryffindor Seeker is without the snitch, so we must assume that either he lost it in the wooden maze of beams or he hadn't seen it in the first place and was looking to disable another of Ravenclaw's Seekers!"

Harry snorted to himself, it had been neither reasons, he had dived because he liked the thrill, the wind in his hair, even if his hair was plastered to his skin by the downpour of icy rain.

He scanned the pitch and prayed he found the snitch, this game had already passed the hour mark, he wouldn't be able to go another hour, not in this weather.

"Ravenclaw score! It is now one hundred and thirty points to fifty to Gryffindor!"

Harry swivelled to glare at McLaggen, only he wasn't at the goal hoops that Ravenclaw had just scored through, he was heckling Demelza.

"Fucking retarded ogre!" Harry cursed violently.

He gestured to Madam Hooch and called time. He landed angrily and waited for the rest of his team to join him.

"McLaggen you moronic monkey! What the fuck are you doing?"

"She wasn't flying properly I was just telling her…"

"I don't care if she was flying backwards with her damned eyes closed as long as she scores points! You are going to lose us this match!"

"If you just caught the snitch…"

"Don't you dare blame Harry for this!" Katie raged. "He is trying his hardest, he always does! How many times has he almost died trying to catch the snitch? How many times has he been in the hospital wing due to Quidditch?"

"I will not lose this game McLaggen, we'll lose the cup for this year and that is unacceptable. You're benched. Where's Hendix?"

"He didn't think he would be playing, he's in the stands." Richie answered. "He's in his Quidditch gear though." He added quickly as it looked like Harry would burst a blood vessel. "I'll just go and get him."

Ritchie ran off to go and fetch the wayward substitute Keeper and Harry turned to McLaggen's angry shouts.

"You can't cut me from the team! I'm the best Keeper you have!"

"I _can_ cut you from the team and I have as I'm the Captain, you may be the best at saving goals, but if you're never at the fucking hoops even the best Keeper in the world would cause his team to lose! I will not lose this game McLaggen!"

"I'll try harder."

"Tough, you're already off the team, I gave you fair warning and still you didn't listen, now fuck off!"

"I'm so cold." Demelza chattered through her teeth.

"I'm trying, but I haven't seen the snitch once. I can hardly see anything in this weather."

"We can't even blame your poor eyesight for it anymore." Ginny teased.

Harry touched the place where his glasses used to rest against his face and grinned widely. He loved not having to wear them anymore.

"I'll up the ante, I promise, this match will be over soon and we will be victorious."

"You always lead us to victory." Ginny told him with a smile.

Ritchie and Pauley came jogging into the tent and Harry had to silence McLaggen before he burst his eardrums at his shouts of how unfair it was that he was being replaced by a third year.

"Sorry Captain, I really didn't think I'd get to see pitch time." Hendix told him.

"Warm up Hendix, we haven't got too much longer." Harry told him.

Hendix nodded and began stretching as quickly as he could. Madam Hooch came over to ask if they were ready to get back in the air. Harry nodded and sent his team out before him. He placed a hand on Pauley's arm.

"Don't panic Pauley." He said soothingly. "Do your best and no one will hold it against you. You're a damn good Keeper and we know it. Just keep your eye on the Quaffle and watch out for deceptive throws."

Harry clapped his shoulder and mounted his broom. Both he and Hendix took to the air and Harry waited for Madam Hooch's whistle before he zoomed off looking for the snitch.

"And Gryffindor have replaced Keeper Cormac McLaggen with their substitute, third year Pauley Hendix. We have to ask ourselves is this so their inexperienced Keeper can get some action or is Captain Harry Potter really that fed up with McLaggen?"

Harry grinned. His reason was most definitely the latter. He had put McLaggen on because he wanted to win, but he realised now that there was no way they were going to win if McLaggen remained on the pitch.

"Gryffindor Keeper Hendix has just proven why he has been brought on, what a spectacular save!"

Harry gave a double thumbs up to Pauley as he flew past, holding onto his broom with his knees. The rain was coming down harder and faster, he was soaked and he was starting to get chilled. This game needed to end!

He redoubled his efforts and they finally paid off when he caught a glimmer of gold out of the corner of his eye. He shot after it like a bullet and poor Brodwick, who had been saved from the moat of water during the time out, had his work cut out for him just trying to keep up with Harry and the Firebolt.

His hand outstretched Harry felt the flutter of tiny wings against the tips of his fingers, two bludgers almost tore his body apart with pain as one smashed into his knee and the other, in a hit that was reminiscent of his second year, hit his elbow, shattering his arm in two.

Growling with the pain that made his stomach lurch with nausea, Harry cradled his arm to his chest and used his other arm, the problem with this was that his right leg was searing with pain originating from the place where the bludger had connected with his knee. He was holding onto his broom with just one knee and as the snitch suddenly went down, Harry followed and his body fell forward. He quickly gripped the broom with his broken arm and felt bile rise up his throat at the pain that he felt. Brodwick bumped into him, his knee digging into Harry's almost crippling him with the pain and Harry fell back as the blinding pain encompassed his entire leg.

Pushing the Firebolt forward in absolute determination, he easily overtook Brodwick again and stretched his hand as far as he was able to, his hand closed around the little fluttering ball and as the Gryffindors were screaming up a storm at their victory over Ravenclaw, a bludger crashed into Harry's back, sending him forwards and off of his broom as his one uninjured knee was unable to keep him seated.

He wasn't very far from the ground, only ten, maybe fifteen feet at the most, not like the hundred foot fall in his third year thanks to the Dementors, but he was already injured from the game and he blacked out as soon as he hit the water soaked ground with a sickening thud, landing on his already injured arm and knee.

* * *

A/N: Almost there. Almost done, it won't be long before this is all done.

Thanks to **FairyDust18 **for being the** 2,600th reviewer**

Happy reading!

StarLight Massacre. xXx


	16. Recuperation

_Last Time_

_He wasn't very far from the ground, only ten, maybe fifteen feet at the most, not like the hundred foot fall in his third year thanks to the Dementors, but he was already injured from the game and he blacked out as soon as he hit the water soaked ground with a sickening thud, landing on his already injured arm and knee._

Chapter Sixteen – Recuperation.

Harry blinked open his eyes and murmured unhappily at the bright sunlight that seared his eyeballs. He breathed inward deeply and let it out in a gust of air. He felt fine, his body wasn't aching, his bones felt strong and whole again, he could move both his arm and his leg without pain and his back felt perfectly fine and normal.

Looking around him it looked to be the day after the match, proving how fickle the weather was that bright sunlight showed through the windows where yesterday, it had been pouring down with rain.

He smelt flowers and turned his head to the side to peer curiously at the array of colourful plants and blossoms that took over the small beside table and most of the floor around his bed. A moveable tray at the end of his bed held a wide selection of sweets, chocolate, cards and treats, there was even a teddy bear poking its way out of a basket of fruit, half stuck under a pile of chocolate frogs.

He hadn't thought he had been here long enough to have so many get well soon gifts, but he wouldn't knock being given free sweets and chocolate, the two bars of Honeydukes finest chocolate fudge that Blaise gifted him with every week had seemed to be insufficient in the last few weeks, now if it had been four chocolate fudge bars, then maybe the sight of so much chocolate would make him feel sick, but then he had always had a major sweet tooth thanks to a childhood deprived of even the slightest sugary treat, so maybe not.

Easing himself up, Harry perused his get well soon cards, noticing that most of them were from Gryffindors, Ginny had seemingly drawn him a card with a folded up piece of parchment, it depicted a badly drawn picture of a nameless monster eating the Ravenclaw Quidditch team, it was his favourite card.

There were no less than eighteen bars of his most favoured chocolate fudge bars and Harry immediately snatched one up, tore off the paper and took a huge, borderline indecent, bite and chewed it with a happy moan as the flavour flooded his mouth.

He took bite after bite as he looked over his other gifts and found some more cards buried at the back, he picked the teddy up and grinned when he realised it was from Henley, the cute little baby dominant. He hadn't spoken to him in a while and he made a mental note to go check up on him, he always had the strange urge to Mother Henley, even though his Dracken now knew that Henley was a dominant Dracken, not a chick after the kiss they had shared.

He held the little blue teddy on his lap and he took the last piece of chocolate and scrunched up the wrapper and dropped it into the bin beside his bed. He looked over the collection of sweets he had and rather thought that he now owned his own private sweetshop. He picked out a jar of what looked like sugar coated jelly snakes, they were wriggling around in the jar and hissing disjointed letters, obviously the person who had charmed them was not a Parselmouth. He grinned at his own little inside joke, letting out a few bubbly laughs that he couldn't stop from escaping his mouth.

The little label on the lid of the jar urged him to get better soon, from Draco. Harry didn't begrudge the blonde for not putting love from Draco on the label, his blonde mate was a very, very private person and saying the word love in public was a problem for the blonde, writing it down and leaving it, where anyone could see it, was almost a sin.

However loving actions of endearment, those Draco had down to a tee. He didn't mind showing the world that he loved Harry Potter, he just had a problem with verbally confirming it.

Blaise however had gifted him with four of the eighteen, now seventeen, bars of chocolate fudge, had written him such a loving missive Harry's eyes misted over. He had signed it: Ti amo Harry, come back to us soon.

Harry dug through his treasure until he found a jar of strange looking, colourful round balls, the label was written in a language he couldn't read, but the tag told him that they were flavoured hard candies from Greece, courtesy of Arsenio.

Max had given him a box of Ice Mice and a few Peppermint Toads with a small note that he was eagerly awaiting his awakening.

Nasta had given him a big box of cookies, only they weren't your usual bog standard biscuit. They were nearly the size of his face and had four types of chocolate in them. Milk chocolate, white chocolate, dark chocolate and to his everlasting joy, fudge chocolate. Nasta had had them custom made just for him, because apparently he was the only person Nasta knew who mainlined fudge flavoured chocolate. Nasta's note also included how much Harry was being missed and how the big softie was missing their daily talk on 'their rock' beside the lake and that he missed holding Harry in his arms.

Harry almost melted under the attention he was getting from his prospective mates; Jensen had given him a strange, but wonderful gift. A photograph of the very moment he had caught the snitch, and dear god did he look fucking terrible! His arm was clutched to his chest but there was a distinctive bulge under the elbow part of his Quidditch robes, his knee was dangling uselessly from the broom and his face was streaked with mud and blades of grass clung to his face and neck like his hair did to his head. Not to mention the moving photo was ruined by the appearance of a Bludger that went right into the middle of photo Harry's back, knocking him flying forwards off of the broom and out of the photo frame.

It couldn't have happened that fast either, it had felt slower when he had experienced it, as if he had had all the time in the world to close his hand around the snitch and then to curl into a ball as he fell, it had seemed to have taken an age for him to hit the ground. This photo must have been speeded up with magic, it couldn't have all happened so quickly! The photo showed that he had barely caught the snitch at all, a second or so more and his hand would have grabbed at air.

"Mister Potter!"

Harry startled and looked to Madam Pomfrey as she bustled to his bedside and shimmied him back under the covers.

"Thank the heavens that you are awake!"

Harry thought that this was a very odd thing to say. He had been out for the count for longer than one night before, true it had never been for a Quidditch injury but there was a first time for everything and he had felt sure that Madam Pomfrey had come to expect such injuries from him.

"How are you feeling?" She asked as she waved her ward around him.

"Alright I guess, nothing hurts, nothing aches, I can move all of my limbs."

Madam Pomfrey nodded at what he was saying before consulting her diagnostic results.

"Yes, everything is in order Potter." She sighed. "Your mates have been very, very worried about you."

"Ma…mates?" Harry questioned shakily, how did she know?

"Your secret is safe between the Headmaster and I, he had to inform me of your creature status so I was better able to heal your injuries."

Harry let out a breath and relaxed. Dumbledore wouldn't have told his secret without asking first for a vow of silence. He was safe still, his mates were safe.

"Your prospective mates have been stampeding around as well; I don't believe anyone in this school has ever had so many visitors to the hospital wing before. They have all left gifts and cards. I have noticed that you have eaten chocolate, shame on you! You know I would prefer you to eat a decent meal before sweets."

"It was the only thing here and I was hungry." Harry tried, knowing full well that it wouldn't wash with the elderly Matron.

"Harry James Potter, you forget that I know you too well! You would have eaten that chocolate bar regardless of if there had been a full steak dinner beside you!"

Harry blushed and ducked his head, hiding his sheepish smile. Madam Pomfrey was of course right, chocolate fudge bars just called to him, he would have eaten it if there had been a whole treacle tart next to it. Well he would have eaten the chocolate first and then eaten the tart, but the chocolate would have gone down first.

"Now, have you filled up on chocolate or do you think you can handle some porridge?"

The look on Madam Pomfrey's face told him that it didn't matter if he was so full he was bloated, he would still be eating the porridge, so he nodded and let the Matron bustle about getting a small bowl of oats and mixing it with warm milk.

He clumsily fed himself, his right arm stiff from the rapid, intensive healing it had been though overnight. He looked out at the bright sunshine and realised that this would be a perfect day to visit Nasta on their rock, yet he didn't want to be far from Draco or Blaise, so he'd drag them with him.

Finishing his porridge and letting Madam Pomfrey fuss over him, he was declared fit to leave, and he did just that, shrinking down all his sweets and presents whilst carrying his cards and the small blue bear that Henley had given him.

He made his way to his private rooms on the seventh floor of the castle and using his wand he poked the keyhole of the portrait of a solid wooden door. The portrait clicked as if it had unlocked and swung inwards, allowing him to pass.

He carefully placed all of his gifts on the coffee table, being mindful of Blaise's research work neatly placed on the one side, before he kicked his shoes off and went into the bedroom to find his mates.

He grinned when he found them on the platform bed. They were curled up together, their legs entwined, their arms wrapped around the other and Blaise's head was tucked under Draco's chin. They looked so adorable that Harry silently made his way back down the stairs and over to the side cupboard where he had left his camera. He made a mental note to ask little Colin Creevey for some development potion so he could get a moving photo, not that his mates were moving much, but the soft even breaths and the slow rise and fall of their chests would prove that they were real people, and not just mannequins as the two would probably try to claim later on.

He snapped a couple of photos, because he was no photographer and he actually wanted one decent picture, before putting the camera in his bedside cupboard before worming his way under the duvet and snuggling up behind Blaise.

Blaise made a small noise in the back of his throat and Draco answered with his own, Harry's eyebrows lowered as he peeked at his mates from over Blaise's shoulder. They were still fast asleep, but if he didn't know any better he would have thought that the two were communicating with each other in their sleep. Did dominant Drackens do that? Did they subconsciously speak to the other dominants to…what? Reassure the other that they were still there? That they weren't a strange dominant coming in to take their mate? Why would they speak to teach other when asleep? He made a note to ask them as Blaise once again let out a soft noise from the back of his throat and Draco answered with a deep rumble from within his chest.

Harry lay back down and snuggled right up to Blaise's back. Draco's hand, which was holding Blaise close, flexed and slipped under Harry's tee shirt, touching skin.

Harry giggled and squirmed as Draco's fingers hit a ticklish spot. Movement and then Draco's face peering sleepily over Blaise's body had Harry smiling happily. Those silver eyes widened before the blonde almost shoved poor Blaise out of the bed to reach Harry.

"Harry! How are you?" Draco asked, sniffing along every inch of his skin, touching every part of his body as if to affirm that he was actually there and he wasn't a dream.

Blaise, who had been jolted awake, did the same. Harry squirmed between them and giggled as he was sniffed and licked.

"I'm fine!" He burst out as he got fed up of being stroked and touched.

"We were so worried about you Mio Amore." Blaise whispered to him.

"It's been one night!" Harry cried out exasperatedly.

"Two nights." Draco corrected.

Harry cocked his head to the side; he had been out of it for two nights?

"Still I've been unconscious longer than that before."

"Never with us as your mates." Blaise told him seriously. "The entire Ravenclaw Quidditch team has been put into protective custody, as well as that moron McLaggen."

Draco growled lowly at the mention of McLaggen and Harry lowered his eyebrows again. "Why?"

"They hurt you, they all hurt you." Draco hissed as if it were obvious.

"Well yeah, that's the point of the game, though I admit I wasn't expecting to be hit with a Beaters bat by my own team mate who wasn't even a Beater." Harry stated, rubbing his shoulder in remembered pain.

Blaise and Draco were immediately all over his shoulder, sniffing and licking it.

"Stop that!" Harry demanded. "Why do you do it?"

"A dominant mate can scent out an injury on their submissive and if scenting doesn't work, usually in the case of muscle damage, we use our tongues to feel if everything is alright underneath the skin." Blaise told him.

"Yeah, right, that's not creepy or weird at all." Harry grumbled as Draco gave a final lick before kissing his shoulder. "Speaking of creepy things why do you talk to each other when you're sleeping?"

"We don't." Draco told him confusedly.

"Yes, you do." Harry stated. "You were doing it when I got into bed."

"What were we saying?" Blaise asked.

"You weren't using words, more soft noises and growls to communicate with each other."

"Oh, that." Blaise smiled. "Dominant Drackens do it to confirm to each other that our submissive mate and our chicks are safe and that we feel no danger, our bodies subconsciously seek for danger around our nest so that we will be able to react at a moment's notice if something that would harm our family pops up."

"I didn't know that." Draco groused.

"You still have a lot to learn." Blaise answered with a smile.

"So do you want to tell me anything?" Harry teased lightly after a pregnant pause.

His mates both turned to him and raised eyebrows.

"You're sure you haven't been holding out on me? Because if you're both fucking each other behind my back without asking me to watch I'll be very, very angry."

The both of them spluttered and coughed and choked and both denied it vehemently and Harry clutched his stomach laughing.

"Yeah? Are you sure you're not? Because you looked pretty damn close to me when I got here, I couldn't even get between you, you were cuddled that close, you can't even say it's cold because it's not."

"We were not 'cuddled close' Harry." Draco denied viciously.

"I have photographic evidence that proves you were." Harry teased in a sing-song voice.

"If you ever have that photo developed I will tie you to the bed and you will stay there for a year!" Draco threatened.

"Promises promises." Harry chuckled.

"I mean it!"

"But I want it in my mate album."

"Your what?" Blaise asked.

"My mate album. I've been taking pictures to document our lives together."

"I don't know whether to be horrified or think that's cute and adorable." Draco said.

"Well I have to have something to show the chicks when I tell them exactly why they aren't allowed to have mates until they're thirty."

Blaise looked amused and Draco looked dumbstruck and incredulous.

"You can't be serious. You can't stop our children from mating."

"Watch me!" Harry hissed.

Blaise chuckled and pulled Harry into his lap to cuddle. He pressed a loving kiss to Harry's forehead and held him tightly. His Mother was becoming more and more demanding to meet Harry. She had wanted to meet him the moment he had informed her that he had found a submissive mate, when that was impossible because of school, she demanded that he bring his mate home for Christmas, when that became impossible because of the heat, she became desperate to meet the person her son would spend the rest of his life with.

The moment she had learnt that he had mated, the very next owl she sent to him asked when he was going to give her Grandchildren. He wondered if he had been as good a son as he had thought he had been if his Mother wanted Grandchildren and had made a note to ask her in person when he next saw her.

"You are thinking too hard." Harry informed him softly, raising a small hand to rub against his cheek.

Blaise placed a hand over Harry's and held that little hand to his face.

"I am thinking of my Mother, Bello. She is very eager to meet you."

"Your Mother is frightening." Draco informed the British born, part Italian, part French Dracken.

"No she is not." Blaise replied tightly, the last thing he wanted was for Harry to become frightened of his Mother before he even met her.

"Blaise, she is six foot two and those shoes she wears makes her up to my height!"

Blaise sniffed and held Harry tighter. "My Mother is a dominant Dracken; you cannot expect her to be some small, willowy woman."

"Before June I didn't even know you or she were Drackens, I was always terrified when Father informed me that I was to have a playdate with you at your house."

"It couldn't have been that bad." Harry stated.

"I thought she would squash me." Draco defended. "She's more muscled than I am now! Imagine meeting her when you were five!"

Blaise growled lowly "That's enough about my Mother!" He snarled.

"Can we have a picnic?" Harry cut in, looking from one to the other.

"You have only just gotten out of the hospital wing; I do not think it a good idea to go a sit outside for any length of time." Blaise told him seriously.

"But the sun is out!"

"It is still February and it is still only three degrees outside."

"Honestly are you wizards or not? That's what heating charms are for love! Really, I could do with the fresh air."

"Didn't you get enough fresh air free falling from fifteen feet?" Draco asked.

Harry gave the blonde a vicious glare. Which made Draco growl lowly in his throat. Blaise's arms tightened around him and he gave his own snarl to Draco.

"Do not even think about punishing him." Blaise hissed to the blonde. "Do I need to reiterate that he has only just gotten out of the hospital wing this morning after being unconscious for two days?"

Draco huffed, but he looked away, his tightly clenched body slowly relaxing.

"I just realised I haven't actually been punished since Draco took things too far."

Both of his dominants looked at each other and then looked away.

"Ah, so it isn't that I've been good, it's that you are unwilling to punish me, I wonder how long that will last now I know."

"You are going to deliberately push us aren't you?" Blaise asked with a sigh.

"You know I can't just leave things alone. So picnic, yes?"

"Fine, but you wrap up warm." Blaise conceded.

Harry grinned and went to stand up to get ready, only to be pulled back down.

"You can get some sleep first."

"I don't need sleep; I've only just woken up."

"Have you eaten?"

"Yes, Madam Pomfrey made me eat a bowl of porridge before I was allowed to leave."

Blaise nodded and let him up again, before stretching and following him to get ready. Harry called Dobby, who excitably got together everything Harry would need for a picnic, whilst Harry, Draco and Blaise got ready.

When Harry was bundled up worse than a toddler with an overprotective Mother, he took both of his mates hands and led them down to the lake and the boulder which he and Nasta had claimed as theirs and was the very same place where Max had snogged him senseless.

It took only half an hour before Nasta made his way over to them and Harry grinned in greeting, pulling Nasta down to join them, much to Draco's ire.

Max wandered over an hour later as Harry was laughing at Draco and Blaise's fake wrestling match. He was so happy that the both of them were getting on, now he just needed to wait for his heat and then find a third and final mate who would fit in with himself and with the two mates he already had.

Harry looked up and then leapt up and ran to the young sixteen year old who was approaching. He laughed as Henley swept him into a hug, actually picking him up, though Harry shouldn't have been surprised at that.

"Henley! How are you?" Harry asked with a smile.

"Great! I watched your match and I was so scared that you would die that I had to come and see you. My Father says you fly like a pro, but even the pros can be permanently injured by Bludgers and you got hit by three! I went to see you in the hospital wing; my Mum said that I should give you a healing Teddy to make you feel better, I managed to find you a blue one, it was the only one left in a bin full of pink and yellow bears, but I found it and I hope you like it, it's supposed to draw out all your bad karma, I'm not sure if it works or not, but I hope you like him all the same."

Harry pressed his lips chastely to Henley's to stop him from talking and chuckled lightly.

"I loved the little bear Henley, thank you."

He had missed Henley so much, he may not have been mate material, but he was definitely friend material.

Henley beamed at him and Harry tugged him over to their picnic blanket, sitting down with his mates, Nasta and Max. Draco took an almost unhealthy interest in Henley and they began talking, however when Henley continued talking without stopping for breath, Draco got a look of irritation and annoyance on his face. At this rate Draco wouldn't like any other dominant and it upset Harry more than he was willing to show.

* * *

Max had been more than a bit pushy at the picnic, he had even growled when Nasta had started playing with Harry's hair.

It wasn't too long after that Harry had claimed to be tired and Blaise had immediately called an end to the picnic to take Harry back to bed, saying that it wasn't wise to push him too hard due to the accident.

Harry said goodbye to Henley, Nasta and Max and let Draco carry him back to their bedroom. He fell asleep before they even reached the castle, safely snuggled in Draco's arms.

He woke up a few hours later in bed, in his pyjamas. He smiled at the care his mates must have shown him as he hadn't woken up at all through having his clothes pulled off or having his pyjamas pulled on and he was actually tucked in, his mates hadn't once forgotten that he liked to be covered up since that night on the settee.

Stretching happily and ignoring the grumble in his belly in favour of the press of his bladder, he made his way down the stairs and went into the bathroom to relieve himself. He felt infinitely better once that was done and his hands and face were washed.

He listened and felt that something was off. He couldn't hear Draco or Blaise. Everything was quiet and it gave him a funny feeling. He cautiously went into the living room of his and his mates private rooms and his jaw dropped.

Draco and Blaise were standing next to a table that was laden down with a romantic meal for three, wearing dress robes and sipping red wine.

"Did I miss something?" He asked weakly as he looked down to his pyjamas and his bare feet, feeling very underdressed next to his two mates.

"You were asleep for Valentine's Day mio amore." Blaise told him.

"It was yesterday when you were in the hospital wing, so we thought that we would celebrate it today instead." Draco added.

Harry blushed a bright pink and shyly nodded his head in understanding. His first Valentine's Day with his mates and he was unconscious in the hospital wing, but then he had completely forgotten that Valentine's Day was even close by. His only real memories of Valentine's Day were all bad, Ginny giving him that singing dwarf, Romilda Vane and her spiked chocolates, gangs of giggling girls all waving cards and pink balloons and teddy bears. It was enough to make him feel sick.

This he decided as Blaise kissed his hand softly and handed him to Draco to be seated, was much better and was more of his thing.

"I feel so underdressed, can I go and change?" He asked.

"You look absolutely fine Harry." Draco told him.

"I have said a hundred times that you look beautiful in anything you wear, it is only us here to see you and we have seen you wearing much less." Blaise told him with a naughty grin.

Harry blushed again but he smiled as Draco picked up a fork and speared a piece of asparagus onto it and held it out for Harry to eat. He took it into his mouth with a big smile and chewed it up, happy as Blaise had laced together their fingers on top of the table.

Blaise and Draco had a piece of steamed salmon on their plates with their vegetables, but Harry's plate was filled with just vegetables drizzled with an absolutely gorgeous olive-oil based sauce.

Harry smiled as he realised that he would be looking forward to next year's Valentine's Day instead of dreading it as he had for all the previous years. Even in primary school when the teacher had told them to make cards and give them to their classmates, he had hated it, he had never gotten a single stupid, badly made card covered in dried glue, glitter and sequins, all the other kids were too afraid of Dudley to give him a card.

But no more, now he had two absolutely wonderful men to celebrate with, men whom he loved dearly and who he was sure loved him back. This time next year he would have all of his chosen mates and maybe he would even have children, would he be pregnant? He looked down at his very flat stomach and placed his hand over it, he couldn't even imagine his body swollen with a baby. He had never had a stomach; it had always been very flat, concave at times, due to starvation at the hands of his relatives. Only in the last year had he been able to stomach an average amount of food for a teenager, before anything more than a third of a plate made him feel very ill.

He had watched Ron as he devoured second and even third helpings of a heaped plate of food and it made his stomach roil in disgust. When he thought to how much he actually ate these days it held no comparison to what he had used to be fed. At the Dursleys he was lucky if what he ate in a week made up what a normal person ate in one day.

"Do you have a stomach ache Prezioso?" Blaise asked concernedly.

Harry looked up at both of his mates, the dual looks of concern and worry and he smiled.

"No, I was actually thinking that this time next year I might be pregnant."

The near identical salacious looks made Harry shiver right down to his toes.

"You'll be pregnant before then; you only need the two of us to get you impregnated." Draco informed him slowly and seductively. "Three days until you go on heat and you can conceive at any point during the heat, we could have our first baby in several months."

Harry smiled softly and rubbed his belly again.

"If everything works according to clockwork, you would be four months pregnant this time next year and we would already have our first clutch." Blaise told them looking thoughtful.

"Since when does everything go according to plan?" Harry asked. "What if I don't get pregnant on this heat?"

"You will." Blaise told him surely. "You are too fertile not too Harry."

"I don't think you worked it out right." Draco stated looking deeply in thought. "I make Harry out to be six months pregnant after our first clutch this time next year."

"If Harry carries our first child to term, seven months from now is September, he will give birth and then his breeding cycle will start again, so it will be two months before he goes on to heat again, so this time next year Harry will be four months pregnant with our second clutch, if he conceives. He could be two months pregnant this time next year if it takes a second heat to get him pregnant again."

"Ah, so I dock off two months because I need to go through another cycle before a heat period." Harry nodded. "I think that's going to be a good thing, I don't think I'd like to be pregnant again right after giving birth. I actually want to spend some time with my newborn baby before I start popping out others."

"Like I said mio amore, you may not even get pregnant on your next heat or even the one after; it could take a few heat periods for your hormones to settle down enough for your womb to allow sperm to access it again."

"Right, stop speaking now before I lose my appetite." Harry groused. "I don't want to hear about my male body having a womb, it sounds wrong and weird."

Blaise smiled indulgently and kissed the palm of his hand lovingly, keeping a hold of it as he nodded his understanding of a topic change.

Harry enjoyed the rest of his night with his mates and was surprised when dessert showed up. He had stuffed himself with the main course; he hadn't thought that there would be dessert seeing as there hadn't been a starter.

It wasn't much, just profiteroles and melted chocolate to dip them in, but they were so rich and filling that Harry mainly used them to feed Blaise and Draco, who were big men that needed feeding, like hippos. Harry grinned as he mentally called his mates various large mammals whilst feeding them more and more of the fresh cream filled choux pastry balls.

The clock in their living room struck one in the morning and Harry looked at it in surprise, all of a sudden feeling the weariness of the day take over him. He yawned widely behind his hand, yet before he could voice out loud that perhaps it was time for bed, Blaise had gently scooped him up like a child and was carrying him to the bedroom.

Harry smiled happily and as he snuggled into bed, Blaise on one side and Draco on the other, he wondered when everything was going to be blown to hell.

* * *

**BeautyIsOverRated**: I mean the repost is almost over, I'm coming up to the half way point where I get back to where I was before the admins removed my story and then I can start putting out new chapters.

**alinemcb54**: Blaise didn't leave a mark, by a mark he meant a love bite, or teeth marks, on Harry's neck, but he couldn't because the other dominants would see it and know that Harry had been around a dominant before the meetings start.

As for other Drackens being out there unknown, it isn't likely as the Dracken lines are followed and watched, Harry is a rare exception.

Harry can be alone at the lake because Blaise took Ancient Runes and Harry never, so Harry has a free period when Blaise has Ancient Runes. As for Blaise letting him walk to Snapes's rooms alone, they were literally around the corner, Blaise could have gotten to him within moments if he so much as gasped in surprise.

The mating process is different for every submissive, a bit like a female menstrual cycle. Harry's is every two months, but it can be anything from every six months, every month, every couple of weeks. It varies. Yes Snape's submissive only needed the one dominant because they were near equal in power with Snape being just a tad more powerful.

I'm not English no, I'm Welsh, you seem to be doing alright with English to me, I know what you're saying.

Thank you all for reading!

StarLight Massacre. X


	17. Everything Burns in Hell

A/N: Just so you know this is the chapter that will invoke the marmite effect.

_Last Time_

_The clock in their living room struck one in the morning and Harry looked at it in surprise, all of a sudden feeling the weariness of the day take over him. He yawned widely behind his hand, yet before he could voice out loud that perhaps it was time for bed, Blaise had gently scooped him up like a child and was carrying him to the bedroom._

_Harry smiled happily and as he snuggled into bed, Blaise on one side and Draco on the other, he wondered when everything was going to be blown to hell._

Chapter Seventeen – Everything Burns in Hell

Harry had been anxious for the last few days remaining until his heat. Blaise and Draco had tried everything to make him relax, from baths, massages, hugs and talking, but Harry still had a bad feeling that something was going to go wrong.

He couldn't put his finger on it, but all of the hair on the back of his neck stood up on end the closer his heat came. He got irritable and snappy and he didn't know why, his Dracken side was rebelling and it was all Harry could do to keep his scales, fangs, claws and wings sheathed during lessons.

"Are you going down with that sickness again Harry?" Dean Thomas asked during Potions on the Thursday, the day before he was supposed to go on heat.

Harry was shaking and sweating, he could barely sit still let alone concentrate on his potion and his fingers were digging into the desk edge.

"I think I might be." Harry replied tightly, his voice strained and little more than a whisper, yet Snape heard them, of course he did, he was a Dracken. It wasn't any wonder that no student got to hold a conversation in lessons with Snape in a ten foot radius.

"Something to share with the class Potter?" He asked silkily.

"No Sir, I just…I think I'm unwell."

"Again? Surely this is milking your illness for everything it's worth Potter. Don't you think that you have taken it just a tad too far?"

Harry didn't take anything the Professor said to heart, he knew the man had to remain in character so no one realised that they were all creatures, but it was so difficult today and he would have snapped had it not been for his courageous Gryffindor friends. His stupid, foolish, Gryffindor friends.

"Harry is not milking his illness!" Dean shouted enraged on Harry's behalf.

"He's really ill!" Seamus added. "All you have to do is look at him to know that!"

"I think you're being unfair Professor, Harry does look unwell and he has been suffering lately, I heard Madam Pomfrey say so!" Parvati joined in, Lavender nodding seriously beside her.

Harry smiled. He was so, so happy that he had friends in Gryffindor still, friends who could hardly care less that he was in love and going out with two Slytherins, in fact Lavender and Parvati constantly begged him for little titbits of his personal life, asking him all sorts of questions that made his face light up like a flame.

"Silence!" Snape hissed. "Twenty points from Gryffindor. Zabini, Malfoy, take Potter to the hospital wing as he obviously wishes for more people to fawn over him."

Blaise was immediately by his side, helping him gently to his feet as Draco wrapped an arm around his back to support him on his jelly like legs.

"Attention seeking prat." Ron said loudly enough for Harry to hear him, as well as half the class and a certain dominant Dracken.

"Ten more points from Gryffindor and a detention tonight Weasley for disrupting my class further! What will it take for you to learn to keep your abnormally large mouth closed?" Snape snapped.

Harry giggled, but hid it under a hacking cough, draping himself over Blaise, who half dragged; half carried him out of the Potions classroom.

Harry was sweating profusely by the time Draco and Blaise had led him to the seventh floor from the dungeons and he was out of breath when they reached their rooms. He collapsed onto their settee and just lay there whining deeply in the back of his throat.

"I don't know what's wrong with you diletto. I'm sorry." Blaise apologised as he caressed his cheek, looking so apologetic it was borderline pathetic.

Harry smiled and turned to lay a kiss to the hand on his face. "You can't know everything Blaise. Maybe this is what a second heat is supposed to be like."

"We'll wait for Severus." Draco told him worriedly. "He'll know what's wrong. He's older than all of us, he can help."

Harry nodded slowly as he settled down more into the soft cushions. He couldn't control the continuous whine, he couldn't stop it and it made it very difficult to fall asleep, but somehow he managed it.

He woke up to a rough hand on his forehead and he hissed pitifully at it rolling away to stop the dominant Dracken from touching him.

"Kindly keep still Mister Potter." Snape's silky drawl cut through his sleepy hissing and Harry pouted a bit, but remained still as that hand clamped down over his forehead again. "You're temperature shouldn't have risen this high."

"He is on heat tomorrow." Draco pointed out, his voice coming from the chair behind Snape.

"It still shouldn't be this high. Harry have you accepted Draco? This sort of occurrence only happens when you don't have all of your mates around you in the week commencing your heat."

"Yes." Harry answered immediately with no preamble or hesitance.

"Perhaps the rejection messed with the breeding cycle." Snape hedged looking thoughtful. "No submissive has ever partly rejected a dominant and then taken the same dominant as a mate."

"What are you saying?" Harry asked worriedly, he had come to love Draco, he couldn't lose him now.

"That perhaps your Dracken hasn't fully accepted Draco back."

"Well that will be sorted by the heat won't it? I love Draco, I don't care what my Dracken wants, he's mine!"

"You may not have a choice in that Mister Potter."

"Damn well watch me have a choice!" Harry snarled.

He couldn't believe that after everything he might still lose Draco. It wasn't a bloody option!

"We will ultimately find out tomorrow." Snape said, before rising to his feet from his knelt down position by the settee.

"There is nothing you can do?" Blaise asked.

"I cannot do anything, Mister Zabini, because I do not know what the problem is."

Blaise nodded and the three of them watched as Snape left their rooms and shut the door behind him. Harry looked at his two mates and bit his lip. Come tomorrow everything could be blissfully wonderful, or everything would be utterly ruined.

* * *

Harry's eyes snapped open and he breathed in deeply, wide awake in a matter of seconds. He rolled on the bed between his mates; sweat beading on his body which felt constrained by his clothing.

He kicked off his boxer shorts and yanked off his sleep shirt. He rolled around and pulled in another deep breath. He remembered this part of the heat all too well and he wasn't happy to have to go through the burning again, he hated the feeling of being burnt alive.

He mewled and whined in distress and both Blaise and Draco were awake within moments, both touching him, both kissing every inch of his body, both ripping off the minimal clothing they had gone to bed in.

Blaise took over his mouth as Draco latched onto a nipple, sucking it viciously. Harry arched from the bed and twisted his hands into Blaise's hair, tugging on it and pulling him closer.

Draco's mouth slid from his nipple and down to his side, nipping gently on the soft flesh of his belly, his hand cupping his bum and squeezing it, making Harry moan into Blaise's mouth.

Blaise pulled Harry's body under his own and Harry felt the hardness that pressed against him. Somewhere in the back of his mind he had thought that Draco would be the one to take him first, but the thought was driven from his mind by a single forward thrust of Blaise's hips as his mate imbedded himself inside of his body.

Harry mewled as he jerked in response to Blaise's movements, feeling only a small burn in his lower back at the sudden completion caused by his mate's body joining his through his tiny entrance. The small burn couldn't ever hope to achieve the level of pure heat and searing discomfort that his body already felt and was very quickly forgotten as Blaise started to move within him as Draco moved his mouth down to nibble and lick his hips.

Harry screamed and instinctually moved his body to encase Blaise within him, his claws keeping his chest pressed to Blaise's, even as Draco came between their lower bodies, stopping them from being completely together as one. It didn't matter, Draco was a part of them, Draco was a mate, but he wasn't the only one. Harry needed all of his mates to get him pregnant and he wanted so desperately to become so.

He threw his head back and let out a very loud, high pitched wail. He wanted to be pregnant, he wanted a chick, he didn't care if it would be his only chick, but he wanted one, just the one. He begged through his continuous whine that his mates give him just one chick. He would be content then.

Blaise stilled within him and Harry felt the flood of hot wetness within him, but before he could bask in the feel of his mate's fertile seed within him, he was filled once more, this time by Draco.

Harry screamed again and hooked his legs around Draco's hips pulling his mate into his body, desperate to get rid of the pulsing heat that was destroying his body piece by piece, desperate to have just one chick to love and care for.

Blaise slid behind him and Harry's hands, including his claws, were pulled off of Draco's shoulders and he was pulled backwards to lay on Blaise's lap.

"Bello. Ti amo. This may hurt just slightly more Mio amore." Blaise told him in a raw and guttural voice that Harry barely recognised but knew on an instinctual level.

"Ti amo Blaise. I love you Draco." Harry whispered right before Draco pushed himself in along with Blaise.

Harry screamed but it wasn't entirely from pleasure as the slight burn in his lower back and bum turned into a flare of white hot pain. He convulsed on his mates and they held him and stroked him, kissing, licking, laving, touching, caressing, anything to take his mind off of the pain.

Draco licked an erogenous patch of skin just behind his ear and Harry moaned as Draco manipulated it to his will, sucking on it and lightly nibbling it.

It was sometime through his fourth orgasm that Harry became aware that something wasn't quite right. There were too many hands touching him, too many mouths. He had the momentary thought that he had been driven insane by the sensations caused by his dual mates, but then he opened to eyes to count three heads, not two, six hands, not four, three mouths, not two. There was another person here with them, another person disrupting their heat, but then Harry realised that no…this person, this man, was not interrupting their heat, he was joining in, he was touching and caressing him, kissing and licking, but Harry felt completely at ease.

Draco and Blaise were including this new man, they weren't fighting him, they were at ease with him, sharing with him and Harry was frightened. Who was this man and why was he joining in on their mating, their heat, the heat he was on to fully bond with Draco, his second mate.

"Hush little love." The man whispered seductively into his ear. "I felt your call and I answered, you wish for babies, I can give them to you."

This man was brutal with him, but gentle taking care not to rip his insides, nor to hit places that were already bruised from Draco and Blaise.

Harry watched them through lust blown eyes as Draco lowered his mouth to kiss Blaise's muscled back as his first mate lowered his head to breathe a kiss over Harry's left nipple. He was forced to close his eyes with a gasp as the new Dracken that he didn't even know the name of struck deep inside his body, holding his hips in an almost punishing grip.

A set of teeth he didn't know caught his shoulder in a quick, but hard bite and Harry's hips jerked upwards reflexively. He whined deep in his throat, he -wanted his mate's seed.

Harry's eyes snapped open again at that thought, something was going on here, he was only on his second heat period, he only needed two mates, was this third Dracken using magic to make him, and Blaise and Draco, think that he needed a third mate. Was this third Dracken trying to coerce Harry into being his mate by getting him pregnant with his chicks?

Another powerful thrust and all though was driven from Harry's mind as he clung to the third Dracken and whined for his seed again. Harry looked into those dark eyes and couldn't find a colour to them.

Then he could barely make out Draco and Blaise beside him in the dark, it seemed his heat had stolen over him in the middle of the night and through the pitch blackness, it was only his superior sight that allowed him to see silhouettes and make out the bodies and faces of his mates, he couldn't discern colour from the dim lighting of the room, he wished dearly that there was light so he could see the face of the one who was fucking him so thoroughly. How he wished it wasn't a moonless night, maybe the light of the moon would have let him see the face of the new Dracken.

Harry couldn't believe it, there were three of them! He had been hoping that two would be more than enough, even as the Elder had told him might need one, maybe two more to ground him to stop him from going insane and killing his own chicks, but hell this wasn't what he had been expecting! He'd have to talk to the Elder and work out what the hell had happened here tonight, because from what he had been told he couldn't accept two mates at once, so why had he tonight?

Unfortunately for him his new third mate seemed to recover quicker than any of them and he was lovingly rearranging Harry before pushing into him once more as Harry tiredly cried out, his screamed raw throat stealing his voice.

"Please! Please!" He cried out desperately, not sure if he was crying for the heat to stop already or if he was begging for more.

The third Dracken didn't answer, he just grunted and upped his thrusts, hitting deeper inside of him and wringing another orgasm from his tired and spent body. He'd sleep for a week after these ten days were over, he was sure of it.

* * *

Harry woke up slowly and lethargically. His body was dead tired and as his stomach grumbled loudly in the silence of the bedroom, Harry contemplated ignoring it and his bladder in favour of falling back to sleep.

His bladder won out as it threatened to burst in the bed where he lay and he crawled out of the warm cocoon and bum shuffled his way down the stairs because he didn't trust his legs to carry him down safely, this had the repercussion of making his bum ache after every step until when he reached the bottom he was nearly in tears, but he had reached the bottom without falling, an accomplishment by his standards.

He relieved himself and washed his hands, using the sink to stay on his feet. Harry contemplated falling asleep in the pool sized, empty bath, but came to the conclusion that it wouldn't be very comfortable.

Harry crawled out of the bathroom on his hands and knees, his bum too sore to sit on and his body too tired, too hungry to get up and use energy to walk. The sight of all the stairs back up to the warm, comfortable bed made him feel like crying. For the first time he felt like cursing Dumbledore for giving them a bed on a ledge that was only accessible by a set of stairs that was looking like a mountain right about now.

Harry whined in the back of his throat, only lightly. He was distressed, but it wasn't anything he couldn't deal with himself. However he was up in someone's arms before he had finished one whine.

"You should have called." Draco's smooth, aristocratic voice sounded, deep and guttural, like the skin was missing from his voice box.

"I didn't think anyone was here." Harry answered snuggling up tightly to Draco, laying a kiss to the underside of his chin.

Harry felt very, very affectionate towards Draco and he basked in the feeling of the full bond. His Dracken was not even close to thinking about rejecting Draco now. In fact the merest whisper of rejecting Draco caused his Dracken to hiss deeply in displeasure.

"I'm here love, Blaise has gone hunting. I wanted to go as well but he rationalised that one of us had to stay with you because you got upset if you were on your own. He decided to hunt because he knew what you liked best; not that staying here is any hardship on me, just that I wish to prove myself capable of providing for you."

"You don't need to do that." Harry said even as his Dracken stated firmly that yes Draco did need to do that at some point.

"I'm going hunting for dinner, seeing as it's near enough lunch time."

Harry smiled and allowed Draco to carry him into the living room and settle him on the settee, before lifting his head and sitting down, replacing Harry's head in his lap where he proceeded to comb his fingers through Harry's untameable hair, massaging his scalp.

Harry fell asleep quickly under the ministrations and only woke up when a large thump made him nearly jump out of his skin.

"Be quiet!" Draco hissed, but it was too late, Harry was already awake.

He peered over the back of the settee, using the cushions to pull himself up enough to see. Blaise had laid a still twitching buck on the floor of their living room and Draco was now in his face hissing at him for waking him up.

"Stop it!" Harry demanded sleepily. "It doesn't matter that the thump woke me up, the smell coming off of that would have woken me up anyway."

Harry's stomach backed him up by clenching and rumbling loudly, making Harry almost double over in hunger pains.

"Eat Harry, Prezioso." Blaise encouraged, gently leading him to sit in front of the still spasaming animal.

Harry unsheathed his claws and skinned an area of the animal's side before he cut out a lump of fresh, skinned meat, his fangs retracting from his gums as he tore into the tough meat, sucking the still warm blood from it before happily diving back down to strip flesh from bone with his teeth.

Harry ate until the ache left his belly and then he offered Blaise and Draco some of his food. Neither declined as they both sat and began feeding him lumps of warm meat, before gulping down their own.

Harry lay back against Blaise when he could no longer eat another bite. Blaise had also stopped eating, but as the bigger dominant who needed more food than the both of them, Draco was still happily foraging in the skeleton of the buck, stripping lone bits of meat from the bones.

"Do you feel better Mio amore?"

"Yes thank you love. I feel so much better, though I am sore. Did you use the cream again?"

Blaise smiled and pecked his forehead gently. "Of course, I wouldn't leave you in pain."

"But I am still in pain. Why did you and Draco have to take me at the same time?"

Draco and Blaise shared a look that set his teeth on edge; he looked between them and then frowned.

"What? Did I say something wrong?"

"No. Harry, how much do you remember of the last ten days?" Draco asked cautiously.

"I didn't remember everything right away last time; it took an hour or so for my mind to catch up. Why, what happened? What did I do?"

"It is not what you did innamorato, it is what happened." Blaise told him softly.

"What happened?" Harry asked a clenching in his gut that told him he wouldn't like it.

"There is someone who we locked up in the wardrobe love."

"Excuse me, what?" Harry asked. "Who have you locked in the wardrobe and why?"

"It seems that…well Mio Amore it seems that…"

Blaise seemed unable to form the words that he needed and Harry took a deep breath to stop himself from snapping, something told him that it wouldn't help anything.

"What Blaise is trying, and failing very spectacularly to do, is to say is that a Dracken joined us during our heat period. Neither I nor Blaise attacked him or felt the need to attack him; we were at ease with him, as if he was supposed to be there. We have no idea how he came to join our heat and until we can determine what happened and that he is not a danger to you, he will remain in the wardrobe."

Harry had a sudden remembered moment of a huge, thick set man ramming his equally large and thick cock into his body and his stomach clenched as his blood seared with pleasure which ended with his cock giving a feeble twitch, too spent from the ten day sex-a-thon to do much more.

"I mated with him." Harry realised with a jolt. He had three mates. Three not two.

"We want to make sure that he is actually a mate and hasn't coerced you into mating with him." Blaise stated, wrapping an arm around him.

"Does it matter if he coerced me or not? He's still my mate."

"We can kill him if he coerced you." Draco put in lightly as if he were talking about clothes shopping and not killing another man.

"Won't that have an effect on me?"

"No." Blaise put in carefully. "If he were your only mate I would worry for you, but he isn't, you have Draco and I also."

"The fact that you might not have even needed him as a mate also counts in favour of killing him." Draco added just as easily and lightly as before. "It means that your Dracken won't miss him if we eliminate him."

"Right can we stop talking about killing him like he's a damn mosquito please?" Harry stated suddenly. "And we can't leave him locked in the bloody wardrobe! Not only does he need to eat and more than likely needs the bathroom, I actually need to get to my clothes!"

"Why?"

"Why what?" Harry snapped back at Draco.

"Why do you need to wear clothes? I am very much enjoying the view."

Harry threw a rib bone at Draco, who caught it and snapped it like a twig. Harry crossed his arms over his chest and pouted. Blaise kissed him and pulled him into his arms.

"Professor Snape is coming up to take the Dracken away to question him along with Elder Trintus, they will find out one way or the other what happened Mio Amore. Veritaserum does work on Drackens after all."

Harry chuckled a bit at that remembering his fourth year when Snape had threatened him with the same potion. He snuggled into Blaise and didn't so much as twitch when Draco cuddled up against his back, sandwiching him between the two of them. He felt safe and loved and protected. He could get used to this. Now if only he didn't have an unknown dominant Dracken, who he was somehow mated with, locked in his wardrobe everything would be perfect.

* * *

A/N: So which side of the Marmite effect are you on? Do you love the twist, or hate it? If you don't let your opinion be heard I don't know what you think so I can't gauge your reactions so let me know what you think, even if it's a one word review or a PM, I don't mind, just talk to me.

Thanks to **an angel's whisper** for being the **2,700th reviewer**.

StarLight Massacre. X


	18. Survival

_Last Time_

_Harry chuckled a bit at that remembering his fourth year when Snape had threatened him with the same potion. He snuggled into Blaise and didn't so much as twitch when Draco cuddled up against his back, sandwiching him between the two of them. He felt safe and loved and protected. He could get used to this. Now if only he didn't have an unknown dominant Dracken, who he was somehow mated with, locked in his wardrobe everything would be perfect._

Chapter Eighteen – Survival 

Harry groaned as he lounged on the settee later that night. It was seven at night and Harry had just finished eating the soft tender doe that Draco had hunted for their dinner.

He felt so full that every slight movement that he made caused his belly to feel like it would rupture.

Harry groaned again and rolled over into a more comfortable position for his belly. Perhaps he had eaten just a tad too much meat, but he hadn't wanted to hurt Draco's feelings by only eating a bit of the doe the blonde had so proudly displayed to him.

Harry had been asleep when Snape had come to take away the dominant who had somehow become his third mate. He was a bit put out because Draco and Blaise seemed to know who it was, but they weren't telling him anything. He knew he would find out sooner or later, but he would rather it was the former over the latter.

Snape had come to take Blaise away for 'questioning' and Harry was left to wrap around Draco, who was sitting on the floor beside the settee, rubbing soothing circles onto his back.

The portrait door opened and Blaise walked back in looking disgruntled. Harry peered at him and asked softly. "What happened?"

"Not a lot Mio Amore. Draco, Professor Snape wishes for your presence."

Draco nodded. "Take over for me here, Harry has a stomach ache."

Blaise settled beside Draco and those smaller hands took over the soothing pattern. Harry sighed softly; he had such amazing mates who were so good to him. His Uncle had been wrong after all, he had found, not one, but two, absolutely wonderful men to settle down with, men who loved everything from his messy hair to his little toes.

"Is it looking bad?" Harry mumbled a while later, his eyes closed in pure bliss as Blaise rubbed his back and sides gently, lovingly.

"It depends on what you think is bad Bello. It is looking like the Dracken did not use any coercion to become your mate and that you called out to him and he answered your call. It is looking like he is a legitimate mate of ours, though how it is possible; we are still trying to work out."

"Is he at least nice?" Harry asked, wondering how he'd deal with this new man if he was nasty and cruel.

"Nice looking or nice mannerisms?" Blaise asked.

Harry opened his mouth to answer nice as in kind, but stopped himself; he instead considered the question before deciding he wanted an answer for both.

"Both."

"He is very handsome and very strong." Blaise answered. "From what I know of him he is a nice person and would make a good mate."

"So there is no reason to kill him?"

"None at all at the moment Prezioso."

"Good because I think that even if I wouldn't go insane or anything from losing a mate, I think it would hurt something deep inside of me if we had to kill him."

Blaise sighed and stilled his hands for a moment before resuming his slow circles.

"A Dracken never really gets over the loss of a mate innamorato. Professor Snape is proof enough of that. He could have taken another mate by now if he had wished, but when we have lost the ones we love so dearly, it is always hard to think of replacing them with someone different. You would likely feel the death of this new mate for years to come, even after being mated for such a small amount of time, but you would get over it eventually, with Draco and I with you and the children we would give you would be sufficient in distracting you from his loss."

"Can we please not talk like we have already set the execution date please?" Harry asked as his stomach bubbled a bit in disgust.

"Of course Prezioso."

They fell into comfortable silence, Blaise's hands still rubbing his back and sides and Harry thinking about how everything had changed, wondering how things could have gone so terribly wrong even when the entire heat period had been planned out and prepared for.

* * *

Harry had been taken down to the dungeons by both of his mates when Draco was finished with his questioning; apparently it was his turn now.

Harry sat opposite Elder Trintus and Professor Snape and allowed three drops of clear liquid to be placed carefully on his tongue. He swallowed and looked at the two men in front of him, waiting for their questions.

"Alright Harry dear, do you remember what happened during your heat period?" Elder Trintus asked gently.

"Yes." He replied monotonously, aware of what he was saying, but he had absolutely no control over what he said, it was a frightening feeling.

"Do you remember sending out a call during your heat?"

"Yes."

"Can you tell us why you sent out this call?" Snape asked.

"I wanted my mates to give me children."

"So you let out a call to your mates demanding to give you children?"

"Yes."

"When did you notice that another dominant had joined you in your heat?"

"I didn't know the time during the heat period, but it was early on, some when during the first night, definitely within the first four hours of me being on heat."

"Did you feel uncomfortable with him present?"

"No."

"Did you feel like pushing him away at any point?"

"No. It felt like he should have been there, like I wouldn't have been complete had he not been there."

"Now this question is very serious Harry, did you kiss or touch any unmated Dracken in the time frame of you accepting Draco Malfoy and going on heat with him?"

"Yes."

"Do you remember who these Drackens are and what you did with them?"

"Yes."

"Would you care to tell us please?"

"Henley and I kissed and hugged. Nasta and I cuddled and I used to kiss his cheek and he used to kiss my hair or hand. Arsenio kissed my hand. Jensen licked the back of my ear. Declan kissed my temple. Maximilius and I snogged out by the lake just before he told me that I was emitting pheromones…"

"Stop Harry, you and Maximilius shared a passionate kiss together just before he informed you that your Dracken was rejecting Draco?"

"Yes."

The two older Dracken's shared a look that Harry didn't like and something clicked in his mind.

"My third mate is Max isn't it?"

"I'm afraid so Harry dear." Elder Trintus informed him gravely. "Do you remember at any time after the kiss with Maximilius if he ever acted differently around you? Possessive, jealous? Perhaps he didn't like anyone touching you or if he wanted all of your attention on himself?"

"Yes. We shared a picnic the day I got out of the hospital wing to celebrate, he was acting possessive then, he didn't like Nasta touching me."

"Dear oh dear."

"It isn't all that bad." Harry reasoned. "I like Max and he would make a good dominant."

"You have accepted him completely, as you have Draco."

"Yes, I believe so."

"Harry is Blaise your mate?"

"Yes."

"Is Draco your mate?"

"Yes."

"Is Maximilius your mate?"

"Yes."

"All three of them completely? Not half, all of them."

"Yes."

"You don't feel like rejecting them?"

"No."

"Remarkable." Elder Trintus said in awe. "Your Dracken accepted Maximilius as your mate through the passionate kiss you shared when you rejected Draco, then you overpowered your Dracken and took Draco back as a mate, the result is you have essentially mated with them both when you should have only mated with Maximilius. Drackens do not ever take back dominants that they have rejected, usually because the reason they rejected the dominant in the first place is something that they could never forgive."

"They are both my mates aren't they?" Harry asked as he pulled a face at the bitter tasting antidote Snape dripped onto his tongue.

"Yes Harry my dear. After questioning all four of you it is very clear that all four of you are mates."

"Does that mean I don't need to search for another mate now?" He asked with hope in his eyes. He saw the answer in the way Elder Trintus' eyes and face softened in sympathy. "I still need another mate? Are you kidding me?"

"You have only partially mated with Draco and Maximilius, together they make up one mate, you will still need a grounding mate."

"How is it possible that two people only make up one? That doesn't make sense!"

"You rejected Draco, Potter. Then you accepted another mate to yourself in the time where Draco was no longer your mate. You then ignored your new mate in favour of fighting your Dracken to seal Draco to you once more. They are your mates and you are their submissive, no one can break you apart or take them away from you now, but their bonds were messed with during the time from their acceptance to the heat you just experienced. You accepted them both as mates and you mated with them both during the same heat period, your Dracken sees them as only one mate, so you need a fourth mate now or your Dracken side will be unstable." Snape explained as simply as he possibly could.

"But this fourth mate will definitely be the last one now, yes?" Harry asked desperately.

"If you don't have any more dramas like you have displayed in the last two months then yes. This mate will be your last."

"Thank god." Harry sighed in relief. "Where is Max by the way?"

"Explaining to the Headmaster why he was passionately kissing one of his students on the grounds of the school without a chaperone present." Elder Trintus answered.

Harry went pale. The Headmaster could be very protective of his students and of himself especially. Harry saw the man as more than a school Headmaster and he was sure that the Headmaster saw him as more than a favourite student. Their meeting could turn ugly.

"I would suggest Mister Potter, that you return to your rooms and allow the Headmaster to speak to Mister Maddison about his improper actions." Snape drawled in his most silkiest voice, the one that warned Harry not to disobey or his body bits would end up pickled and floating in jars.

Harry nodded and hoped that Max even wanted to speak to him after the Headmaster was through with tearing him a new arsehole.

* * *

Harry was nervously pacing at ten o'clock that night. Max still hadn't come to their rooms, even though he had been assured that the older Dracken knew where they were.

The Headmaster had lost him his third mate! It had been two hours; surely the Headmaster would have been finished with Max by now! What was he going to do if his mate rejected him?

"Calm down Harry love." Draco told him calmly. "I'm sure he'll be here."

"You want him here?" Harry asked looking to Draco hopefully. "You don't mind him? I mean he did practically almost ruin your bond."

"He's your mate now Harry, there is nothing I can do or say to change that." Draco replied diplomatically.

"But do you hold it against him? Are you going to snub him or give him the cold shoulder? I can't live with a bunch of mates who can't even stay in the same room!"

Blaise wrapped his arms around him and pulled him down onto his lap. "Hush Mio Prezioso. Neither of us are going to snub Maximilius. Your Dracken chose him and we have no say in who or how many mates you have, it must be your decision. We are going to live with whatever you decide innamorato."

Harry smiled and looked for confirmation from Draco who nodded his head seriously.

"We don't have to like it Harry, but we will live with it. I don't mind that he interrupted what was supposed to be my bonding heat; I got more than enough turns with you without him or Blaise. I just don't like how all of this has happened. He came to us when we were at our most vulnerable."

"Most vulnerable?" Harry questioned.

"Harry, during heat is when a Dracken is at his, or her, most vulnerable stage. We are almost completely unaware of everything that happens around us, we are powerless to stop anything that might happen because we are so focused on you and your pleasure, there is only one thing on our minds when we are on heat, you and your pleasure, conceiving children with our submissive, everything else is meaningless." Blaise explained.

"Are you saying that…that a gang of hostile people could come in and we wouldn't be able to do anything?" Harry asked horrified.

"That is exactly what I am saying Bello. There have been many cases of Drackens being killed whilst they have been on heat, one submissive and her three dominants burnt to death when their house caught fire and they were caught in a period of heat, they just burnt to death because none of them could break the focus of the heat, I doubt they even knew the house was on fire in the first place."

"That's horrible!" Harry exclaimed.

"Such is the weakness of a Dracken. The second and last time a Dracken is at their most vulnerable is when a submissive is giving birth. If the dominants aren't near the submissive, or are taken out, the submissive is helpless against the opposing force."

"God help us." Harry whispered out as he turned to cuddle into Blaise.

"Perhaps it is time we retired to bed, we need to recover our energy for when we return to classes tomorrow and we have done little sleeping in the past ten days."

"But Max…"

"Knows where we are Prezioso. He will find us when he is ready."

Harry didn't like it, but he couldn't deny that he was bone tired as a yawn almost dislocated his jaw. He nodded sullenly and let Draco and Blaise lead him to their platform bed. It was bigger than the last time he had seen it, much bigger.

"I enlarged it so Max could fit into it." Draco told him. "I had to extend the end of it as well, honestly how a man grows to be six foot eight I'll never know, it's almost too big to be natural."

"He's a Dracken, he grew with his inheritance." Harry told Draco.

"We don't grow in height Mio Amore." Blaise told him with a smile. "We swell with muscle and we gain a few inches maybe, but for Max to have become six foot eight, he must have already been six foot six in height. He was always destined to be very large."

Harry frowned as he crawled into bed. He closed his eyes, but he was still awake long after Draco and Blaise had fallen asleep. They had forgotten one very important fact of new bonds. He wouldn't be able to sleep without Max near him.

Sighing softly, Harry rolled out of the bed and padded down the stairs. He was going to be exhausted come tomorrow, but no matter how tired he was, he couldn't fall asleep and he didn't have any more Dreamless Sleep left over from when he had needed to sleep near Draco and couldn't because he didn't trust him.

He could have gone to ask Professor Snape for some more, but Harry doubted that the man would want to be woken up at two in the morning just for him to ask for a potion. Madam Pomfrey could also give him a sleeping potion, but again Harry didn't want to pad all the way down to the hospital wing, wake her up just to ask for a potion, there was no reason two of them needed to have disturbed sleep after all.

Sitting on the settee, Harry curled himself up and sunk deep into his thoughts. Everything had turned upside down. Just seven months ago he had been a human boy looking forward to going back to school. Then on his sixteenth birthday everything had changed, he had changed. He had turned into a labelled dark creature, a Dracken and not just any Dracken, a bloody rare male submissive Dracken.

Then he had come to school, concealing his new and alarming species status and almost a month later he had mated to someone that previously he had never even spoken to. Everything had happened so fast, too quick, not enough time for anything to sink in.

Before he could even get used to Blaise, he had been separated from him, which had hurt him deeply inside, to parade around a damned house with a hundred other dominant Drackens all intent on groping the skin off of him whilst his actual mate looked on, neither of them able to do anything about it.

Then he had learnt that he needed to do it all over again just to get pregnant, something which he still hadn't been sure he wanted. Hell he was sixteen years old! He remembered what his Aunt had used to say about teenaged pregnancy, only she had been slagging off Mrs number forty-eight's granddaughter, who had gotten pregnant at fifteen. The scandal it had caused the entire of little whinging had been enough to drive poor Mrs Huddson and her Husband to move house. But Harry remembered the awful things that people had spat at Mrs Huddson, calling her a bad Mother for not raising her daughter up properly enough to teach her granddaughter, calling the little granddaughter a slut and a whore. Aunt Petunia had been on her high horse for months and months, saying that she had waited until she had married before partaking in sexual activities. Harry had valued his life back then so he hadn't voiced aloud his opinion that she had had to wait until she was married because no one other than Vernon Dursley was that desperate.

Now all he wanted was a baby, but he would still be a teenaged Mother, his baby's Father would still be a teenager, Harry's back straightened then, unless the baby's Father was Max, then he would be a sixteen year old Mother whose baby would have a thirty-one year old Father. Oh hell.

There had to be a rule or something against that somewhere. Did he even want a baby right now? It would interfere with his school work, he still needed to complete another year of schooling before he graduated, hell how many kids did Blaise say he could have? He'd be overrun with them and the school definitely wouldn't be the best place to raise kids, how the hell did other Drackens manage? He couldn't be the only one that was overwhelmed. But then he remembered that nearly all Drackens were scented out at birth and they were raised knowing what would happen, they had sixteen years to get used to the idea, he had had literally overnight to come to terms with being mated and then he had had a second mate thrown on top, then there was that drama of his Dracken rejecting Draco, then he had apparently accepted Max as a mate and then forced Draco back into being his mate and now he had three and there was a high possibility he was pregnant with one of their babies and oh hell he needed a break.

This wasn't how he saw his life. This wasn't how it was supposed to be! His life should have been calm now, blissful now that Voldemort was dead and his Death Eaters either dead or in Azkaban. He may have lost Sirius in the Department of Mysteries, but hell he had gotten rid of Voldemort there too!

He didn't know what that beast had hoped to accomplish by possessing him but it really hadn't gone his way when Harry had forced his love for his friends upon him. Harry could still hear the screams of agony, of rage and pain. Voldemort had been seared to death by Harry's intense love for his friends, for Sirius and Remus as his parental figures, his love for Dumbledore as a mentor and perhaps as an eccentric Uncle or Grandfather.

Voldemort had curled up as his flesh had flayed around him, the remaining parts of his soul hidden all over Britain burning and turning to ash through the love that they couldn't understand, that they had never been shown nor felt. It was sad really that a grown man had never known an ounce of love from anyone, it was even sadder that that lack of understanding for such a simple yet complex emotion as love had killed such a terrible man. Harry hated knowing that it was the strength of his love for those around him that had ultimately killed the one who had taken so much from him.

It was fitting really though when he thought about it. His Mother had stood in front of him, had given her life to save him through her absolute and heart deep love for him and Voldemort had killed her regardless of her pleas. Fifteen years later he had killed the one who had taken her life so mercilessly, so emotionlessly with the burning love he held for her and his Father and for everyone around him. Maybe it was fates way of redeeming to him everything that he had lost, by giving him X amount of men to love and be loved in return as well as cared for and cherished and allowing him to have babies so he could have the family that had been so cruelly ripped away from him at such a young and tender age. He had been struggling to survive all his life and now that he had actually survived against all the odds, he was at a loss as to what to do.

"Harry?"

Harry startled badly and looked to the portrait door where the huge, formidable form of Maximilius Diadesen Maddison stood, filling the stone archway completely.

The large man rushed forward and fell hard onto his knees in front of Harry, who was frozen on the settee.

"I am so sorry Harry. I didn't mean for it to happen, I couldn't control myself, I couldn't stop even though I knew what I was doing would frighten and confuse you. I felt you go onto heat and I knew I had to be there, but I barricaded myself in my room to keep from running to you and scaring you, but when you started calling to me, I had to answer your call, you were _my_ mate, I had to answer you when you called."

Harry had never heard the fun loving Max in such distress, he was holding Harry's hands in both of his own, looking imploringly into his eyes and was on his knees begging to be forgiven, but Harry didn't know what needed to be forgiven, Max hadn't done anything wrong. Their Drackens had acted on instinct, like they were supposed to, that wasn't Max's fault.

Harry leant forward and smiled as his Dracken practically made him purr at the contact with his third mate. Max wrapped those huge arms around him and Harry could hardly believe that he had thought that Draco's arms were huge. Max's had to have been twice the size.

"Max." Harry sighed happily. "You couldn't stop yourself, I know that. I couldn't stop myself from calling out. I wanted chicks, I wanted my mates, so I started calling and I couldn't stop myself. I don't blame you, you are my mate and I'm glad you joined in on the heat."

Max was, for once, speechless and he just held Harry in the curve of his body lowering his head to smell the soft scent that came from Harry's tufty hair.

He suspected that Harry was pregnant. There had been an eighty percent chance that he had conceived during the last ten days and the affectionate way he was behaving towards him seemed to be a big indication that he had conceived. He had heard that a Dracken who had not conceived whilst being on a fertile heat turned violent and aggressive towards their mates.

Harry had fallen asleep in his arms and Max didn't know what to do. He had never imagined that he would be mated to this beautiful, kind and unique boy in front of him. He barely knew Blaise and he knew even less about Draco. Would they accept him into their bed? It would be disconcerting to go to sleep and wake up and he was suddenly in their bed.

Biting his bottom lip, Max slid Harry into his lap and pushed his arms underneath the tiny body; he lifted Harry up into his arms and carefully slid onto the settee and lay down, his legs hung off the end of the settee at the knees, leaving his lower legs to dangle in the air.

Max carefully, slowly, gently moved Harry to lay lengthways down his body and cuddled him on his chest. It was uncomfortable for him, very uncomfortable, but as Harry snuffled in his sleep and cuddled in closer, he realised that he didn't give a flying fuck that he was going to be stiff and have cramps and pins and needles all through his legs tomorrow.

He was a mated man now, a mated man with a submissive and two other dominants and a possible clutch of chicks on the way. It was complicated and this…relationship needed work, it needed a lot of work and effort and it would be so hard, but Max couldn't for one minute think of a time in his adult life that he had ever been happier than he was at the moment. He had a mate, he was actually mated and he had somehow managed to get the most amazing, beautiful, kind submissive he had ever had the good fortune to meet.

* * *

I hope you've all enjoyed this chapter,

StarLight Massacre. X


	19. Repetitive Renditions

_Last Time_

_He was a mated man now, a mated man with a submissive and two other dominants and a possible clutch of chicks on the way. It was complicated and this…relationship needed work, it needed a lot of work and effort and it would be so hard, but Max couldn't for one minute think of a time in his adult life that he had ever been happier than he was at the moment. He had a mate, he was actually mated and he had somehow managed to get the most amazing, beautiful, kind submissive he had ever had the good fortune to meet._

Chapter Nineteen – Repetitive Renditions

Harry woke up to very feral, hostile growling. He blinked and found his vision obscured by the most beautiful, bright blue wings he had even laid eyes on. He touched the stunning equally bright blue scales and the owner of said wings and scales shivered.

Harry peeked over the top of those wings, standing up to do so as they were so large and looked between the juncture of Max's neck and his wing. Draco and Blaise were standing opposite, Blaise looked tired and exasperated, Draco was the source of the hostile growling.

"W'as going on?" Harry slurred sleepily.

"Draco believes that Max stole you from our bed last night so he could turn you against us." Blaise explained with a small shake of the head.

"I would never turn against you!" Harry stated sharply. "I love each and every one of you exactly the same Draco, how could you accuse me of something like that?"

"He is just jealous and feeling a bit insecure so he is lashing out." Max told him, his eyes never leaving Draco. "My presence interrupted what was supposed to be his bonding; his Dracken is looking for reassurance that I am not replacing him."

It was in that moment that Harry truly realised that Max was thirty-one. He was older and knew a hell of a lot more than him, Blaise and Draco put together. It reassured him and he draped his arms around Max's neck and nuzzled the skin and strong muscle there with his nose.

"Max is not replacing you Draco, but you have to understand that he is my mate as well. I have three mates that all need my time and attention, it will be much easier on all of us if we can all get along, it means I don't have to separate you all. It wouldn't be fair if I was sitting here in the living room with Max and Blaise and you had to be placed in the bedroom because you can't behave when around the other mates, Draco."

Max was practically melting under Harry's ministrations to his neck. Such affection and love, he had been missing out on so much. He had never realised that being with a mate could be like this.

Harry climbed out from behind Max and went to Draco, standing on his tiptoes to press a kiss to Draco's forehead, his arms going around his neck.

"I love you Draco and I always will. The nightmare of me rejecting you is over and it will not ever happen again. We are bonded now until death do us part. Though don't you go dying on me either."

Harry gave a small smile and dropped back down on his feet to press a kiss to Draco's pale pink lips. Draco wrapped his arms around Harry's waist and dropped his nose into Harry's hair.

"Max didn't steal me from the bedroom either. I couldn't sleep because I didn't have Max with me and I didn't have any more sleeping potions left over, so I came out here so I wouldn't wake either you or Blaise with my restlessness, Max came in about an hour later. I must have fallen asleep then."

"You did." Max reassured him with a smile. "I fell asleep under you."

"He didn't even want to use magic to expand the settee." Blaise smirked. "He thought that wiggling his wand out of his pocket and waving it around would wake you up."

Max went a very faint pink, but he did nothing else to show his embarrassment as he waved Blaise off with a grin.

Harry chuckled as he hopped up to wrap his legs around Draco, whose arm almost automatically slid under his bum to support him.

"Do we have lessons today? Actually what day is it?" Harry asked.

"It's Tuesday today, we should really have gone back to lessons yesterday, but due to the drama it was probably for the best that we didn't." Blaise answered.

"So we do have lessons?"

"Yes, in an hour or so, but breakfast first yes?"

Harry looked to Max then, his face scrunched up as he tried to figure out what the thirty-one year old man was going to do all day.

"I'll be going to work Harry. I've been flooing to and from the school from my workplace for these last couple of months. I get off at four."

"Last lesson ends at five and then we have dinner."

Max grinned as he moved to kiss Harry's cheek, grinning even more he kissed Draco's forehead, who growled threateningly, but couldn't do anything else because he was holding onto Harry.

"I'll meet you back here after your dinner." Max told him.

Harry leant forward and gave Max a hug and a more passionate kiss on the lips before Max left for work.

Harry wiggled to be put down and he bounced off to have a shower and to get dressed. He was ready in twenty minutes much to Draco's ever growing disdain.

"I'm not going to spend an hour getting ready Draco." Harry insisted.

"Not an hour then but half an hour at least."

"I already spent twenty minutes getting ready, I won't spend another half an hour getting ready, I wouldn't know what to do!"

"Let me do it for you then."

"No."

Harry pouted as he held both Draco's and Blaise's hands walking into the Great Hall. People stared, people pointed and whispered, but Harry didn't care, for the first time in his life, he didn't care that people were pointing and whispering about him. He had Blaise and Draco and Max, why should he care what other people thought of him when he had his three mates?

Harry sat down and ignored the glare he received from Theodore Nott, who had not given up on getting his hands on Blaise. Harry would have skinned him alive if he had thought for a moment that the human was a threat.

Harry loaded his plate full of meat and happily ate until his heart's content. Though he was glad that both Blaise and Draco had hunted the night previous, this meat was just a tad too cooked for his current tastes, but thanks to the two raw meals he had devoured with his mates, he could handle the cooked meat, even though he didn't really want it.

"Please tell me you aren't dying." A voice demanded.

Harry peeked over his shoulder and grinned at Ginny, whose joyful, child-like face tried to take attention away from the concerned eyes that belied her expression.

"I'm not dying." Harry answered with a smile. "Madam Pomfrey has contained the illness and I should be fine soon enough."

"She did say he might have one more really bad bout of it before it was all out of his system though." Blaise answered quickly and Harry looked at him confusedly.

Harry could have slapped himself as he remembered that he _still_ needed another mate. He didn't feel like he needed one, in fact he felt so content with the three that he had he had forgotten, but Elder Trintus had explained before he had gotten Draco as a mate that he would feel like he wouldn't need another mate, even when he did need one because his Dracken side would only recognise the amount of mates he needed to get him a clutch of chicks, not how many he needed period.

"I can hope can't I?" Harry answered, only Draco and Blaise understanding the double meaning to his words.

He didn't want a fourth mate, hell he hadn't wanted a second mate! Now he was stuck with three and soon to get a fourth, yet he didn't see it as a hardship. He saw his three gorgeous mates and felt like the luckiest person alive, he didn't want a fourth mate but as soon as he had them, he would love them so much he wouldn't be able to think of living without them.

It really was a terrible part of being a Dracken, yet if it gave him the unconditional love of four men and a horde of children who he would love until his dying breath; he wasn't going to bitch about it…too much at least.

"Do you think you'll be fit got our match against Hufflepuff?" Ginny asked.

"No idea. Maybe, maybe not." Harry answered, knowing that there was a huge chance that he would be pregnant for the Hufflepuff match and unable to play. It was why he had thrown himself wholly and completely into the match against Ravenclaw, because he knew that it was likely that it would be his last ever match.

He sighed and placed a hand over his belly, imagining a child growing there.

"Oh dear merlin." Ginny breathed, she grabbed his arm and tugged him out of the Great Hall and away from Draco and Blaise.

"Harry are you having protected sex?" She asked seriously.

Harry blushed to the roots of his hair. "I…that is…don't think it's any of your business."

"This isn't the time for virgin cuteness Harry! It's just occurred to me that you've grown up in the Muggle world, you wouldn't know!"

"Know what Ginny?"

"Wizards can get pregnant Harry." Ginny told him. "If you've been having unprotected sex with other wizards you could be pregnant, you have to get yourself checked over by Madam Pomfrey."

Harry let himself be dragged to the hospital wing all the way knowing that Madam Pomfrey would use the extra sensitive spell used for detecting very early Dracken pregnancies. He didn't know what he wanted the results to be. He knew that there was an incredibly high chance that he was pregnant, he only needed two mates to get pregnant and even though his Dracken only saw Max and Draco as one, he in actual fact had three mates. Yet he didn't want to be pregnant at sixteen! He was too young to properly care for a baby! He didn't even have a full education yet! He didn't have a house for his baby to live in; he didn't have the skills he needed to look after a baby and he didn't have a job!

"What have you been doing this time?" Madam Pomfrey asked with a long suffering sigh.

"He's been having unprotected sex Madam Pomfrey. He didn't know about male pregnancies so he didn't think he needed it." Ginny stated matter of factly whilst Harry blushed beside her.

Madam Pomfrey knew immediately what the problem was. She gave a long look to Harry before bustling around and getting him to hop onto a bed. She handed him a large red coloured book and Harry stared at the title. 'Your Baby and You: What you can expect from a Male Pregnancy.'

"I don't know if I'm pregnant yet!" Harry gasped out indignantly.

"That book contains the incantations for contraceptive charms and the names and ingredients for different potions you can use to help you. It also has all the information you will need on looking after yourself during pregnancy and how to properly care for a newborn baby if it turns out you are pregnant."

"Can we please get on with it?" Harry begged.

Madam Pomfrey nodded her head curtly and waved her wand over his belly gently and then more vigorously. Harry felt her magic seep through his skin and touch something within him, something that made his gums and fingertips ache as his fangs and claws tingled to be released.

It took nearly all of his will power to keep his wings and scales from bursting from his control. He clenched his hands to stop his claws from coming out and he breathed deeply against the urge to attack Madam Pomfrey, to protect his baby.

"Well you are already pregnant Mister Potter. Take that book and read it thoroughly and come back for a check-up in exactly two weeks."

"When did I get pregnant?" Harry asked. "I mean, exactly when?"

"It is impossible to tell you exactly when, but I can tell you that you are only eleven days pregnant."

Harry quickly worked it out. He had gotten pregnant on his second day of the heat, after Max had joined them. Oh hell he was screwed. Three potential Fathers, three potential Fathers who would love nothing more than to sit him in a soft chair and never let him get up again.

"So which of your men did you have _sexual relations_ with eleven days ago Harry?" Ginny asked innocently, but her eyes gleamed as she put emphasis on the word sexual relations, implying explicitly that she meant which of your men thoroughly fucked you eleven days ago.

Harry blushed and went slightly light headed from the rush of blood to his head. He looked from Ginny's eager, salacious face to Madam Pomfrey's sympathetic, yet expectant look.

"All of them."

Ginny giggled. "Harry you dirty, naughty boy."

"Please read the book carefully Mister Potter." Madam Pomfrey told him. "And please come back to see me if you have questions, if you feel like you need to talk or if anything feels amiss. If I don't see you before then, I want to see you in two weeks' time for a check-up."

Harry nodded his understanding and he let Ginny lead him out of the hospital wing.

"Merlin Harry! Your pregnant, you're going to have a baby! You have to tell Mum! She'll be so excited, we all know she sees you as her youngest son; she'll be getting her first grandchild from you! She's been on at Bill and Charlie for years now, it drives them nuts, you can take the pressure off of them, they'll love you forever."

"I…I don't know Ginny. When the papers get a hold of the story I won't be able to move a foot without being hoarded."

"But what happens if the papers get a hold of the story and Mum still doesn't know."

Harry went white and nodded, changing direction up to the Owlery. He called Hedwig down who nuzzled the side of his face and his hair with her beak and tongue.

Ginny handed him a piece of parchment whilst Harry dug out one of his self-inking quills. Then he was stuck, he didn't know what to write.

"Hurry Harry, we don't have much time before lessons start." Ginny urged him.

"Alright alright." Harry conceded, putting quill to parchment and writing a quick but informative letter to Mrs Weasley.

"Hedwig, take this to Mrs Weasley and only Mrs Weasley." Harry told her. She nipped his ear affectionately before flying out of the Owlery and leaving Ginny and Harry to near enough run to their lessons.

* * *

Harry didn't see Blaise or Draco for the next three hours, but that was fine, he stayed with Neville, Dean and Seamus.

At lunch Harry made his way to where he saw a shock of platinum blonde hair and he wrapped his arms around Draco's shoulders, kissing the back of his neck.

Draco pulled Harry around his body and sat him in his lap. Blaise leant forward and gave him a soft, lingering kiss and Harry sighed.

"So Potter, was what Weasley shrieking about this morning true? Are you pregnant?" Pansy Parkinson asked conversationally.

"I had hoped to tell my lovers first, before anyone else but as that is shot to hell now, yes it's true." Harry answered, ignoring Blaise's hand clenching on his and Draco's arms squeezing around his middle.

"Well I suppose this is an impromptu 'welcome to the circle' meeting." Pansy answered.

"A what?" Harry asked.

"You are a Half-blood Potter, yet you have a Pureblood Father, this mistake of your Father's can be forgiven only once, because his Pureblood runs through your veins, if it was diluted anymore, you would not be accepted into the Pureblood circles and neither would your children. The only way for the Potter line to be seen as Pureblooded again is if _you_ marry into a Pureblood line and produce a child. The hardest part for you would have been finding a respectable Pureblood who was willing to impregnate you."

Harry was about to tell Pansy to shove her welcome meeting up her bony arse, that his Father hadn't made any sort of mistake by marrying his Mother, when Draco clamped a hand over his mouth.

"We accept your welcome and look forward to socialising with you in the future." Draco answered formally.

Pansy nodded and turned away. Draco took his hand away from Harry's mouth, who glared at him furiously.

"I know you don't care about the Pureblood social circles Harry, I know your Father didn't make a mistake by marrying your Mother, because then we wouldn't have you here now, but if I have any hope of my parents accepting you, it's easier if you can be claimed as a Pureblood."

Harry let out all the breath he had been holding and sighed. He smiled and patted Draco's cheek.

"If it makes you happy I can put up with it."

Draco smiled, truly smiled then and Harry's heart missed a beat. He pressed his lips to Draco's and wrapped his arms around him.

"I feel left out." Blaise told them with a small smile.

Harry chuckled and reached forward to kiss and hug him as well.

"Why did you have to be so greedy?" A scream yelled from a few seats down.

Harry looked to the screwed up face of Astoria Greengrass and blew out a breath in a huff.

"If you had stuck to Zabini and not been so greedy as to steal Draco away from me I'd still be betrothed to him!"

"Stop screaming Astoria, you are making a scene." Draco told her coolly.

"No! You should have been mine! Because of you I'm now betrothed to some idiot from Spain!"

"We were lightly betrothed and it is very likely that I would have found someone to marry before I ever hit twenty-five. If it hadn't have been Harry, it would have been someone else. If you didn't want to be betrothed to the gentleman your Father picked out for you then you shouldn't have signed the contract."

"It was either sign the contract or be disowned!"

"You made the decision Astoria."

Harry shook his head and turned away from the spectacle of a fourteen year old girl throwing a full blown tantrum and began eating his, very thick, steak. It had been very quickly flash fried and was bloody and red in the middle, but it was cooked and to Harry it took away all pleasure he could have taken in a raw piece of meat.

His unhealthy side orders of seasoned potato wedges and a thick peppercorn sauce had people looking at him curiously. It was hard not to notice someone who made it a point to carry little cucumber sticks around in a plastic tub and ate nearly every fruit and vegetable in the vicinity suddenly tear into a steak with not even a salad in sight.

Harry didn't care though; the crisp lettuce leaves and the ripe cherry tomatoes just weren't appetising to him at the moment and he couldn't bring himself to even try to eat them. He didn't want them on his plate.

Blaise's hand did not leave his stomach and Draco growled almost inaudibly every time he moved to get out of his lap. The overprotectiveness had started and it would be several months before it abated. He was going to kill all of his mates out of frustration before several months passed, he was sure of it. He could already feel his killing urges heighten and it hadn't even been an hour since his mates had found out. This was going to be a seriously stressful time.

* * *

A/N: Do any of you actually want the old review responses left in the authors notes? Just the informative ones naturally and the answers to the frequently asked questions, I still have them all if you want them in the chapters, I was just wondering because I know they helped some of you understand better.

StarLight Massacre. X


	20. Overprotective Prats

_Last Time_

_Blaise's hand did not leave his stomach and Draco growled almost inaudibly every time he moved to get out of his lap. The overprotectiveness had started and it would be several months before it abated. He was going to kill all of his mates out of frustration before several months passed, he was sure of it. He could already feel his killing urges heighten and it hadn't even been an hour since his mates had found out. This was going to be a seriously stressful time._

Chapter Twenty – Overprotective Prats.

Harry growled as he was carried up the stairs by Blaise, who had snatched him from Draco's lap and refused to put him on his own two feet.

"You know, I'm no expert on pregnancy, but isn't the baby in my stomach and not my feet? What can walking possibly do to the baby?" He demanded.

"What if you fell mio amore?"

"Really? Tell me when was the last time I've fallen over walking? Oh wait, it's never happened!"

"Pregnancy will skew your sense of balance." Draco told him, walking a little in front to 'make sure no boisterous first year knocked into him'.

"Forgive me, but doesn't pregnancy only affect sense of balance in the last trimester? I'm eleven days pregnant! Not even two fucking weeks!"

Blaise suddenly stopped and Harry turned to look in front only to have his vision blocked by a very well defined chest. Looking up he smiled as he came face to face with a dripping wet, half naked Maximilius.

"My, is this treat all for me?" Harry asked salaciously, exaggeratedly roving his eyes over Max's exposed body.

"I heard you shouting in distress from the rooms, are you alright?" Max asked him, concern and worry glinting in his blue, blue eyes.

"Yes, only I wish to actually walk for myself and I'm being denied!" Harry growled testily.

Max carefully picked him out of Blaise's arms and held him to his own chest, the front of Harry's robes getting damp from the water still clinging to Max's chest.

Harry blushed an incredible shade of red when Max started sniffing all over his body.

"What are you doing?"

"Blaise and Draco are being protective of you, it is logical to assume that you have been injured in some way."

"We should take this into our rooms before someone sees us and we let our biggest secret out of the bag." Draco told them.

Max carried him easily and it made Harry frown. He had been gaining a lot of weight due to his new diet, but it couldn't be seen in how his mates carried him like a rag doll. He knew Drackens didn't gain super human strength, they kept their own strength but it was amplified tenfold in their Dracken forms and a sudden burst of adrenaline could give them the appearance of super human strength, but Harry was a very nice, rounded weight of seven stone ten pounds. It wasn't the average for his age, but he wasn't starving or wasting away either.

Max sat on their settee and held Harry in his lap, still sniffing around his shoulders, moving steadily lower. Harry wondered if he'd be able to smell the pregnancy. Would he be able to smell the baby growing inside of him?

Max made it to Harry's side before a new scent had him pausing and sniffing about for injuries. What he was doing would look vaguely stupid to outsiders, yet he had always been a man who cared very little for other's thoughts or gossip mongering.

The new scent didn't smell sharp like an injury would; it was sweet and a little bit cloying when it reached the back of his throat. Was this an illness? Was Harry sick? He had smelt injuries before, on himself and on others, but never sickness.

He travelled in a line across Harry's belly to the other side, following the sickly sweet smell. It smelt a little too sweet, like rotting rubbish, or death. Max swallowed heavily. Was Harry dying?

He moved down lower, to Harry's abdomen and the smell was stronger here. So strong it left a faint taste on his tongue. He sniffed deeply and his eyes widened as he realised what it was he was actually smelling. A baby. Harry was pregnant with a youngling.

His arms closed automatically around Harry's tiny body, holding him carefully, gently yet solidly to protect him from the outside world. Draco and Blaise's actions became more understood, they had been protecting their little mate from losing the baby. The very thought of losing one of his children made him feel like vomiting as a growl tore its way out of his throat.

"Don't you start too!" Harry snapped, bopping him on the head with the ends of his fingers.

"You're pregnant." Max stated obviously, but he wanted verbal confirmation of what he had just discovered through scent alone.

"Eleven days pregnant, not even two weeks! The baby isn't even the size of a haricot bean yet! So let me go!"

Max let him go and stopped both Draco and Blaise from rushing to take his place.

"Harry is right. We need to curb our desires to coddle him, we will only end up smothering him, or possibly dead. It is very common for submissives to kill one or more of their dominants during pregnancy. We must be careful, though this does not mean we won't still punish unacceptable behaviour Harry." Max warned him, giving Harry a sharp look.

"I wasn't expecting anything less." Harry intoned innocently.

Max gave him a look and Harry laughed happily. He stood up and stretched, a smile coming to his face as one of Max's large hands cupped his flat belly.

"There's nothing there to feel yet!" Harry complained, but there was no heat to his words.

"It doesn't matter if the child isn't physically seen yet, it's just the knowledge that our first baby together is here, growing under my hand."

"Who says it's your baby?" Draco cut in arrogantly.

Max looked at him with a single raised, chestnut eyebrow. "This child is from our submissive, from our shared love. It doesn't matter who fathered the baby, I speak for myself and the majority of all dominant Drackens when I say that I will love this baby as my own, regardless of parentage."

Harry hugged Max gratefully, so happy to know that his children wouldn't be ignored or shunned by his mates just because they were from another man. He didn't want any of his children to have even a fraction of the pain and loneliness he had felt from his own childhood.

Draco growled and Harry looked at him with a cocked head. Draco was glaring at Max and Harry sighed. He had hoped that Draco would be gracious enough to accept any mate that he chose, despite age. True he hadn't really chosen Max like he had his first two mates, but it didn't matter, Max was now a mate and Harry loved him.

Harry broke away from Max and gave him a loving kiss to those gorgeous lips before walking up to Draco and dragging him into their bedroom. He stood under the platform that held their now absolutely massive bed and hopped up on the low chest of draws there. Draco's hands automatically jumped to support him or catch him if he somehow fell. It made him growl lowly and bat those hands away from him.

"What's wrong Draco?" He asked, pulling Draco into a hug with his legs.

"I don't know." Draco replied looking apologetic. It didn't suit that aristocratic face. "I'm a naturally jealous and selfish person. I've had everything I've ever wanted handed to me on a silver platter. I really have grown up with a silver spoon in my mouth Harry. My parents, they tried for years to have a baby, they had lost hope of ever having one when only a couple of months later my Mother was diagnosed as pregnant by the family Healer."

"They spoilt you." Harry put in; nodding at the sort of logic he could see there. The elder Malfoy's had thought that they would never have a child; it was only natural that the only child they did manage to have was given everything he had asked for and then some. He could understand that.

"Spoilt doesn't even cover it Harry, I would have been spoilt if my parents had conceived me on their wedding night. It took them five years and help from all sorts of fertility and conception potions to get me. Even I can see that they ruined me, but they didn't care Harry. My Mother was perhaps the worst, but Father wasn't too far behind. They love me dearly."

"So why are you worried that they'll disown you Draco?" Harry asked gently. "They love you so much; they had to try for five years just to get you, why would they disown you for this?"

"Because I'm not human anymore!" Draco told him desperately. "I'm not human, I'm not a Pureblood. I'm a half-breed now and I've grown up listening to their comments about Muggleborns and squibs and half-breeds, the contempt in their voices, the things they said…"

"But they love you Draco." Harry told him. "You might not be human anymore, but you aren't a half-breed. Half-breeds are classed as a baby born of a witch or wizard who has had sex with a magical creature. Neither of your parents slept with a magical creature to conceive you. Dracken blood is in the family lines. It seems to me that it's a hereditary inheritance. The Dracken blood 'chooses' who it wants to be manifested in. It chose you Draco; out of the entire Black family it chose you and me. How many Purebloods in this school have a link to the Black family? How many have Black blood in their veins and haven't been chosen to be Drackens. Your parents should be proud."

Draco looked shifty and more than a bit guilty.

"You still haven't told them." Harry stated quietly, feeling a bit hurt that his mate was ashamed of him.

"It isn't you Harry." Draco assured, picking his chin up and kissing him lovingly. "I love you and I could never be ashamed of you, but it would be too hard to tell them that I'm in a permanent relationship with Harry Potter without explaining everything else. That I'm sharing my Husband to be with two other men is also going to rake up their curiosity, like I said I'm a jealous person, they won't understand."

Harry nodded and smiled. He put his arms around Draco and held him close.

"You need to tell them some when Draco. We have a baby on the way. A baby that could very possibly be yours. How upset will they be if a Malfoy Heir was born and they hadn't even known you were seeing someone?"

"Mother would be devastated. A new child into a family is a gloating step for the old lines. It means that our family would be secured for another generation that our family has grown in both prestige and power. She would love to rub the other ladies' faces in her new grandchild."

"Come on love." Harry coaxed. "Let's get back to Blaise and Max. I understand where you are coming from, but please, please try to get on with them, for me?"

Draco sighed and picked him up from the chest of draws, carrying him back into the living room despite Harry batting at him and demanding to be put down.

Harry's voice stopped short when he saw Max and Blaise cuddling on the settee, Max's mouth over Blaise's throat.

"Did I miss something?" Harry asked, looking from the cuddling couple to Draco, who didn't look surprised.

Max moved his mouth to show the purple-red mark he had made on Blaise's neck.

"Dominant Drackens need to establish an order Harry." He explained. "We fight to find out who is the most dominant within the family group."

"You are dominant to Blaise." Harry stated, bobbing his head a bit to show his understanding of what was being said. "How do you know about this when I don't?" Harry asked Draco.

"About a month ago, after the first time I had sex with you, I had the obsessively strong urge to mount Blaise and show him that his place is below me. I tried to ignore it, but when he started attacking me, I let out my instincts and fought back. My teeth automatically went to his throat and I bit down enough to bruise. We went back to normal after that." Draco shrugged. "Blaise explained what had happened and that was that."

"So, you and Max are more dominant that Blaise, what does that mean for Blaise?"

"Nothing Prezioso. It is just the order of dominants; the most dominant of your mates will always take you first during the heat period. It is mainly used to stop dominants from killing each other during the heat period to get to you."

"Oh. I didn't think about that." Harry admitted.

"You didn't need to before now." Max told him. "You only ever had Blaise and then just Blaise and Draco and as your previous mate it was always going to be Blaise that took you first. By the time I had gotten to you from my rooms in the grounds, both Blaise and Draco had already taken you, so it didn't really matter."

"So if you're both more dominant that Blaise, who is more dominant out of you two?" Harry asked, looking between Max and Draco.

"We haven't had the urge to prove who is more dominant yet, so we haven't yet fought for the order position, but it will be some when before your next heat."

"Can I watch?" Harry asked with a naughty grin. "You and Blaise together looks sexy and hot."

Max and Blaise looked at each other and then kissed and Harry swallowed, his cock giving a small twitch.

"I didn't think that my dominants could be together as well." He stated through a dry mouth when they broke apart after a lengthy snog.

"Oh we can be together Harry." Max told him with a wink. "We are, after all, still hot blooded males."

"It's also another reason for the order." Blaise told him a bit breathless, but otherwise still his composed self. "The most dominant mate is dominant to the other mates. If Max and I were to have sex, he would automatically top me, it stops squabbling during the heat."

"You will have sex during the heat? When I am literally too blind to see you?" Harry demanded.

"Only one, maybe two can take you at one time Harry." Max explained. "There are three of us, soon to be four. The heat affects us too, we feel like we are dying unless we are having sexual intercourse with someone. It's why we are so furious and frantic with you, because if we aren't, we feel like we will die. Four of us can't have you at once, so we will take each other to stave off the pain of the heat."

"You won't actually die will you?" Harry asked.

Max chuckled. "No. It just makes us feel like we are dying. It's a completely mental thing. Like the heat feels like you are burning, am I right?"

"Yes." Harry answered rubbing his chest in remembered pain of being burnt alive.

Draco immediately sniffed at his skin, pushing apart his shirt to lick at the skin of his chest.

"I'm alright. It's remembered pain." Harry told him.

Max looked at him. "Is it really that bad? I've never known a submissive who would talk about it."

"I thought it was like having a fever." Blaise confessed.

"It's much worse than that. It feels like I'm being burnt alive and only the touch of my mate will help cool me, but it's a lie. Your touches make me feel hotter, like I'm being roasted from the inside out. My head and chest always feel worse than anywhere else. I can't think, can't breathe, I can only feel and pray that it will end. I always feel so weak, so drained the longer the heat goes on."

"I knew that was true." Max stated. "That a submissive gets weaker the longer the heat goes on. It's why we, as dominants, are always up before you and have showered, dressed, cleaned up and hunted for ourselves and for you by the time you have woken up."

"How do you get stronger during the heat when I get weaker? I mean you don't eat, you don't drink, what makes you stronger?"

"We feed from you Harry." Blaise told him. "We feed from your sexual energy; we drink from your skin, from your release, from your mouth. You keep us strong so we can give you children."

Harry went pink, but refused to otherwise let those words and their meaning bother him. Instead he wormed his way onto the settee, in between Max and Blaise, compacting himself until he fit in the tiny gap between their bodies.

"Comfortable?" Max asked him with a grin when Harry finally stopped moving after wiggling his bum to find a solid place to sit.

"Almost." Harry answered, gesturing for Draco to come and sit beside Blaise.

"Now I'm comfortable." He answered once he finally had all of his mates around him, touching them in some way.

Harry fell asleep like that, only to wake up when Max moved his thigh from under him and stood up. Harry made a small, disgruntled noise and he was hushed and cuddled by who he assumed was Blaise from the smell under his nose.

Another thigh, not as bulky or big as Max's, slid under him and he was resting again against two mates, but his third was no longer stroking his arm, but was missing completely.

He let a small whine trickle from his throat and he was shushed again, soft, soothing noises lulling him back to sleep. He snuggled down and pressed his nose against a soft shirt, inhaling the soothing scent of his mate before he lost himself to sleep.

The next time he woke up was to the smell of fresh meat and blood. His eyes snapped open as his stomach grumbled…very loudly. He was starving and he let out a jaw-breaking yawn before slipping to his knees and falling onto the already skinned carcass of a large mammal. Because it had already been skinned for him, he didn't need to waste time cutting the skin off of it, he could just lower his mouth to the animal and let his fangs come forward and tear into the tough meat.

It was a new animal that he had never tasted before. It was richer, earthier than a deer, which was quite sweet due to the berries and fruit in its diet, but it was tougher than a stallion, which was quite tender. He really had to chew on this animal, but the taste alone made up for it as he got a warm chunk of meat and a mouth of warm, musky blood.

A hand stroking through his hair had him looking up to Max, whose mouth was smeared with the blood of his kill. Harry leant up and kissed him furiously, full of tongue, teeth and fangs. He tasted older blood under the blood of the new animal, Max had already fed on something before bringing this animal back for him and Draco and Blaise.

"Eat." Max demanded his voice deeper and more feral.

Harry let out a little mew of agreement, before lowering his face to the animal and tearing off a strip of meat.

Harry was forced to eat for longer than he normally did by an observing Max, who nudged him twice to go back to eating after he had sat back away from the animal. His stomach had distended until he really did look pregnant and he burped, falling backwards, feeling sick.

"Eat." Max encouraged him, pushing his shoulder to roll him towards the skeleton of the animal.

"Can't." Harry gasped back. "Too full. Going to be sick!"

Max eased him up gently and held him on his lap, cooing towards him and rubbing gentle circles on his stomach.

Harry burped again and coughed a bit as bile burnt his throat. He had eaten too much. He buried himself in Max's shirt and nuzzled it, pulling the fabric with his teeth and rubbing against it until he laid still and let his body go boneless. Max only just caught his body and his head before pulling him up and making a sound between a growl and a coo. Harry responded instinctually and mewed back, letting his head flop to the side to offer his nose and cheek to Max, who licked over both with a sure swipe of his tongue.

Harry let Max cuddle and touch him, licking over his face before nipping the tip of his nose. Harry yawned and before he could finish Max was up and walking him to the bedroom. He was tucked up in bed and with a soft kiss to the head he was left alone whilst Max went to assumedly pick up the bones and organs of his kill.

* * *

A/N: From this point onwards, the review reponses will remain.

Thanks to **Nyxjulius **for being the **2,800th reviewer!**

To **TheLonelyApparition:** Not every heat Harry will go on will be a fertile heat. I know I haven't really explained it to the best of my ability; I did try and explain it.

Harry will be going into heat every two months for six to ten days. Ten if he is on heat with a new mate, six being the average time period of a heat and ten again if it is a fertile heat. Harry can only get pregnant if he is on a fertile heat; if he isn't then he can't get pregnant, so he isn't going to be overrun with chicks. Draco and Blaise are young dominants, immature if you will, they don't know much about being Drackens, so they think Harry will get pregnant after every heat cycle when he won't, that's why they speculated that Harry could possibly be pregnant in a year's time. Does that help or not? Let me know so I can try to explain it better.

To **superfan8**: No, dominant Drackens don't mate for life and neither do submissives. If a mate dies unexpectedly both dominants and submissives can take another mate if they want to, but if their mate dies naturally, they often don't want to take on another mate.

To **Ks21178**: All Drackens are wizards yes; you may have noticed that Dracken genes are all contained in the old Pureblood lines. A Muggleborn can't be a Dracken because there had to have been a Dracken in the family already, which means a link to the Pureblood lines, which means magic, which their family doesn't have. A Squib can't be a Dracken because they don't have the magic within them to support the transformation on their sixteenth birthday.

Harry's children can be either Drackens, wizards/witches, or squibs, though the last is very doubtful with the amount of magic Harry and his mates have and there are no inbreeding issues because they aren't all blood related, though that didn't stop Sirius and Regulus from having magic when their parents were blood related.

**Arquenniel**: If a submissive Dracken managed to slip through the cracks like Harry did and was in a remote area where there were no dominants to claim them or tell the Elders where they were they would still get a mate because their pheromones would just keep escalating until someone would eventually sniff them out. If they wait too long though they will get restless, the submissive will have a growing urge to move someplace else, they will feel like they need to find something, only they don't know what it is and they will go searching for it. Eventually an Elder or a dominant will find the wandering submissive and they will become known and their meeting will then take place as soon as possible.

StarLight Massacre. X


	21. Violence and Baby Blues

A/N: For those of you who don't want the dominants together and will refuse to read this fic anymore if I put it in. We say goodbye here, I will not apologise for taking my story somewhere that I wanted it to go from the beginning, I am comfortable with writing two dominants together, if you can't handle reading it, that's your hang up not mine, I think love and the act of making love is a wonderful thing, no matter who shares it.

_Last Time_

_Harry let Max cuddle and touch him, licking over his face before nipping the tip of his nose. Harry yawned and before he could finish Max was up and walking him to the bedroom. He was tucked up in bed and with a soft kiss to the head he was left alone whilst Max went to assumedly pick up the bones and organs of his kill._

Chapter Twenty-One – Violence and Baby Blues.

Daily life for Harry had turned into a waking hell of being carried and escorted everywhere. His mates refused point blank to leave him alone and as February melted into March, winter into spring as April bloomed from March; it took all of his control and concentration to keep from unleashing his claws and fangs and ripping all three of them to pieces.

He was going through a very bad stage of any pregnancy. Morning sickness, though why it was called that was beyond him as he was sick from morning to the afternoon, then it abated only to come back with a vengeance in the evening. He was eating mainly light soups, dry toast and dry crackers. Ignoring that the crackers and wholegrain toast were his grain intake, signalling that he had gone into the second stage of his breeding cycle, which was coming around very late due to his different dietary needs caused by his pregnancy.

He wasn't even thinking of his heat as he had grown a slight protrusion around his belly area, making Ginny scream and begin to rest her hand and ear on his belly whenever she saw him. This led to whispers and talk of his pregnancy and his 'controversial' relationship with three men, one of which was the 'foreign student' who was only here to observe the British and their education.

Harry didn't deny he was pregnant when asked, but he did snarl and fling himself bodily at those who dared to ask him such a thing to his face, only to be held back by one of his mates. The students of Hogwarts never knew how close they came to having their eyes scratched out by his claws.

Mrs Weasley had sent him a very long letter that included how happy she was, how proud she was, how she wanted to hold her first grandchild, because naturally he was one of her seven sons. She had included useful hints on what foods she had found were better to be avoided during her six pregnancies, useful potions to help him and spells to make him more comfortable when sleeping. She had also told him that she had immediately started knitting for the baby and not to bother wasting his money on buying blankets, shawls, cardigans, jumpers, socks or wraps because she had everything covered. He had also been made to verbally swear to a letter that he would tell her the gender of the baby as soon as he knew, so she could start using colours rather than neutral whites and yellows.

Ron had become relentless now that he perceived that he had 'ammo' over him. He would shout out nasty names and call his baby a bastard because Harry wasn't married to any of the potential Fathers, which was like a cardinal sin to Purebloods. But Draco had scathingly remarked that Ron had no right to quote Pureblood rules as he was a born blood traitor. Ron had gone scarlet and had started whistling through his teeth in anger like a teapot.

Hermione had dragged him away but not before giving Harry a curious look he knew all too well. It was her, 'I know you are hiding something and I will find out what' look. It frightened him. If she did manage to find out, then his life in Britain could be over. His life could be over period if he couldn't get himself, his chicks and his mates out in time, it caused an icy pit to form in his stomach and he found himself looking for Hermione more often than normal, checking to see what she was reading, making sure she didn't know his secret. When he spotted her in the library on the Marauders Map, which Blaise and Draco found pretty damn awesome, he sent one of them to go and check what she was reading, which was very often as was normal with Hermione because she was always in the library.

They had tried to complain, but as he had shouted at them, it wasn't only his secret, if Hermione found out, all of their lives were pretty much ruined and they would have to claim asylum in Australia, a country that none of them had ever been to or South Africa, a country that Max had only visited once with his family whilst on holiday for two weeks. They all had a substantial amount of money, but if Hermione went to any of the authority figures in the Ministry, their accounts would be instantly frozen and they would be forced to leave the country and enter another one illegally and knutless.

This put undue stress on Harry and his baby, which was developing faster than a human baby and as a result was absorbing more of his stress which was directly affecting the baby's development.

When he had been told that he was potentially harming his baby he had tried to chill out and relax, but the fear that they would be caught and the icy pit in his stomach only grew the more time that passed. Max had suggested that they just kill Hermione and make it look like an accident but Harry shot the idea down before any of them had had a chance to properly explore it. Not only would Dumbledore know, but Drackens killing humans had been what the Ministry had black listed their species for in the first place, killing Hermione would only be proving them right and Harry refused to do it, no matter how much peace of mind and comfort it would bring him.

* * *

Blaise walked into the living room with his arms laden down with perhaps twelve books of varying sizes, Harry thought that maybe they were to help him decipher the book that he had given him for Christmas and turned back to snuggling with Max, until Blaise dumped every single book straight into the fire and let them burn, Harry watching on in curiosity and a bit of wonder that maybe his mate had finally gone insane.

"Were those library books?" Draco asked from his place doing his homework at the kitchenette table, which had been expanded to a six seater table complete with chairs after it was confirmed that there would be five of them all together living here.

"Yes, that was every single library book that contained even a mention of Drackens." Blaise answered happily. "Granger hasn't looked at them nor has she checked any of them out."

Harry grinned. "Madam Pince is going to hunt you down, skin you alive, eat your fleshy bits and then wear your skin as a cape to warn off other students when she finds out what you've done to her babies."

Blaise and Max laughed at the mental image whilst Draco rolled his eyes and went back to his essay.

"She won't know, I kind of asked her for every book on Drackens, for reference reasons of course, asked if her prized pupil Granger had checked any of them out, then when she had answered in the negative and had given me every single book, I sort of Obliviated her."

Harry started roaring with laughter and clutched at his rapidly swelling belly through his pyjama top. It got bigger daily and the students were noticing. There was a lot of debate whether or not it was what happened normally with a male pregnancy or if it was just something purely Potter, the defeater of Voldemort and breaker of the rules of the impossible.

"Did you do it correctly?" Max asked with a look of seriousness, which was a rarity.

"Of course, she displayed light confusion and I told her that she had been docking points off of a couple of Gryffindor second years for being too noisy."

"Thanks for that last bit." Harry told him dryly, stretching out his pyjama covered legs.

"She only took ten points from them Harry. Well ten points each and it turned out there were five of them and not the two I had originally thought, but one of those _was_ a Hufflepuff."

"You do know that Gryffindor will get those points back in Quidditch don't you?" Harry boated proudly.

"You're not playing." Draco growled from across the room.

"I _know _I'm not playing Draco. But I have been training my team."

"You still have the captaincy?" Max asked interestedly.

"Yep, due to unforeseen complications, i.e. my pregnancy, I'm unable to play for my team, but I am allowed to coach and captain my team from the side-lines, which I've been doing, my team is unstoppable!"

"You haven't played against Slytherin, oh wait, you did, you lost! I caught the snitch half an hour into the game." Draco smirked from the kitchenette.

"I wasn't there then nor was I coaching my team." Harry replied snootily. "I still think Blaise's timing had something to do with Quidditch."

"Because I obviously knew that the submissive driving me mad was you Potter." Blaise put in with a gentle nudge.

"You knew him before the first meeting?" Max asked curiously and with a mischievous glint in his eyes that informed them that he already knew the answer.

Harry sighed. "Well we did promise to never keep secrets from each other so, yes. I didn't even know the law, Blaise had been a Dracken for a little over a year, so he knew, but he couldn't find me and my scent drove him mad."

"An understatement if ever I heard one." Blaise cut in. "I would follow the scent only to hit dead ends and I was getting more and more frustrated, I felt like I was losing my mind."

"So in the end you didn't care about the law?" Max guessed. "I can understand that."

"When I found him on Halloween night, I had to have him; he was so beautiful, in his full glory and drinking from a doe that he had just killed, suckling on her blood. He was so sexy and exuded such power that nothing else mattered, I advanced on him and he ran. I followed and finally caught and claimed him. It was the most exhilarating thing I've ever felt."

Max sighed and looked wistful. "It used to be like all the time." He told them. "None of these rules and regulations, no waiting and no meetings to showcase us. It was all just pure instinct. The nearest dominant to the submissive lucked out, for everyone else it was just tough. If two or more dominants were near a submissive then it was a free for all, the submissive's instincts would tell them to run and the dominants would give chase, fighting each other off in the process. But now submissive numbers have fallen so dramatically that the counsel just decided to rip apart out instincts and give us these 'meetings' instead. I envy you Blaise for getting the chance to experience a proper claiming."

"Good for him." Harry pouted. "I thought he was going to kill me, I was terrified."

"The submissives usually are." Max told him, pulling him in closer for a cuddle. "The instincts turn a dominant feral and that usually means aggressive, a submissive would feel the aggressive energy and would assume that the dominant means to kill them, it triggers the flight reflex and starts the chase as the submissive tries to get away."

"Speaking of flight, I want to go somewhere where I can use my wings without the fear of being seen. I haven't flown with them once! I want to try it."

"After the baby is born…"

"Why do I have to wait until the baby is born?" Harry demanded.

"I won't risk having you fall from any height; you stay firmly on the ground."

Harry growled in anger and frustration and stuck his suddenly there claws into Max's thigh. The reaction was instantaneous as Max's hand slipped into his hair and yanked his head back at an unnatural angle, keeping pressure on it to keep him from moving.

Max held his neck there by his hair as he struggled and cried, never doing anything else, not even touching him anywhere else, Harry struggled, tried to pry Max's fist from his hair and threw an absolute fit, but in the end he stopped and just remained with his head back with tears streaming down his face. After a few minutes of his silence and acceptance of the punishment Max's face appeared in his sight.

"Say you're sorry Harry." Max encouraged him gently.

"I'm sor...sorry." He sniffled sincerely.

Max carefully released the pressure on his neck bit by bit, unclenching his hand and bringing his head up slowly so it wouldn't crick or stiffen up from the movement and then he was being cuddled and kissed again.

Harry let the punishment stand without a word, he had deserved it. Max had only been looking out for him and the baby and he had sunk his claws as deeply into his leg as he possibly could out of anger and frustration. He looked down to the four holes in Max's trousers, which were soaked in blood. He felt wretched for doing it now, but he had felt so angry before, they had been stopping him from doing anything, he couldn't even walk! He had been frustrated for days now and it had finally bubbled over and he hated himself for not being able to keep control.

He stood up and Max tried to pull him back down, but Harry just tugged at Max until he stood up. Harry led them to the bedroom and pulled Max up the stairs to their bed and popped the button on Max's trousers, pushing at them. Max's hands covered his and pulled them away.

"If you're about to offer yourself to me as an apology you can stop where you are. I didn't punish you to get sex from you Harry." He said softly.

"I'm not." Harry answered, pulling his hands away and pushing Max's trousers fully from his body, displaying the four very deep puncture marks in his upper thigh.

He used as much strength as he could muster to tackle Max onto the bed. Max fell back against the pillows startled, but caught Harry before he could land on top of him and sniffed around his belly to make sure that the baby was unharmed.

Harry let him and when Max was assured the baby was fine, Harry moved his mouth down to the four wounds and started licking at them. The taste of Max's blood tingled on his tongue, tasting strongly of iron and the musk of magic.

"Oh you wanted to tend to my cuts." Max sighed in relief and understanding. "I should have thought of that, but most dominants do punish their submissives just to get sex, I think it's a vile way to treat the one you're supposed to love."

"I didn't mean to hurt you." Harry stated almost inaudibly. "I was so angry; I didn't even know my claws were out. I'm sorry."

Max run his fingers through Harry's hair twitching every now and then as Harry's little tongue lapped at his leg like a little kitten, tickling his leg hair and dipping into the punctures he had made to clean them. Hell it was so erotic and felt so amazing that he was having a hard time repressing his erection.

This wasn't supposed to be sexual; he had to enforce his rules. No sex immediately after punishment, he would not punish his submissive to get sex. He was better than that, he had been raised better!

But damn if it wasn't hard, damn if Harry didn't look so sexy and cute licking at his leg, cleaning and healing the wounds he had made through anger.

He needn't have bothered worrying so much as Harry soon stopped moving with his head pillowed on his thigh instead, it took Max a few moments to realise that Harry had fallen asleep cleaning his cuts. He smiled lovingly as he carefully scooped Harry up, pulling back the covers and laying Harry down in the cool, clean sheets. He tucked Harry in and laid a kiss to the plush, pink lips of his mate, making sure the duvet was firmly around his little submissive before pulling on a pair of pyjama bottoms and going back out with Blaise and Draco to finish his paperwork for the evening.

* * *

Harry woke up surrounded by his mates, all of them holding him and cuddling him close. But he was going to be sick and he was going to be sick now. He scrambled up to try and get to the bathroom, but he didn't even make it out of the bed before the first wave of vomit shot up his throat and flooded his mouth, he retched over the side of the bed and kept retching as his stomach clenched repeatedly until he couldn't breathe.

A hand on his back rubbed up and down, another hand on his stomach rubbed in circles as his hair was brushed out of his eyes and pulled back and away from his mouth. He heard the tap in the bathroom turn on, as his third mate got him a glass of water to sip on and a damp wash cloth.

"It's alright Harry love." Draco soothed, coming from his left.

"Just breathe." Max coaxed from his right.

Harry took in a gasp of air as the retching stopped for a moment before it started again and he dry heaved a dribble of yellow bile onto the sharp, sweet smelling pile he had already made. He did so again before he finally calmed enough to take a sip of water from the glass that Blaise was offering.

He dry heaved a final time, bringing up another dribble of bile before he coughed and let his body collapse onto the bed and calm down. He took in deep breaths, his recent inability to draw in breath making him greedy with the air. He sipped at the water until a warning roil in his belly told him that anymore and he would be vomiting again.

"I hate being pregnant." He warbled pathetically as he was soothed and touched by his mates. Lying against Draco passively as Blaise gently and attentively washed his face free from sweat, tears and lingering flecks of vomit with the warm washcloth.

"It could be worse." Max told him.

"How?" Harry asked bitingly.

"You could be pregnant for nine months like humans are, at least this pregnancy will only last seven if you carry to full term."

Harry sighed. "Thank whoevers up there for small mercies."

Harry let himself be carried down the stairs and into the living room, being settled at the kitchenette table as Max happily started cooking breakfast as he had done every morning since he had become a mate.

Harry loved his cooking and so did Blaise and Draco, so it became part of their routine that they would eat breakfast in their rooms before they went to lessons and Max flooed out to work. It had the added bonus of giving them more time together before they had to separate without the gawkers that going to the Great Hall offered to them.

On the menu for the morning were omelettes. Fully loaded omelettes that Harry couldn't touch, much to his ire, as Blaise and Draco moaned around mouthfuls of fluffy eggs, cheese and bacon. Harry was given dry toast and lightly seasoned scrambled eggs with a side dish of sliced banana.

He smiled gratefully at Max who didn't take that Harry couldn't eat his usual breakfasts to heart and happily gave Harry what he needed.

Harry ate as much as he could and sipped on his raspberry leaf tea, which just didn't come to par with his favoured honey tea, but settled his stomach better.

He had double Potions first thing and Blaise had finally managed to get him to understand some of the basics, with copious input from Max and Draco, who formed a sort of Potions pact and always talked shop when Draco had Potions homework or Max had a particular complex recipe to work out before he started mass brewing it.

Draco found Max's work interesting and fascinating, anything to do with Potions made Harry feel lost and confused, so he happily sidled away to find something else to occupy him, unless it was the both of them 'watching him' because Blaise wasn't around, then no matter how hard he tried to leave them to their talks, they followed him.

The two of them were talking shop at the moment. Draco asking about Max's next mass project, which was a very strong sunburn salve. The chemists around Britain were asking for the salve ready for the onslaught of people who went out in the sun and forgot their suntan lotion. Max explained that the busiest time for this particular potion was actually May and June, when people thought that because it wasn't super-hot and that it wasn't properly summer yet, that they could forgo wearing it.

At ten to nine Harry kissed Max goodbye, who also kissed Blaise and got Draco into a headlock to kiss his forehead, and flooed off to work in tears of laughter to the growls, snarls and death threats from Draco who was scrubbing his forehead and painstakingly putting his hair back in place.

Harry held Blaise's hand on the way down to the dungeons, Blaise walking twice as slow as normal, which made Harry clench his teeth in agitation, but he bit his tongue on this instance, it could always be worse, he could be being carried down to the dungeons instead.

Harry filed into the dungeon classroom and Draco snatched him away with a smirk sitting him on a stool and sitting next to him. Harry had a little giggle at the look on Blaise's face when he realised he would have to partner Theodore Nott. His once best friend who had apparently had a huge crush on him and was trying to force him out of seeing Harry. His latest argument was that he, Harry, was obviously just a common whore because he had three men on the go at once. Blaise had been so furious, but Harry had just laughed and told an anger reddened Theo in absolute seriousness that he was thinking of getting another man to join his growing harem.

Theo had gone a blistering shade of red, as both Blaise and Draco had laughed and promised him anything he wanted, even if it was another man.

Professor Snape charged into the room as he always did, his robes billowing out behind him like a cape and the most sour expression he had ever seen gracing his face. Harry felt a bit of fear from the man in that instance. Now that he knew a bit more about the man as a Dracken he had to wonder if this was the time of year that his mate had gone missing.

"Mister Potter, due to your inappropriate actions in your spare time, you are excused from this lesson as the potion fumes that will be created today will likely mutate the child you carry. You will go next door into my office and write a ten thousand word essay on why school children should not indulge their carnal desires and disrupt my lessons with the by-product."

Harry stood up and stooped to pick up his backpack. He kissed Draco's lips lovingly because everyone was looking at him and turned behind him to give Blaise a full on snog with an obscene amount of visible tongue because he liked the colour Nott's face and neck went.

"Today Potter!" Snape snapped at him.

Harry happily walked into the Professor's office, though he felt more than heard the growls and tension that emanated from Draco and Blaise as he went out of their sight.

He looked around at the cosy room and sighed. It was just like the Professor's personal rooms, warm, earthy and relaxing. Done in natural, forest colours and tasteful furniture. There wasn't a piece of parchment waiting for him to write his mega long essay, instead there was a note over a book with Professor Snape's spiky writing on it.

'_Potter – Read this book during lesson time, I will quiz you after the lesson.'_

Harry sighed and briefly wondered if he could get away with pretending that he hadn't seen it, before he discarded the idea and picked the book up and made himself comfortable on the brown leather settee, it wasn't like he had anything else to do for the two hour double period.

The book turned out to be very interesting, it wasn't very thick, but it was a male submissive Dracken's detailed account of his pregnancy and the subsequent birth. The book was over three hundred years old as the date claimed that the book had been written in sixteen-eighty-three.

The submissive, Robert, and his three mates, Alfred, Harvey and Gretchen, had had twenty-one children, sixteen had been from Robert and Gretchen had had five, but Robert had explained that even though Gretchen was a woman, she was still a dominant and still didn't feel very comfortable being pregnant and that all times after the first had been accidents, but he firmly mentioned that he loved all of his children.

Only three of their children had been Drackens, two dominant boys and a submissive girl. Eighteen had been magical and only one had been a squib, their youngest, conceived when they were very elderly and nearing the end of their fertility. Robert debated in the book whether or not this had some part to play in his youngest child's lack of magic or not, but he had never found out.

Robert noted key moments in the baby's development in the womb and Harry was startled to realise that he had already missed five key moments and that four of those times when his baby was taking in the most from him, he had been stressed and anxious.

He dived into his bag to get out a quill and some parchment and noted down the rest of the key development periods in case Professor Snape didn't let him take the book away with him. He was determined not to damage his baby further by messing up the development areas of his baby.

Robert had then gone on to describe, in all its gory detail, the births of his children and how he had done it safely. He wrote of how panicked he had been on his first birth, how he had been so nervous he had been sick, but as he was sitting in his nest, safely away from everyone, including his mates, he mentioned how instinct took over when it was time for the birth, how he just knew what to do.

His claws had stabbed into his own side and ripped apart his stomach, before he had plunged both hands into himself and pulled his firstborn free. He had clamped the cord with the ties he had brought with him, sliced it with his claws and wrapped the baby in a fur that one of his mates had given to him. He had then ripped out the placenta, taking a moment to notice if all of the fingers were attached, before picking up the two litre bottle filled with all three of his mates' blood and drained it. The slice in his stomach had been gone when he had looked back down, leaving him to focus completely on cleaning and feeding his chick with the bottle he had also brought with him.

Robert had made a list of must haves for a male submissive birth and Harry quickly noted the things listed down. Things including umbilical cord clamps, a large bottle of the blood of ALL bonded mates, bottles and milk, nappies, wipes and then optional things like sleepsuits for the baby.

Robert had been just as nervous on the birth of his second clutch, because he had been carrying the full five chicks that a Dracken pregnancy could give. He had noted that his previously thirty-three inch waist had expanded to fifty-six inches, he had been unable to walk since his fourth month and by the sixth month he had been unable to go to the bathroom on his own and needed help doing almost everything. He had been unable to find the highest, safest spot to make his nest so he had instead, through desperation, made the nest in the bed he was confined to and had banned his mates from coming near it.

Harry grinned as he tried to picture himself banning Blaise, Max and Draco from their bedroom as he made a nest out of the duvet, pillows and odd socks within his reach. He laughed and went back to the book, desperately hoping that he _never_ had five in one go.

The birth had gone near enough the same as the first, only Robert had had to take more time to pull out all five babies, clamp and cut their cords, wrap them up and then pull the placentas from his body. He had drained the two litre bottle of blood his mates had given him and when he looked back down he had noted a thin, pink scar where his claws had opened his womb up. He had taken too long to drink the blood to heal himself, but Robert had also wrote down that he didn't care that he had one measly scar, the operation couldn't have been rushed and if it had been, he might have inadvertently hurt one of his children or himself even further.

Harry enjoyed reading of Robert's difficulty in looking after his now six children as his mates went out to work to feed him and his babies. Joanne, his first and oldest child was two and he had five newborns. Harry admired how Robert handled everything, how he juggled feeding, cleaning and changing all of his children and still found time to play with and teach Joanne and to get a decent meal on the table ready for his mates return from a hard day at work. Robert confessed that he cut corners by staying up late or by waking up a bit earlier to prepare the meal by cutting up a few vegetables or marinating some meat, by dusting and wiping down the kitchen counters in the night so he didn't wake his children or his mates and didn't have to do it the next day.

Harry was awed at how dedicated Robert was to his family and to how things were done three hundred years ago. Robert didn't just want to clean his house and look after his children and get all the cooking done on time for his mates, he was expected to do it and that he had been punished by his most dominant mate for not getting dinner on the table on time because he had lost track of time playing with Joanne made Harry appreciate his mates all the more and made the few punishments he had gotten seem like petulant arguments.

Harry continued reading the book, through the birth of every child Robert had had, the birth of Gretchen's children which was more like a human birth than a Dracken one, in the sense that Gretchen had let all of her mates surround her, even letting Robert lie with her in the bed. The tear stained page that documented Robert's youngest child's death through old age, as he had aged human quick and had no magic to expand his lifespan, the heart rendering news of the one-by-one death of his mates, through the ups and downs of Robert's life until the very last page, where one of Robert's children had left a moving message about her love for her Mother and how all of them would dearly miss him and their Fathers. Robert's death day had been a hundred years previous. He had lived well passed two hundred.

Harry placed the book down and checked the time. The double period would be over in ten minutes. He carefully organised his notes and read through them again, making sure he was prepared and ready for the quiz he was about to get from Professor Snape.

Draco rushed into the room before the bell and concentrated immensely on sniffing every inch of his body, from his armpits to his toes, from his intimate places to the nape of his neck. Blaise joined them halfway through and started his own sniffing and licking. They both stayed kneeling in front of him hands on his bulging belly, licking over and around his bellybutton.

"If you are quite finished." Professor Snape intoned dryly.

Harry went pink cheeked that the Professor had witnessed his mates searching him for injuries. It seemed such a private thing for him to have witnessed, invasive, Harry felt violated and he clung to Draco as Blaise stepped in front of him and hissed at the Professor, who raised an eyebrow, but said nothing and made no move towards them.

Blaise stepped away and Draco let him go and Harry was embarrassed by his actions, but refused to otherwise acknowledge what he had just done.

"Are you going to quiz me now?" Harry asked.

"No Potter. I told you that I would quiz you to ensure that you actually read what I had left for you, I knew that once you looked at that first page you wouldn't stop reading."

"I finished the book. I even took notes." Harry stated proudly as he thrust his fist full of parchment at Professor Snape, who took them off of him and checked over them.

"All of the important facts are noted, well done Potter, you have proved you _can_ actually follow instructions."

Harry beamed, refusing to take the compliment as the criticism it was meant to be.

"Thank you Professor and thank you for letting me read the book."

"You need all the help you can get your hands on to help you through your upcoming birth, your mates can only help you so far as none of them thus far have any knowledge on a male submissive birth and they won't be able to help you during the actual birth because you won't let them near you during it."

"Nasta told me the basics, but this book just went into so much detail."

"Harry we have to get to Ancient Runes or we'll be late." Blaise told him gently.

"I have a free period next." Harry answered softly.

Blaise blinked and Harry saw the panic creep into his eyes. Both he and Draco had Ancient Runes, but Harry had a free period, where he had used to go with the both of them and sit in on their Ancient Runes lesson and the Professor had let him, he didn't actually have to go.

"I will watch over him. I also have a free period and I can use it to see how much of this book Potter has taken in." Professor Snape told them both. "I will get him to you at lunch."

It took a bit more prodding and some convincing but both Blaise and Draco ran from the dungeons to their Ancient Runes lesson with a note as to why they were late, signed by Professor Snape.

This left Harry alone with the sour and lonely older Dracken who had tragically lost his mate so long ago and it seemed that it was close to the anniversary of their death. Harry prepared himself to ask about the older Dracken's mate, even though every bone that held an ounce of self-preservation was screaming at him not to say a word.

"Sir? Can I ask you something…?"

* * *

A/N: Ah! How much do you all hate me for that cut off point? But it is finally here, the thing most of you have desperately been waiting for…that's right the worn out question of what happened to Snape's mate and the question that has been asked so many times I answer it in my sleep…who was Snape's mate.

Well a little peek-a-boo for you, the next chapter is titled Snape's Story and a Side Order of Blood. So you'll be finding out soon! Yay.

To **MoonlightCleona** who was my **2,900****th**** reviewer**! Thank you!

To **Autumn**: Ah! I didn't realise that those who don't live in Britain wouldn't understand Harry's weight. Seven stone ten pounds is, to my current understanding, about 108 pounds or 48 and point something kilograms, might be point 6 or 7.

To **Jackanapes** and **Killerkakerlake**: You both asked about the scent that Max smelt coming from the baby on Harry. He didn't mean to make it sound like anything bad, but the baby smells sweet because of the amniotic fluid surrounding it. Rotting rubbish and bile both have sweet smells, like death. Max didn't know what he was scenting so he didn't link the sweet smell with amniotic fluid and therefore pregnancy but with an illness.

It has come to my attention that I have been assuming too much when a reviewer asked what Blaise's nicknames for Harry are, so let me enlighten you all:-

Prezioso – Precious

Mio amore – My love

Bello – Beautiful

Diletto – Beloved.

Mio – My (i.e. Mio Prezioso – My precious/ Mio amore bello – My beautiful love.)

Dio – Is a curse in Italian that is the equivalent in English as saying god and is often followed by an exclamation mark. (i.e. Mio Dio! My God!)

Caro – Dear (i.e. Ti amo mio caro – I love you my dear.)

Sogni d'oro, mio amore – Sweet dreams my love. (Note that Italians do not use the saying sweet dreams, the literal meaning of Sogni d'oro is golden dreams, but the equivalent in English is sweet dreams.)

StarLight Massacre. xXx


	22. Snape's Story

_Last Time_

_It took a bit more prodding and some convincing but both Blaise and Draco ran from the dungeons to their Ancient Runes lesson with a note as to why they were late, signed by Professor Snape._

_This left Harry alone with the sour and lonely older Dracken who had tragically lost his mate so long ago and it seemed that it was close to the anniversary of their death. Harry prepared himself to ask about the older Dracken's mate, even though every bone that held an ounce of self-preservation was screaming at him not to say a word._

"_Sir? Can I ask you something…?"_

Chapter Twenty-Two – Snape's Story and a Side Order of Blood

"What is it Potter?" Snape answered tightly looking at him from his place in the armchair adjacent to Harry.

"I think you know what I'm going to ask you Sir."

"Then why don't you just spit it out Potter and stop bumbling about."

"What happened to your submissive Sir?"

Harry watched as his Professor clenched his hands so tightly the knuckles went bone white. He was afraid for a moment that Snape might charge at him and hit him.

"My 'submissive' went missing and subsequently died Potter, not that it's any of your business."

"What happened Sir? Was it Dracken poachers?" Harry asked rubbing his belly as a little flutter made him feel like he had swallowed a live butterfly.

Snape sighed sounding worn out and exasperated. "It's not any of your business."

"I know, I just wanted to know if there was any danger that I might do the same thing and leave Draco, Max and Blaise. I don't want to, but with the way I feel now, I don't think your submissive would have left you lightly."

"He didn't want to leave, but he felt it was his duty to." Snape replied after a long stretch of silence in which Harry thought he was going to have his head hexed off.

"A mate's duty is to look after their dominants and their chicks!" Harry stated suddenly, harshly.

Harry covered his mouth with his hands and ducked his head. "I'm sorry. I don't know where that came from."

"Your inner Dracken, Potter." Snape told him. "It knows that you can't leave your dominants because of the baby you carry. You need your dominants to keep the baby healthy; you should have at least taken blood from them by now."

"I haven't." Harry admitted, before a burst of remembered flavour on his tongue reminded him that that wasn't strictly true. He had tasted Max's blood, true he had been cleaning the wounds he had made, but he had still licked and then swallowed Max's blood.

"Your face says a different story."

"I stuck my claws into Max's leg. I was punished for it, but afterwards I felt such a need to clean his wounds myself that I licked them."

"Taking in blood at the same time."

"Yes."

"You likely struck him out of desperation for blood for your baby."

"But I'd eaten a bear only a few days before."

"A bear?" Snape asked incredulously, Harry had never really seen Snape so dumbstruck before.

"Max's favourite, when he hunts he Apparate's away and then brings back a bear for me; he even skins it for me first so I can just start eating right away, without having to skin my meal first. I've had three bears now since he became my mate."

"Well, needless to say you need your mate's blood to keep your child healthy, not animal blood, not even human or another Dracken's blood, though the latter will keep you sustained for a short while until you can get to your mates."

"Oh. Maybe I should go about it better than just digging my claws into them."

"That would be advisable Potter. Most submissives take blood during intercourse."

Harry went pink and coughed to try and drown out the word intercourse that came from his Professor's mouth.

"I…we haven't…"

"You are pregnant Potter; do not try to tell me that you and your mates haven't had sex."

"Not recently!" Harry squeaked out. "Not since my last heat when the baby was conceived, they won't even hear of having sex, they think it will kill the baby."

Snape sighed and rubbed his temple. "How could I have forgotten the firstborn protectiveness?" He asked rhetorically.

Harry just sat on the settee and swung his legs a bit, avoiding looking at his teacher, who he was actually having a conversation with about his sex life.

"You will likely find yourself going celibate until your next heat. Your mates will be very reluctant to copulate with you when pregnant until maybe your second or third clutch. They will be stubborn and pigheaded and will likely listen to nothing you say, so I suggest you bite one of them and then start suckling, if they try to punish you, tell them that they are bad dominants, that will at least get them listening to you, then you explain that the baby needs their blood. They will then try to force you to drink every drop of blood in their bodies, take as much as you need, not a drop more as too much blood at one time can damage the baby. I would think that three large mouthfuls from each of them would suffice, though if you only have one to hand, six or seven mouthfuls will do."

"Why didn't the book explain this?" Harry asked, blushing more. Robert had needed to feed off of something a hell of a lot more personal than blood.

"Different submissives are drawn to different needs. Where Robert needed his mates sexual ejaculate, you need blood more during the first few months. You will likely move on from this when you hit the second trimester."

"That's at the end of this month!" Harry croaked.

"Then you had better start filling up on blood before your mates wonder for you sanity when you start sucking on them like straws."

Harry almost swallowed his tongue and it took several harsh coughs to get his breathing back and even then he could no longer meet his Professor's eyes.

"I…we…can we talk about something else?"

Snape actually let out a chuckle and stood up from his place in his armchair. He went to his desk and opened a draw. He pulled something out and then came back and sat in his armchair. He looked at the piece of metal he had pulled out of the draw before handing it to Harry.

Harry took it and realised that it was a photo frame. In the photo was a very beautiful man with soft, curly black hair and glowing grey eyes. He was still in school and was wearing Slytherin robes, opened to show his white button down shirt, silver and green tie and black trousers. He was a slender boy and looked quite fit, like he played Quidditch or another sport. He was laughing and then waved happily to whoever was taking the picture.

"Is this your mate?" He asked. "He's beautiful."

"Yes, that photo was taken in his sixth year, my seventh. We had just mated."

"He looks so happy."

"He was, until your Godfather got involved."

"Sirius?" Harry asked, brushing aside the painful lump in his throat.

"Yes, that's his younger brother, Regulus. Sirius was very protective of him, even though they were in different houses; he didn't like that Regulus was seeing me."

Harry had a horrible feeling he knew what was going on and he didn't like the picture that was being painted.

"Your Father, of course, got involved once Sirius did. They believed it was their mission in life to get me and Regulus away from each other. Regulus finally had enough and attacked his brother, told him to leave him alone and to never contact him again. Sirius blamed it all on me and the pranks they pulled on me turned more sinister, the worst of which was when Sirius sent me down the tunnel after Lupin the full moon after Regulus told him to never come near him again. Your Father did save my life, but I am not foolish enough to believe he did it for my benefit, he knew Lupin would have been executed like an animal if he killed me and Sirius' life would have been over as he would have been expelled and his wand snapped, your Father was set to lose his two very best friends if he stood by and did nothing."

"I'm sorry for what they did."

"You shouldn't have to apologise for your Father's or your Godfather's mistakes, Potter, you weren't even a glint in your Father's eye when he chose to get involved in something that didn't concern him."

"What happened to Regulus? Why was it his duty to leave you? Please say it wasn't Sirius' fault."

"No. Regulus was far too stubborn and strong willed to ever let something someone said influence him; he was a Slytherin through and through. He died in nineteen-seventy-nine, when he was nineteen. I have no idea why he died, only that I feel it in my heart that he is dead. On the day that he died, we had fought the night before, I was angry at him so I ignored his concern and worry. He left that day and he never came back. Half an hour after he had left, I realised my mistake, realised that as his dominant he shouldn't be somewhere that I didn't know about. I tried to find him, I looked for years for a hint of where he went that day, but I found nothing. No one saw him, no one had heard from him. Sirius was apoplectic with rage that his brother had died and that I had let him die. He tracked me down and cast the killing curse on me, but thankfully he was tackled by Lupin and his shot missed. The way I felt then I would have just stood there and let that curse hit me. Now I feel that it is the least I can do for my mate to find out what happened to him, to find out why he died, to perhaps find his body and bury him in the empty grave I had bought for him."

"You didn't…didn't even find his body Sir?" Harry asked softly.

"No. I have had no closure for more than twenty years. Regulus' death is still a mystery to me and I have sworn that I will find out what happened to Regulus before I join him in death."

"If I died, I wouldn't want my mates to join me." Harry said softly. "I'd want them to carry on and live their lives. I'd want them to be happy even if I couldn't join in with their laughter and joy. I wouldn't want them to waste their lives grieving for me Sir, because I just want them to always be happy, even if that meant they took another mate in my place and forgot about me."

"You are too selfless for your own good Potter." Snape told him with a gruffer voice. "You and Regulus were much alike in that aspect. He tried to keep himself and Sirius happy, but he realised that his brother would never even try to get on with his chosen mate. I had felt like the biggest, bestest man on the planet when Regulus chose me from a hundred of other Drackens, but if he was still alive today, I would have rathered he'd chosen another."

"He loved you, that's why he chose you. I loved Blaise, even before I realised I did. I had subconsciously chosen him as my mate before I even knew I had a choice, then I chose Draco and even though he hurt me and humiliated me, I still loved him. Max came to me during my heat, but I loved him and had for a while. Just like I love…oh hell! I think I just figured out who my fourth mate is…hell!"

"Your grounding mate?" Snape asked.

"Yes. Damn, well at least this time it was bloody easy."

"Language!" Snape chastised him and Harry rolled his eyes.

"I have to go tell the others!" Harry got up, placing a steadying hand on his belly as he did so.

Snape grabbed his elbow and began escorting him out of the room. Harry rolled his eyes again, but more exaggeratedly.

"Don't roll your eyes at me Potter! Don't you remember what happened the last time you wandered the dungeons alone? You are more vulnerable now."

Harry had a flashback of steel arms around him and a mouth against his ear whispering _'You won't be able to resist me when I have given you chicks.'_

"You make an excellent point. Can we go now?"

"Yes, it is almost lunch time, but speaking from a dominant's point of view I would keep the knowledge that you love another man that you are not mated to, to yourself. They will not appreciate your epiphany of your fourth mate and they will likely try to kill him."

"Who said anything about it being another man Professor?"

"Please Potter, anyone who has half a brain can see that you love your own gender and hold no flame to the fairer sexes."

Harry pouted and followed by his Professor's side until he reached the Great Hall, where Professor Snape dropped him off at the empty Slytherin table and made his way up to the Head table.

Harry was still pouting when Blaise and Draco rushed into see him unharmed and nibbling on a piece of unbuttered bread. They held him and kissed him and when he snapped at them to let him eat; they finally sat down and served themselves some beef stew.

Harry unhappily ate his bread and tried to eat a bit of vegetable soup, but when it threatened to make a reappearance, he stopped and pushed his bowl away. He instead listened as Blaise recounted what had happened during Ancient Runes.

When lunch was over he went with Blaise to Transfiguration as Draco went off for Arithmancy. As the day passed he was beginning to feel more irritable and snappy. Twice at dinner he went to bite Blaise's fingers and twice he had the back of his neck squeezed.

He had forced down some steamed rice and stir-fry vegetables, before he made Blaise and Draco take him back to their rooms. They were unhappy with him and it showed. Blaise walked with his hand clamped over the back of his neck and Draco was carrying him, holding him tightly to his chest, not the comforting embrace he usually used.

Max took one look at their faces and put down his quill and paperwork.

"What happened?"

"Harry's in a bitchy mood." Draco stated and went to the kitchenette after placing Harry down on the settee to make himself and Blaise something to eat.

Harry's tenuous self-control snapped and his wings burst from his back as he unsheathed his claws and fangs, hissing deeply at Draco, who turned around and growled back, his voice so deep it settled like a stone in Harry's stomach.

It was the first time he had let his wings come out in some months and his once pure white wings that had first speckled with amethyst, had now gained silver scales and bright blue ones, they looked gorgeous and distracted Harry enough to coo and pet over them.

Max laughed at his actions and pulled him over to cuddle with him, nuzzling the scales that had taken on his deep blue colour.

Harry took one look at Max's strong neck and sank his sharp teeth and curving fangs deeply into the muscle. Max gripped his hair and forced his head back, using a finger to guide his fangs out of his neck so he wouldn't accidentally tear a chunk from him.

Harry screamed and thrashed, but Max just held his hair tighter and bent his neck back further. Harry relaxed and huddled down, curling in on himself.

"Say you are sorry." Max coaxed gently.

"No!" Harry screamed deciding to take Professor Snape's advice. "You're bad dominants! All of you are bad dominants! You don't deserve me or the baby!"

All three of them stopped like Harry had spoken some secret dominant freezing word. They looked like statues and Max had let go of his hair so fast Harry toppled from the settee.

"We are not bad dominants for punishing you when you deserve it." Max spoke slowly, like he was assuring himself as well as the other two dominants more than telling Harry what was fact.

"You punish me for taking what I need!" Harry yelled. "I need my dominants' blood to feed the baby! Do you want my baby to die? Is that it?"

Harry was momentarily blinded by colour when all three rushed to him at once, sniffing and petting, licking and gently sucking at his skin, spending time gently tonguing his elbow that had bruised when he had fallen from the settee and nuzzling his stomach to ensure the baby was alright.

"Get off! I don't want you near me!" Harry yelled, batting at them, though not very hard, he just wanted them to fully understand that he was upset that they hadn't let him explain himself before punishing him, assuming that he had bitten Max and gone for their fingers just for the sake of hurting them, not the actual reason of keeping his baby alive.

Max pulled him into his lap gently and placed his mouth to the freely bleeding marks on his neck, making encouraging noises.

"I don't want your blood now!" Harry hissed, pushing him away and twisting away from Max, whose blue eyes flashed his hurt before steel resolve took them over.

"You will drink blood from one of us." He stated sternly.

"I want Blaise's blood." Harry answered stubbornly.

Blaise immediately slit his own wrist with his claws and held the bleeding arm to him; Harry reluctantly lapped at the excess blood before he sealed his mouth over the slice and suckled. He listened to Professor Snape and decided that he wanted all of their blood tonight. He took three mouthfuls from Blaise, before digging his claws into his own arm and offering it to Blaise.

Blaise took a quick mouthful before the cut was gone completely and his own wrist started closing. Harry turned to Draco next, who willingly offered his arm for Harry to bite. Harry did so and swallowed three mouthfuls. He repeated his actions of digging his claws into his own arm and offered it to Draco. Harry giggled a bit as Draco's tongue tickled more than Blaise's had.

Harry lastly turned to Max, whose neck was plastered in blood as he hadn't bothered to staunch the bleeding. Harry's tongue lapped at his neck like a kitten and he wrapped his arms around Max, who didn't respond.

When Harry offered his bleeding hand to his oldest dominant, Max didn't take it.

"I deserve to bleed for not realising what you were doing, for not understanding what you really wanted and for punishing you without hearing why you bit me."

"You don't deserve to bleed to death for a simple mistake." Harry told him softly. "You realise now why I did what I did, why I sunk my claws into your leg before, why I snapped at Blaise's fingers and why I bit your neck. I didn't realise until today that I was subconsciously trying to get blood from you all for the baby. None of us realised what it meant, none of us realised that I needed blood. We all made that oversight, not just you."

Harry dug his claws into his hand again and held it up to Max, who licked so gently Harry had to smile. Both of their wounds closed and they were left hold each other and cuddling close.

Harry fell asleep in the middle of the pile of bodies, warm and cosy and feeling so loved and happy he glowed. When he woke up the next morning, he was naked, wrapped up in Draco's arms, Max cuddled close on the left side and Blaise cuddled under Draco's arm on the right. All of them were naked.

It gave Harry the chance to see his mates in all their naked glory with the sunlight filtering down from the skylight, his mind not clouded with lust or the fire of the heat, his gaze not obscured by the darkness of the night. He liked what he saw.

Blaise was still an olive skinned Italian god, covered in sinewy muscles and lean flesh, his light brown nipples erect to the cold air as he shifted closer to Draco for warmth in his sleep.

Draco was as white as the sheets on the bed, with broad shoulders, sculpted muscles and two light pink nipples. Where Blaise had a spattering of dark hair over his chest, Draco was hairless and smooth. His defined six pack drew Harry's attention next and he kissed it. Draco was muscled all the way down to his calf muscles.

Max was a new and unseen treasure. Broader than Draco, so muscled he looked bulky and a gorgeous layer of tan skin covered everything. Max was again hairless until Harry reached his arms and legs. His chest was bare leaving his two dark pink nipples stranded on his pectorals.

All three of his mates had a soft, thin trail of hair from their bellybuttons to their groins where the trail met up with their pubic hair. Each one was a different colour. Draco's was, of course, white blonde like the rest of his hair, Max's was chestnut brown, like the thick hair on his head and Blaise's was black.

Harry traced his fingers through those lines of hair and each one of his mates snuffled, groaned or shifted in their sleep. Harry chuckled and got up from his place on the bed. He went to the bathroom and emptied his bladder, washed his hands before jumping in the shower.

His stomach started grumbling loudly and it was with a sudden realisation that he wasn't feeling nauseous this morning. He was ravenous and he quickly finished up and got out of the shower, drying himself off and thanking god that today was now a Saturday and he didn't have any lessons to go to.

His reflection in the mirror stopped his hunt for food as he checked his bump in the mirror. He had never stood in front of a mirror naked whilst he was pregnant and he turned to the side to see his bump better. It was bigger this morning, much bigger than it had been last night. The skin moved and he let out a shocked yell.

Thumps, a crash and a lot of growling preceded all three of his naked mates barging into the bathroom. Harry sniggered at their dishevelled appearances' and sleep tousled hair.

"Please tell me that you didn't yell just to get us up Prezioso?" Blaise said around a yawn.

Reminded as to why he had yelled he looked back to his reflection and rubbed his belly.

"You are much bigger than you were yesterday." Draco observed.

"I know. It moved."

"The baby?"

"I saw my skin move, like a ripple but obviously it was caused by the baby."

Max came and cupped his belly with both hands. Harry looked into the mirror and felt his throat clog with emotion as he looked to the two naked reflections, he saw his own wide eyed, misted face and then he saw Max's looking at the baby bulge cupped in his hands with such adoration and love.

Harry wanted to remember this moment forever as he leant backwards and kissed the underside of Max's jaw. All of the violence and temper from yesterday forgotten and forgiven and in this moment Harry was happy.

A camera flashed and Harry turned around with a snarl on his face to glare at Draco who held the camera that Harry had taught all three of his mates to use the week before 'ready for when the chicks arrived.'

"It made a good picture." He told Harry.

"I'm naked!" Harry shouted lunging for the camera.

Draco held it out of reach and ran from the bathroom laughing. Harry growled and stomped after him, not even trying to run after him with the added swelling of the baby.

"Give me that camera!"

Max laughed and he and Draco played keep away, tossing his camera between each other as Harry stomped and sulked. Blaise pulled him into a kiss and held him gently.

"Let them have their fun Mio amore. They don't mean any harm."

"But I'm naked." Harry pouted.

"No one else will ever see it. We won't let them see you so vulnerable, but you two did make a good picture."

Harry sighed but the debate was ultimately ended when his stomach roared loudly. Max, still grinning, moved to the kitchen and began boiling the kettle to make their morning teas and coffee for Blaise, who didn't understand how they could drink watery leaves.

"Can I have a proper breakfast please?" Harry asked. "I wasn't sick this morning and I feel fine."

Max grinned and pulled Harry's head forward to lay a kiss on his forehead. Max liked kissing a lot, no matter if it was a passionate one, a quick peck or a lingering kiss on a random body part.

"Of course you can, if you feel you can eat it, I'd be happy to make it."

Harry smiled happily and sat down on Blaise, who was closest to him. Blaise wrapped his arms around his waist and laid his head on Harry's shoulder, ignoring that they were all still naked.

"Ti amo." He whispered.

Harry grinned and twisted his head to give Blaise a kiss.

"I love you too."

Harry leant over and gave a kiss to Draco without letting him ask for one. Draco didn't need to beg for his affection like a kicked dog.

Max happily served them their teas and coffee. Harry grimaced at the red tea he was being forced to drink for the baby. It wasn't too bad, but it definitely wasn't his honey tea.

Max sipped on his plain old white tea, whilst Draco took his black, neither took their tea with sugar. Blaise and Draco talked together with an occasional comment from Max as he expertly cooked them breakfast. Harry remained quiet and just observed them all, talking and interacting like best friends, like the family that they were going to become.

Last night seemed to have done them wonders for tolerance with each other, they were all dominants, but if they gave enough effort, they could love one another, Harry was sure of it and he couldn't wait until they all loved one another like a large, but real family. A family that loved unconditionally, a family that loved without judgement, a family who loved with, not only their hearts, but their bodies and souls as well.

* * *

A/N: Some of you have gone right off the idea of being Drackens yourselves after the birth description in the last chapter. You have to take the good with the bad! Though you only have to worry about Robert and Harry's birth if your men, as female submissive Dracken's still birth alone, but they do it naturally if they can, if the baby gets stuck, then they resort to tearing themselves open. As per request, the birth will have warnings around it for those too squeamish to read it.

To **Recordkeeper**: No. Female dominants can get pregnant because they're women, male doms can't get pregnant as it's only the submissive males that get a womb during the inheritance.

To **XxMoonFlower369xX**: The difference between werewolves and Drackens is that werewolves are technically classed as diseased humans, not creatures. Where a werewolf only turns animalistic once every month, which is really only twelve days out of every year, a Dracken is a humanoid, not an actual human. They are born Drackens and are Drackens every moment of every day of every year for the rest of their lives. We all saw in Order of the Phoenix that Umbridge has a really problem with 'creatures of near human intelligence' and 'half-breeds' and the way J. K. Rowling had Remus explain how hard she had made it for him to find work, in my mind I think that she would hate Drackens even more, they are a rare creature, have human intelligence, come equipped with deadly weapons and have the means to reproduce, in my mind, therefore this fic, she wants to control the entire of the creature races due to her prejudice and because no one knows the number of Drackens she is fearful of how many there are, so she is 'culling them for the good of the wizarding community' but I'll go into more detail later on in the fic. And no, Remus will not start hating Harry because of some inborn rivalry, Drackens only start on those who attack, threaten or dishonour their mates or chicks, it has nothing to do with race. Also Remus has already met Harry in the first chapter and he had no adverse reactions.

Another little peek-a-boo for you, only better! Chapter Twenty-Three is called The Fourth and Final. Here is a sneak peek:-

"_Do you have any sort of indication of which person you'd like?" Elder Trintus asked. "Most submissives just know which Dracken they'd like when picking a grounding mate."_

"_I have a very good idea." _

"_Well then, let's start there. Who do you want?"_

"_I don't think he's here." Harry answered as he once again scanned the hall for the man he loved. "He might have gone to see the submissive in New Zealand, which means he doesn't want me and thinks I'm too much of a bother." _

_The thought caused him a sharp pain in his heart as he bit his lip and turned away from the other dominants, hiding from their heated gazes in Draco's shirt. He didn't want them undressing his pregnant body with their eyes. _

"_We can call him back from New Zealand Harry dear. Who was he?"_

"_No." Harry shook his head for emphasis. "If he left then he didn't love me enough to stay, I don't want him resenting me for dragging him back when he doesn't want to be here."_

"_Many of those who left only did so because they thought they didn't have a chance with you dear."_

"_Then he should have had more faith in me."_

StarLight Massacre. X


	23. The Fourth and Final

**A/N: **You know what's coming. **DO NOT SKIP AHEAD TO FIND OUT OR THERE WILL BE TROUBLE.** I'll know you've done it. _I'll know_. So ignore the temptation and enjoy the story until you reach it or you'll ruin it for yourselves. I'm a reader myself and I know it'll kill you, but if you skip ahead _I'll _kill you by sending the reincarnation of Dominic after you. Happy reading.

_Last Time_

_Last night seemed to have done them wonders for tolerance with each other, they were all dominants, but if they gave enough effort, they could love one another, Harry was sure of it and he couldn't wait until they all loved one another like a large, but real family. A family that loved unconditionally, a family that loved without judgement, a family who loved with, not only their hearts, but their bodies and souls as well._

Chapter Twenty-Three – The Fourth and Final

Harry was dreading his heat as it dawned so very close. His mates wouldn't even touch him; he was going to be so sore as he hadn't had sex at all in the past two months. Not since his February heat.

He had continued to grow steadily until it looked like he had swallowed a Quaffle. His mates had taken to sleeping with at least one, if not both of their hands on his bump.

He still hadn't told them that he had a very large idea of who his fourth mate was, after what Snape had told him, he was slightly afraid to just announce that he loved another man, at least if he went through a sort of mating process they had a better chance of accepting it.

He was going to have to have his meeting soon though; Elder Trintus had warned him that if he didn't have all of his mates with him by his next heat period then he wouldn't be able to claim anymore mates. He would be doomed to live his life without his grounding mate and later on in life, when he'd had a few clutches of chicks, his wild magic caused by his Dracken inheritance would turn him insane and he would slaughter his own children.

Ginny had started to channel her Mother. She came up to him at odd times during the day to give him a sandwich or a pasty, telling him that he needed to eat more for the baby. In fact everyone seemed to be doing that, even Dean Thomas did it once, until Harry had been sick on his robes, then he had never offered him another morsel.

School work was becoming more taxing on him as he grew and became so tired he was barely making it through each day. The baby was growing too quickly and was sapping so much energy from him that sometimes he didn't feel like getting out of bed. It was his price to pay for having a pregnancy that only lasted seven months; his baby had a hell of a lot of growing and developing to do in such a short amount of time. Two months less than a human pregnancy hadn't seemed like anything to him before, but he was beginning to understand that those two extra months would have let him have an easier time of his pregnancy, would have let his baby grow at a more reasonable rate instead of ballooning every other day.

Lavender Brown, Parvati Patil and Parvati's twin sister from Ravenclaw, Padma had come up to him when he, Blaise and Draco were in the library and worriedly asked about his illness. Harry had forgotten that he had claimed he had a very deadly reoccurring disease that would explain why he disappeared for ten days a month when he was on heat and why he disappeared for X amount of time when he went to find himself another mate.

The three girls were worried about the illness' effect on his growing baby and Harry sadly claimed that he had been told that there was a high possibility that his baby would be born early.

"Oh not premature!" Lavender gasped. "You'll have a little prem baby! Oh they're tiny, my baby brother was a prem baby but he died in hospital."

Harry wrapped his arms around Lavender and held her as she cried about her baby brother's death some years ago, telling him that she didn't want him to go through what her parents had when they had lost the baby.

"I'm sure my baby will survive Lavender, it'll be a magical baby after all and it will have the best magical treatment money can buy."

"Oh. I know, but it was so sad that he died, I always wanted a brother and I was so excited, he would be eight now if he had lived."

"I'm sorry for your loss Lavender, I am, but I won't let that happen to my baby, illness or not."

"Okay enough with the heavy talk." Parvati nudged them with a grin. "Tell us what it's like to have three absolutely gorgeous men sleep with you every night."

"You know what Parvati? I've never been happier. I love them. I know there are people that are saying that I can't possibly love them all, that there must be one I like more than the others or one that I pay more attention to, but that just isn't true. I love all of them, each and every one of them, I have so much love to give that I'm thinking of getting one more."

Harry nudged them with an excessive wink. They giggled and they started a running tally on a piece of parchment about who would be good for him.

"Don't forget we have visitors this year." He encouraged. "I've had my eye on a few of those tall, strapping men, I think Blaise and Draco are all I can manage from my own age group or from Hogwarts, I want someone a bit more mature."

"Ooo! He want's older Lav." Parvati giggled.

"What about Professor Drios?" Padma asked, looking dreamily into space, obviously fantasising about their Defence teacher for that year.

"I am not going to ask a teacher out." Harry stated firmly. "No teachers."

"You spoil all our fun."

Harry chuckled and left them to their list before he went and found Blaise down the next isle of the library.

"They like Professor Drios?" He asked disgusted.

"They also loved Lockhart and would lick Professor Trelawney's shoes, but they are my friends, so watch your mouth." Harry grinned, kissing said mouth.

"Why should I watch it when I have you to watch it for me?" Blaise smirked.

Harry rolled his eyes and waddled off, going to the table where Draco was sitting looking over his essay critically.

"I'm sure it's perfect love." Harry told him, easing into a chair, smiling as Draco's hands immediately jumped to help him even as his eyes didn't leave his parchment.

"I'm just making sure that it is befitting of a Malfoy to submit."

Harry snorted delicately and nudged Draco, who nudged him back, looking over at him with a smirk.

"Speaking of Malfoy's, have you told your parents yet?"

The guilty look on Draco's face gave Harry the answer. He sighed.

"You know, you'll really want to tell them soon love, before someone else does. It's only a matter of time before the media gets hold of the story that I'm pregnant from a harem of men that includes my once school-boy rival, the prestigious Pureblood Draco Malfoy. Don't you think your parents would rather hear the truth from you rather than half-truths and speculation from the morning paper?"

Draco sighed and pulled a fresh piece of parchment towards him and dipped his quill into his ink pot. Harry lent over and as soon as he saw the Dear Mother and Father at the top, he kissed Draco's cheek in pride and eased himself to his feet again to go bother Blaise. Draco's letter was too important to be disturbed.

* * *

Later that day Harry was lying on his back in front of their fireplace. He was trying, and failing very spectacularly, to track the last footsteps of one Regulus Black, which was harder than anything he had ever had to do and he was getting nowhere fast, where was Hermione when he actually needed her? He wanted to help Professor Snape find closure, if one of his mates had died and he had had no idea why or how, if they had suffered or not, then he would have liked someone to help him.

Though Professor Snape didn't seem the type to ask for help, nor to accept it if it was offered, so he was doing this on his own, though it was very frustrating. After another half an hour he let out a frustrated yell which brought his mates attention to him from their places around the room as he threw the book he had been studying at the opposite wall.

He lay back on the rug and scowled as he had gotten nowhere. He knew now why Professor Snape was always so sour and angry. He would be too if he had to feel this level of frustration every day and it wasn't even his mate that had gone missing!

"Are you alright Diletto?" Blaise asked.

"No. Stupid books."

"If your homework is giving you trouble maybe I could help." Max told him, putting his quill down and pushing his paperwork away to make a space for Harry.

Harry rolled onto his hands and knees and crawled with his scowl to Max and flumped down at the coffee table, by Max's legs.

"That would have been sexy if that scowl hadn't been on your face." Draco informed him.

Harry stuck his middle finger up to his blonde mate who chuckled amusedly. Max stroked his fingers through Harry's hair and tugged gently; tilting Harry's head back so he could lean down and give him a kiss.

"What were you stuck on love?" He asked.

"It wasn't homework, though I do need help on my History of Magic essay. Don't know how people can find enough knowledge in what Binns says to write an essay, not like he can read them anyway, he's a ghost! He can't pick up a piece of parchment, stupid waste of time, would rather be sleeping." Harry grumbled under his breath as he dug in his backpack for the half-heartedly attempted essay.

"Are you tired love?"

"Yes." He admitted.

"Would you rather take a nap? You can if you want to. No one is going to stop you; in fact I'd encourage it."

Harry hefted himself onto the settee, with Max supporting him, and lay down with his head in his oldest mate's lap by a way of answering Max's question.

Max smiled down at Harry adoringly and started combing through Harry's hair. It took minutes for him to slip off into sleep and Max pulled his paperwork back towards him and remained aware at all times of the precious person sleeping in his lap, who was pregnant with his child. Regardless of whether or not that child was his by blood, the baby would be partly raised by him; he would consider the baby his no matter who had fathered it.

* * *

It was two days later when Harry and all three of his mates were in the Hell Hotel. They were amused at his nickname for the house, but as Harry pointed out it had been hell on earth for him to put up with the hundred odd dominants that were living in it.

Only there weren't a hundred dominants there this time, no. There were less than fifty sitting or standing in front of him in the main room.

"Please tell me they didn't all kill each other off." Harry said to Elder Trintus, who chuckled amusedly and patted Harry's expanding belly with such a look of joy on his face that Harry couldn't bring himself to tell the man not to touch his baby, though he wanted to and subtly moved away and into Blaise.

"No dear boy, no. A new submissive has been revealed in New Zealand, many of the dominants left to see her. They believed you were too much of a hassle."

Harry chuckled weakly, but inside he was quite put out that they had left just because they found him a hassle, if they had wanted some ditzy airhead, who would obey their every command then he was glad that they had gone, but it was quite confidence blowing to know that people thought that he was too much of an irritation to stick around for him. He didn't think he was that bad really or maybe he was and he just didn't realise it.

He turned to look at his three mates and found himself wondering if they thought he was too much of a bother, did they regret mating with him. He bit his lip and placed a hand over his swelling belly. Did they regret having him and the baby?

"We don't think you're a hassle Prezioso." Blaise told him softly.

"Of course you're not. Those others probably know that they have absolutely no chance at you because you deserve so much better than them, that's why they left." Max assured him.

Draco came forward and wrapped his arms around his waist and kissed him lovingly.

"We love you; we don't care if you're occasionally bitchy because we know that we can be too and that at the end of our bitch fits you'll still love us. No relationship is perfect, if we actually look at ours we have four, soon to be five men, one of whom is pregnant living together in close proximity, we are bound to get on each other's nerves because we're all different and have different likes and dislikes, it isn't something to hate or see as bothersome, we should love our faults as much as our perfections. None of us are perfect, though I do admit I come pretty damn close."

Harry chuckled and kissed Draco deeply.

"Thanks Draco."

Draco just flashed him a quick up tilt of the lips and held him gently.

"Now Harry, have you thought how you want to do this dear?"

"No, not a clue. I've been too busy with the baby to even think of anything else."

"Well we don't have too much time, you go on heat in a few days am I correct?"

"Yes." Harry admitted.

"Well then, let's get going with this meeting, you need your mate before your next heat and this is the only mate you can fully choose my dear. No instinct from your Dracken side, no input, just you."

Harry smiled at that. He already knew who he was going to choose. He had probably loved him from the get go. He didn't really want to drag this meeting out. He was tired of this house, tired of all the pushy dominants, tired of being here and putting up with everything. He wanted to be back in his rooms sleeping with all of his mates around him, doing their own thing. Blaise working on his translations, Max doing his paperwork for the clinic and Draco holding him as he slept whilst the blonde read a book.

It was his idea of bliss at the moment and he really didn't appreciate any sort of interruption into his quality time spent with his mates, school and Max's work already cut into the precious time they had together without these infernal meetings as well.

But it couldn't be helped, not really. He needed to get this mate before his next heat or he put his entire family at risk. This was his last ever meeting, his last ever mate, he would only ever have four of them one heat after his next one. Just two months and a couple of days and he would never have to have another mate meeting in his life. Unless one of his mates died that is, but he wasn't going to even think about that.

"Do you have any sort of indication of which person you'd like?" Elder Trintus asked. "Most submissives just know which Dracken they'd like when picking a grounding mate."

"I have a very good idea."

"Well then, let's start there. Who do you want?"

"I don't think he's here." Harry answered as he once again scanned the hall for the man he loved ignoring how Elder Trintus made it sound as though he was picking a raffle prize. "He might have gone to see the submissive in New Zealand, which means he doesn't want me and thinks I'm too much of a bother."

The thought caused him a sharp pain in his heart as he bit his lip and turned away from the other dominants, hiding from their heated gazes in Draco's shirt. He didn't want them undressing his pregnant body with their eyes.

"We can call him back from New Zealand Harry dear. Who was he?"

"No." Harry shook his head for emphasis. "If he left then he didn't love me enough to stay, I don't want him resenting me for dragging him back when he doesn't want to be here."

"Many of those who left only did so because they thought they didn't have a chance with you dear."

"Then he should have had more faith in me."

His mates looked at him with sadness and just a hint of anger in their eyes. They didn't like seeing him so upset, especially not with the baby growing inside of him. That someone had caused Harry this sadness caused their anger, a person could be hurt, could be made to pay, where if a situation had upset him, well you couldn't really hurt a situation or an inanimate object, not that Blaise hadn't tried when Harry had bumped into a plinth holding the bust of some long forgotten witch called Felda the Fortuitous, she wasn't very fortuitous when Blaise smashed her and her plinth into smithereens.

"I hope I'm not too late." A strong voice asked.

Harry looked up at the sound of _his_ voice. The voice he loved but scarcely ever heard. He ran from the top platform ignoring his other three mates shouting at him not to run and to be mindful of the baby and flung himself into his arms, their mouths met in an explosive kiss before they broke apart and Harry held him tightly.

"Oh god Nasta. I didn't think you were here."

"I would never have given up on you." Nasta whispered back to him. "My brother has been ill these past few days; I have taken to visiting him after work. I am sorry if you thought I had left."

"Is he okay?"

"He is fine. Just a bit unwell, but my Dad is out of the country on work business and I didn't like to leave him alone."

"Will you accept me as your submissive mate? Three other mates, baby and all?" Harry asked a bit bashfully.

Nasta smiled and held him to his chest strongly. "I'd have accepted you a hundred other mates, baby and all." Nasta answered.

"Well this meeting was very straight forward." Elder Trintus explained with a smile as the other dominants screamed and shouted in rage at not being picked.

Henley ran up to him and pulled him into a hug.

"I'm happy for you Harry. Look at you! You're going to be a Mommy!"

"Mummy Henley, Mummy." Harry corrected through a beaming smile at the younger boy.

Henley batted the air as if he could bat away Harry's words. "Who cares about difference in spelling and pronunciation? They both mean the same thing, you have a baby! Congratulations!"

"Henley!" An older man yelled over the roars of the other dominants.

"My Dad." Henley answered the unasked question. "He wanted to drag me straight off to New Zealand three days ago when the new submissive was made known, but I had to see you one last time Harry. To remind you that we are still friends and that we both have owls! Write to me sometime and maybe one day, when I'm all grown up with a submissive and chicks of my own we can meet up again."

Harry smiled through his tears. "I'd like that Henley. I'd like that a lot."

They embraced for a long time and Henley gave him a peck to the lips before he ran off with a wave as his Dad yelled his name again, even louder that before.

"I'm really going to miss him." Harry said to no one in particular.

Nasta wrapped an arm around him and led him back over to the platform where his three other mates presided over everyone, watching from the high ground so they could see him better and have a better vantage point should anyone try to hurt him.

Harry accepted the hug from Blaise as he reached the dais and let his mates meet Nasta, though they already knew of him and had met him as well during the picnic to celebrate his release from the hospital wing, this was the first time they were meeting him as a fellow mate.

* * *

Harry had thought that maybe it would be awkward being in such a small, closed space with four other men, but it wasn't. Nasta was so silent it was almost as if he was part of the furniture.

He lounged on the settee with Harry laying on him, his back to Nasta's chest and Max sitting next to them doing his paperwork. Blaise sat down on the floor doing his translations, with help from Nasta, who knew more languages than Harry had known existed.

Draco was lounging on the second settee that had been expanded from the armchair that it had originally been because really, one three seater settee and an armchair wasn't enough for all of them to sit on. So now they had two three seater settees and all of them were happy and comfortable, especially Harry as Nasta's hands on his belly familiarised themselves with the baby he would have a hand in raising.

Draco and Max were talking quietly to each other as Blaise's quill made soft scratching noises against the parchment as he took notes from the book Harry had gifted to him for Christmas. It was so peaceful that Harry wanted to stay in the here and now forever.

Nasta moved one of his hands from his belly to play with his hair as the other one stroked the skin of his bare belly with fingertips. Harry purred under the attention, which made all of his mates look at him with amusement for a moment before going back to what they were doing.

Harry had thought that he was sleepy, but he wasn't, he was damn well aching for his mates, he wanted sex, but he knew Max, Blaise or especially Draco wouldn't give it to him. He looked up at Nasta who had his eyes closed, but was still rubbing his belly and playing with his hair. Nasta was his best bet, but how did he get Nasta to have sex with him, without the other three barging in on them? The bedroom was under a strong silencing charm in case their 'activities' were overheard by someone walking passed their rooms. It would cause awkward questions if the sounds of sex and screaming were heard when he was supposed to be severely sick. Plus having sex with Nasta would not only let him see Nasta in his full glory for the first time, but would help loosen him up for his heat which was due any day now. He needed this.

"Nasta?" Harry asked softly.

Nasta's eyes opened immediately and looked down at him, his gorgeous hazel eyes questioning him.

"I'm sleepy; can you take me to the bedroom?" He asked around a huge, faked yawn.

"Of course." He answered and slid from the settee, taking Harry with him.

"Night lovers!" Harry called out to the other three, who either snorted in amusement or in Draco's case, rolled their eyes.

Nasta carried him into the bedroom, and Harry made him shut the door behind him. Harry grinned as he was carried up the stairs and placed on the bed, Nasta pulled his clothes from him to dress him in pyjamas, but Harry had no intention of letting himself be redressed once he was naked.

"I'm too warm for pyjamas." Harry protested, rolling onto his stomach on the bed and refusing to cooperate. He made himself look as winsomely sexy as possible. He knew he had succeeded when Nasta swallowed heavily.

"At least put your boxers on." Nasta tried with a thick voice.

Harry shivered and he just knew his pupils had blown wide in lust, his mouth parted on a small sigh.

"Give me a back rub and I'll wear them." Harry compromised, having no intention of wearing his boxers before he got what he wanted. "The baby is lying heavily on my spine."

Nasta climbed gingerly onto the bed and sat away from him, using just his fingertips to rub the centre of his back, never going too low and not going any higher.

"You've never given a back rub before have you?" Harry asked.

"No." Nasta answered after a lengthy pause.

Harry looked behind him and smirked as he saw Nasta's eyes pinned to his bum. He was really going to get what he wanted tonight.

"I'll show you how, come here."

Harry sat up and pulled Nasta to lie where he had just vacated. Harry tugged his shirt off, much to Nasta's protest.

"How do you expect me to give you a back rub if you're wearing a shirt?" Harry demanded as he straddled Nasta's thighs. "It doesn't work properly through clothes!"

Harry began to give the most sensual, provocative back rub he ever given before. With Draco or Blaise or Max he gave them purely to make them feel better, to ease the tension in their backs and shoulders, now, not only was he putting more tension into Nasta, he was doing it purposefully to get sex.

He ghosted his fingertips over Nasta's sides as the heels of his hands cracked the vertebrae in Nasta's spine, loosening the skeleton and making the man underneath him go boneless. He dipped his fingers as low down Nasta's back as he could without completely shoving his hand down the back of Nasta's trousers and he loved what he felt and what he saw. Nasta was well muscled, the muscles under his skin were solid; it was like touching rock through a sheet of silk. Max was big and bulkily muscled, but he still had a squishy layer between his skin and muscles that made him great to cuddle with and even though Max was taller by two inches Harry would put money on Nasta coming out top in a fight between them.

Harry grinned and scooted up to straddle Nasta's bum. Nasta had an amazing bum. Nasta let out a low moan and Harry knew he was so close to getting what he wanted. He had to work fast if he didn't want to be interrupted. It was just gone nine o'clock in the night. It was Sunday night; they all needed to be up in the morning. Max was in work, Harry, Blaise and Draco had lessons and Harry didn't know about Nasta, but he didn't matter as he wasn't going to interrupt them having sex, he was going to be participating. He had about two and a half hours at most to get Nasta to fuck him.

"I think I feel better now Harry, why don't you go off to sleep?" Nasta was breathless and his voice had gone so deep Harry barely recognised it.

"I'm not done." Harry protested.

Nasta rolled from under him and pinned him to the bed. It seemed accidental as the look on Nasta's face as he realised their new position and Harry's lack of clothes was priceless.

"I…I think it would be best if you put on your boxers now Harry."

"I said I'd put them on if you gave me a back rub. I ended up giving you one, so no boxers."

Nasta looked as if Harry had shoved an entire lemon down his throat whole as he swallowed so painfully Harry could hear it. Nasta licked his lips and Harry smiled salaciously.

"I suppose it wouldn't work to add please onto the end of the sentence?"

"No." Harry whispered as he pushed himself up to kiss Nasta full on the mouth. Nasta responded immediately, wrapping his arms around Harry and pulling him up higher to get a better angle.

Nasta broke the kiss with a strangled sound as he turned his head away. "I can't. You're pregnant, the others will kill me."

"Having sex won't kill the baby and they'll have to go through me first. Nasta I need to feed the baby on sex, on my mates 'sexual ejaculate', the baby will die if you don't feed me."

Nasta nodded understandingly. Harry knew that as his oldest mate at thirty-seven Nasta knew a lot about Drackens and Dracken pregnancy. Nasta knew that the baby needed blood and semen and saliva to live.

**Sex scene can be found here: ****hp(dot)adultfanfiction(dot)net/story(dot)php?no=600094352&chapter=23**

or here: **archiveofourown(dot)org/works/384548/chapters/653989**

Harry lay in Nasta's arms relearning how to breathe, listening to Nasta suck in deep breaths, his chest heaving with the effort. It took them a long time to recover from their lovemaking session and as soon as he was able to move, Nasta moved down and sniffed and licked around the baby bump.

Harry was too used to this behaviour from his dominants that he didn't even try to tell Nasta that he could feel the baby moving, that he knew the baby was fine. He just let him sniff and lick to his heart's content until he gave a parting kiss to the roundest part of his belly and came back up to kiss Harry gently, giving light, lingering kisses to his lips as Harry just lay on their bed using all of his concentration on breathing.

Nasta carefully, slowly eased himself out of his body and even that small movement brought a round or writhing to Harry, who ended up cuddled tightly to Nasta's chest as his oldest lover held him, back to chest and cupped his swollen belly.

"How did you do that roll thing with your hips?" Was the first thing Harry asked when he had gotten his breathing right and gotten his brain to focus on anything else.

Nasta nuzzled the back of his head and licked the back of his neck. Harry thought he wouldn't answer the question, but he had learnt with Nasta that he could answer a question ten minutes after it was asked, even if the topic had moved on. Time was something that Nasta didn't really care for, it seemed he took everything slowly and nothing was rushed, not even sex.

"Practise." Nasta answered his voice tight and a bit defensive. "You didn't expect me to be a virgin did you Harry? I'm thirty-seven."

Harry laughed; his voice was raw and a bit hoarse. "Of course not, I was just wondering if it was a learned talent or something you had always done."

Nasta went back to nuzzling his hair with his face, inhaling deeply and Harry yawned. If he wasn't tired before he bloody well was now. He held onto Nasta's arms that were wrapped around him, holding them closer. He yawned again and closed his eyes, he was asleep within minutes.

* * *

A/N: Who do you think will kill Nasta first? Max, Draco or Blaise.

To **SilverLion**: Voldemort is dead. Harry explains how he died in Chapter Eighteen – Survival. So Harry and Dumbledore don't have any need to go after the locket. Here enters Kreacher, the only living being that knows what happened to Regulus.

**chachamaru43**: The wing patterns really are unique to each submissive because of the different colours and clusters of colours they gain. It's not just one scale that changes colour and then another one on the opposite side, it's more like several scales change colour in one 'patch' so each submissive has patches of colour in random patterns.

**coolcucumber**: If a submissive Dracken loses a mate then yes they have to go through the mate meetings again to replace them. A dominant Dracken can chose if he want's to replace his submissive mate or not.

**Arquenniel**: Snape's wings are black, his scales are dark grey and deep brown.

: Dracken's aren't native to anywhere. They're like humans, they're everywhere, but the oldest known record of them is in Greece, with all the other fabled mythological beasts.

StarLight Massacre. X


	24. The Trouble Brews

_Last Time_

_Nasta went back to nuzzling his hair with his face, inhaling deeply and Harry yawned. If he wasn't tired before he bloody well was now. He held onto Nasta's arms that were wrapped around him, holding them closer. He yawned again and closed his eyes, he was asleep within minutes._

Chapter Twenty-Four – The Trouble Brews

Harry was woken up what seemed like only a few minutes later by a bellowed roar. He blinked languidly as a blast of wind ruffled his hair and his sluggish mind couldn't put any pieces of the broken puzzle together.

The warmth at his back and sides was gone and Harry blinked again, something was telling him that this was important, but he was so tired and his pillow was so soft and comfy and the bed was warm and inviting.

A strangled yell had Harry looking about for the source of the noise, his befuddled mind becoming a bit clearer, a bit sharper. He climbed out of the bed with a bit of effort and peered over the banister that was the only safety measure on the platform that held their bed.

Three of his mates were down on the bedroom floor. It looked like a free for all as they all seemed to be attacking Nasta. It was then that Harry realised that it looked like they were attacking Nasta because they _were_ attacking him. He let out a yell of rage and knelt on the banister, keeping a death grip on the top in the unlikely event that he slipped.

"Oi!" He yelled. "Fucking stop it!"

The three on the floor looked up at him and they stilled like statues.

"Harry, get down slowly." Max told him as he stood framed in the doorway, looking like he had run from the living room when he had heard the roar of rage, but now he was approaching under the platform, looking ready to catch Harry in the very unlikely event that he would fall.

"No!" Harry screamed as he saw that Nasta had a black eye and a busted lip. "Leave him alone! If you want to hit someone hit me you big bullies!"

"He tried to kill the baby!" Draco hissed. "He was trying to kill the baby because he knows there is no chance that he is the Father!"

"Don't be so stupid! The baby is fine! I can feel the baby moving. Nasta was gentle and slow, he didn't take me like some animal!" Harry yelled. "What do you think is going to happen when I go on heat in a few days? Do you think you can control yourselves? Do you think you won't completely rip me in half because I haven't so much as been stretched in two months! Nasta was doing what I _asked _him to do. Help me in preparation of my heat. He was gentle with me! Now stop it or all of you are going to be kicked out of these rooms! I won't have bullies sleeping in bed with me!"

"Just climb down carefully Harry, then we'll talk." Max coaxed, using his best soothing voice.

Harry huffed and slid his knees back until his feet touched the carpet and he stomped down the stairs. Blaise had come to meet him, probably to stop him from 'falling down the stairs' but Harry wasn't having any of it as he twisted away from Blaise and went to Nasta, digging his magically appeared claws into his hand and offered his blood to Nasta, who licked his hand with slow, sure strokes of his tongue, looking like he was making love with his hand.

Draco growled, but stopped when Harry sent a nasty glare at him.

"How dare you do this!" Harry hissed at them. "What were you thinking? We have only just reconciled the argument over the baby needing blood now you want to start one over the baby needing semen as well?"

"What?" Draco asked, surprise in those silver eyes. "The baby needs semen as well?"

Harry knew that Draco wasn't pretending, not only because Malfoys never pretended at having a lack of knowledge, but because Draco had only been a Dracken for a month before he himself had become one and for five months out of that time Draco had been denying what he was where he had been trying to find out everything he could on his new species.

"The baby needs all bodily fluids a dominant mate can give. Blood, sweat, tears, saliva and semen. Blood, saliva and semen are the top needs." Nasta stated factually, dabbing the blood from his chin from his now healed lip. "The baby will wither and die like an unwatered flower if these needs are not met."

"Then we owe you an apology." Blaise stated, looking a bit sheepish, holding out his hand to help Nasta from the floor.

"It's fine. I knew it would happen before Harry and I made love, the firstborn protection is too strong."

"The what?"

"Snape mentioned something like that." Harry remembered.

"It's the level of overbearing protectiveness a dominant feels for his or her firstborn child. You three have no idea who is the Father of Harry's baby, so you all feel it."

"Draco seems to be feeling it the most, does that mean anything?" Harry asked.

"It isn't likely that it means that he is the biological Father." Nasta answered slowly, understanding what Harry had meant, a thoughtful look crossing his face. "It could be that he just feels more protective towards you and the baby or it could mean that he is a very jealous person and doesn't like anyone excessively touching you or the baby."

"Probably the latter." Harry answered with a soft smile.

"How old are you?" Draco asked Nasta suddenly.

Harry sighed in exasperation. "Not this again Draco! I thought you had agreed to at least give the mate I chose a chance?"

"I'm thirty-seven." Nasta answered as if Harry hadn't spoken.

"He's going to be forty in two, three years!"

"Three years." Nasta stated. "My birthday was the third of February."

"That submissive, Robert lived well into his two hundreds!" Harry snapped. "I don't think a couple of years between all of us is going to matter when we're two hundred Draco!"

"We are more likely to reach three hundred and fifty now." Nasta informed them. "With our improved diets, advanced medical research and our stronger genes we are living longer than ever."

"Jesus, how many kids can we have in three hundred and fifty years?" Harry asked, looking down at the one baby he was currently growing and placing his hands on it.

"A moot point Harry." Max told him. "We lose fertility the older we get. You won't be able to get pregnant past the one hundred and fifty mark."

"Fine. I'll rephrase the question, how many kids can we have until I'm a hundred and fifty?"

"Depends on how big the clutches are." Max answered thoughtfully. "We could have anything from twenty to over fifty children."

"My god, we'll never survive!"

Max chuckled, but it was Nasta who answered his melodrama. "You won't get pregnant directly after giving birth. It will take a while for your hormones to settle down again and for your body to repair itself enough to carry another clutch. It could be between one and five years before you conceive a second clutch, though some submissives do conceive again after only half a year."

"That sounds a bit better, but what if I'm not ready? What if I have this baby and then realise that I can't do it? What if I can't look after it? I'm sixteen; I don't know how to look after a baby!"

"I'm sure you'll do fine." Max soothed, but to Harry it seemed like he was brushing his worries under the carpet. "You'll make a great Mum."

"How about we all attend a Mother and Baby class?" Nasta compromised when it looked like Harry would explode. "None of us have any experience with children, unless any of you have younger siblings or a love child hidden away?"

When all three shook their heads Nasta looked back to Harry. "Do you think you'd like to go Harry?"

Harry nodded immediately. "I don't want to be thrown in at the deep end. Unlike Robert I am still in school, when he first got pregnant all he had to deal with was housework and cooking, I have to juggle the baby between school work and find a way to fit the baby between all of our schedules. This isn't going to be fair on the baby! Being passed around from unfamiliar face to stranger and back again! Not one of us can spend more than a few hours with the baby during the day, it's not right."

"I haven't taken a holiday from work in four years." Nasta told him seriously. "I'm due perhaps a year and a half off from work. I'll look after the baby during the day whilst you are in lessons if you so wish."

"But there is no way it can possibly be your baby." Draco pointed out, perhaps a bit harshly.

"Draco, if the baby turns out to be Blaise's, what would you do?"

"What do you mean what would I do? Nothing."

"So you would be unwilling to get up in the middle of the night to feed the baby, change the baby, would you play with the baby during the day? Would you even acknowledge the baby?"

Draco went pink with anger and clenched his fist. "Of course I would! The baby comes from Harry! I would love that baby as if it were my own!"

"As would I." Nasta answered. "It doesn't matter if there is no way the baby could be mine, I'll see the baby as my own as would you. I am willing to take all of my holidays in one sabbatical if it helps ease the worry and stress from you all."

"If the baby is mine I can get eight months paternity leave." Max spoke up. "You three can't really take a break from school; you need the best possible results to get the best jobs and taking any amount of time out of your schooling is counterproductive. So if the baby is mine, I get eight months straight off, then Nasta can take his one and a half years off to take over when I have to go back to work, that way the baby will be over two years old at the end and you three would have graduated. We'd be settled down in a house and we could work out our hours to fit in with each other."

"You…you aren't going to stop me from working?" Harry asked a bit tentatively. "I mean, you won't make me stay at home to look after the children?"

"No. If you want to work Harry, we aren't going to stop you, this isn't the nineteen hundreds any more, we don't expect you to throw away all of your schooling to sit at home and look after the children, not if it isn't what you want to do." Max told him seriously.

"I don't think any of us would like the children to have hired help to look after them, but there are five of us, not all of us are going to be working exactly the same hours or work on the same days, I'm sure it will all work out for all of us to have a job and the children to have one of us at home with them." Blaise put in.

"I don't want a full time job or a career or anything." Harry added. "To be honest I never thought I'd live this long what with everything going on so I never thought about what I'd like to do when I graduate. But a part time job sounds alright; I'll just work a couple hours a week just to get me out of the house once in a while."

"What do you mean you never thought you'd live this long?" Max demanded. Ignoring for the most part everything else Harry had said.

"Well I did have a madman after me Max."

"He's dead. The papers said you killed him last year."

"Not all of his followers were caught."

"Do you know something we don't?" Draco asked. "Have you been threatened? Have any of them made contact?"

Harry sighed and walked to the wardrobe to get out a dressing gown as he was getting cold standing around naked. He tugged it on and melted into the soft fluffy robe, he eased himself down onto the large square shaped settee that was a new addition to their rooms, added by Max, who knew charms that Harry hadn't known existed, like conjuring a settee from thin air.

The settee was squishy and purple to match the rest of the room, when asked why they had chosen the colour purple for the bedroom Harry and Blaise looked at each other and blushed deeply, refusing to answer, making the others think that something raunchy had happened. It was shaped like a square with one of the sides missing, three long seats attached by two corner seats and Harry loved every inch of it.

The others all sat around him, ignoring that they had room to actually sit with some semblance of personal space, preferring to sit grouped around Harry and the growing baby.

"Have you been threatened?" Draco reiterated, his patience running out.

"No. I haven't heard from any of them, but just the knowledge that they are out in the wide world somewhere is enough."

"We won't let anything happen to either of you." Nasta swore sincerely, placing a hand on his bump.

It was then that Harry noticed that Nasta was still naked and didn't seem to care at all. He was lounging around, ignoring the 'subtle' glances he was getting from the other three. Harry went a bit pink cheeked and let out a small giggle, smothering the rest that wanted to slip out.

Nasta raised an eyebrow and smirked as the other three suddenly felt a bit more embarrassed that one of them was sitting naked between them. It should have been the other way around, Nasta should have felt embarrassed sitting naked in a group of dressed, or at least covered in Harry's part, men, but he wasn't, he was completely confident and relaxed.

"Find something funny?" Nasta inquired with his eyebrow still raised.

"No." Harry answered even as his grin swallowed his face.

"A lesser man would take offence and insecurity from you laughing at their naked body."

"But not you." Harry tacked on the unsaid words.

"Not me. I am not an insecure man; I know you are laughing at the situation I have inadvertently caused, not directly at me."

Harry snuggled into as many of his mates as he could manage, lying down, face up, on Nasta's lap to reach Max and stretching his legs out over Blaise and Draco. He pressed a hand against his bump and sighed.

"You need to put on some more weight." Nasta complained. "Your arse is like a bony dagger."

Harry huffed and wiggled around, getting a small gasp of pain from Nasta and a snort of laughter from Max.

"Next time you can carry a clutch around and see how you like it." Harry whined. "Let's see how much weight you can put on whilst puking up everything you've eaten."

"I was only teasing cariad." Nasta told him with a smile.

"Cariad?" Harry questioned.

"It's Welsh for lover." Nasta answered with a wink.

Harry rolled his eyes and lay back down, moving his bum until it was cradled in Nasta's lap so his 'bony arse' wouldn't cause his mate pain. He yawned as all the excitement and adrenaline poured out of him and his exhaustion came back tenfold.

"I think it's best if we all just went to bed." Harry told the others, they all looked at each other and Harry sighed. "Whoever has a bloody problem with sharing a bed with me and everyone else can sleep on the fucking settee, I'm going to bed."

Harry hefted himself up and started climbing the stairs. Max swept his legs from under him and carried him up, nuzzling his chin as he went.

Harry was too tired now to complain and when he was placed on the bed he shrugged his dressing gown off and ignored the burning gazes he could feel roving his naked body. He turned and glared at every single one of his mates, who were grouped around the bed waiting for him to settle before they climbed in with him.

"All of you keep your hands off." He stated seriously. "I'm now too tired to do anything other than sleep, so the first person to try anything is going to be sleeping on the floor."

Blaise chuckled as he stripped himself bare and climbed in with him, wrapping his arms loosely around him and burying his face in the back of his neck.

Harry could feel every inch of Blaise's naked body pressed against his naked body. His tension grew, before he sighed and melted into the warmth of Blaise as his first mate didn't move to touch him sexually.

Nasta, who was already naked as the day he was born, climbed in front of him and wrapped arms around both Harry and Blaise, who made no move or noise against the action. Perhaps Blaise was the least dominant of all of his dominants and just didn't care?

Max didn't so much as climb into the bed as he rolled into it with a groan. He slipped an arm under Nasta and his other arm could reach all the way over to touch Blaise with room to spare. Harry was just drifting off when he realised the bed hadn't dipped for a fourth time.

He sat up as much as he could with three men wrapped around him and looked to Draco, who was stood at the end of the bed, watching them all.

"Draco, get in the bed now."

"I don't think I can." The blonde told him with a panicked look at the three other naked men.

Harry sighed and fought his way out of the mass of bodies and crawled to Draco, too tired to get up and walk.

Harry took Draco's head into his hands and kissed him, pulling until Draco was pressed against his chest and Harry had the blonde's head cradled in his arms, his nose buried in Draco's silky blonde hair.

"It's okay Draco. No one is going to touch you in a way that you don't expressly permit."

"Before you I'd never even thought of being with another man and I have never let anyone penetrate my body. When you go on heat in a few days, if I'm not top dominant I could…could."

"You could be penetrated by one of the others for the first time." Harry answered softly, understanding exactly what the problem was now.

Draco nodded in his arms.

"Is it the thought of another man being inside you that's the problem, or the pain you think it will cause?"

"Both."

"Well, I can't really answer to the first as I'm a gay submissive, I love having another man inside of me, loving me, bringing me pleasure, but for the second, when on heat, there is no pain. The haze of the breeding cycle just washes away all inhibitions, all pain, all thought. I feel a slight sting, maybe a small burn and then nothing. It's after the heat when the pain of the heat becomes apparent and as you aren't going to be fucked continuously for ten days by four men all drastically different in length and girth I think it won't be as bad for you."

"We can help you prepare if you are wary about it." Max hedged cautiously.

Draco's head snapped up and Harry turned around to see the other three looking at them from the pillows. Harry grinned at the sight they made, but as his arms were wrapped around Draco he could feel the blonde stiffen up.

"You don't have to answer that right away." Harry told Draco quickly. "Just think about it, we have a day or two before the heat starts, but know that no one is going to think anything of you if you say yes, not me and not them."

"It would be hypocritical of me if I did." Blaise put in. "Seeing as I am going to be bottoming to all three of you."

"Either Max or I are going to be bottoming to the other." Nasta stated factually. "There can only be one top dominant as there can only be one submissive in one family unit. All mates in between have to be flexible switches."

"Flexible switches?" Harry asked with a grin.

"Someone who 'switches' from the dominant to the submissive role and back again." Nasta explained to him with a loving look. "A switch is never fully dominant and never fully submissive, but both."

"That sounds like fun." Harry stated lecherously. "I want to be a switch."

Max laughed and gently pulled Harry to press a kiss to his forehead.

"You are too adorable Harry."

"No I'm serious; I want to be a switch."

"Then who would be our submissive?" Nasta asked him. "Do you really want to add a woman to our family?"

"Another male submissive?"

"Harry you are the first male submissive in over a hundred years and you are the only one. Any other submissive would be female."

"Erg." Harry grimaced in distaste.

"That's what I thought."

"Would you let me try topping though?" Harry asked them all seriously.

"If you really wanted to try it and if it was only on the odd occasion, I would let you top me Bello." Blaise told him. "Just for you to try."

Harry grinned widely and snuggled up to Blaise, kissing him before peeking over a shoulder to see Draco undressing before climbing in behind Blaise.

Max stretched himself out again and slipped his arm back under Nasta and let his other arm wrap around all of them, Draco included. It spoke volumes on how far they had come when Draco did not moan, bitch, hiss, shout or even move away from Max's hand.

Harry had a feeling that Max was the most dominant of his mates, but he didn't say anything. Draco hadn't fought Max for dominance, Nasta hadn't fought Max for dominance and Nasta and Draco hadn't fought for dominance, but then neither Nasta nor Blaise had fought each other yet, but Harry didn't think it mattered as he rather thought that Blaise was submitting to the others on purpose and for a reason that had nothing to do with size or ability.

* * *

When Harry woke up he was in a completely different position to when he had fallen asleep. He had somehow rolled over Nasta to lie on Max's chest and Blaise was now being held tightly to Draco's chest, the blonde's large arms wrapped tightly around the smaller dominant's stomach. Nasta was lying on his back, one arm under Blaise and Draco's heads and his hand cupping Draco's pale shoulder and his other hand was holding tightly to Harry's thigh.

Harry smiled tiredly at his family and lowered a hand from Max's hair to cup his growing belly. He was two months pregnant and looked like he was four. Though he had decided that being pregnant suited him well. He liked the added weight and loved how when he was pregnant none of his bones were visible through his skin. He couldn't see his ribs or his collarbones and his hipbones weren't as prominent as they once were.

A sudden lurch in his gut reminded him that he had awoken early for a reason and his eyes widened at the familiar sensation of vomit climbing his throat. He scrambled from the bed, probably kicking and elbowing every mate he had in the process and darted down the stairs, actually jumping the last two and collapsed halfway to the toilet on the cool marble floor of the bathroom and puked what seemed like everything he had eaten in the past week.

It took what seemed like hours, but could only have been moments before he felt arms wrap around him, supporting him and soothing him.

He was moved to the toilet bowl and held upright so he could make good use of it by heaving again. He heard a cleaning spell, obviously one of his mates getting rid of the sick on the bathroom floor, and the bathroom tap running.

Tears streamed down his face as another violent wave of vomit forced its way out of his mouth. He coughed and spat out the remnants, taking in deep lungfuls of air and leaning back against whoever it was behind him.

His tears were brushed away, his face was gently wiped with a warm washcloth and his face was peppered with little kisses from all of his mates, who were surrounding him, comforting him, helping him as his stomach clenched again and his mouth was filled with yellow bile.

He choked and spat the bitter tasting liquid into the toilet and sobbed as his throat and stomach burnt. His mouth was wiped gently again and Harry opened his eyes to see concerned silver looking at him. Harry tried a weak smile, but it lost all of its effect when he dived for the toilet again to let another trickle of bile out of his mouth.

He heaved in as much air as he could, before attempting to control his breathing by slowly breathing in through his nose and then out through his mouth. He slumped, exhausted, into Nasta's arms and snuggled himself in as tightly as possible.

Blaise had a blossoming red mark on his collarbone, obviously from where Harry had been scrambling to get out of the bed and had hit him with a flailing fist. Harry kissed it gently, even as his eyes were still streaming with tears. He sniffled and huffed in more air, trying to calm himself down.

"I won't insult you by asking how you feel, but I will ask if your stomach has settled a bit." Max said, crouching down on his haunches beside him.

Harry didn't trust himself to speak so he just shook his head and leant forward to fold his arms on the toilet seat, his head hanging down in the bowl. His stomach clenched and he heaved again, a large hand rubbed him firmly on the back.

Harry once again collapsed bonelessly against Nasta and sobbed. If it was one thing he hated about being pregnant it was morning sickness.

Harry shivered as his body soaked in the cold of the freezing marble bathroom. He became aware that he was curled up naked on the bathroom floor and the vomiting didn't help him any either.

Blaise came into the bathroom with a pile of clothes and Harry smiled weakly, but gratefully at him as he was slowly and carefully dressed in the clothes which had been warmed with a charm.

"Do you feel ready to move?" Max asked him.

Harry nodded and was manoeuvred into Max's arms as Nasta stood up, unfolding his legs and rubbing out the pins and needles.

"Sorry." Harry forced out of his raw and abused throat.

Nasta bopped him gently on the head and smiled.

"You have nothing to be sorry about, I chose to sit on my own leg, you didn't make me."

Harry smiled tiredly as he was carried into the living room where Draco was making a bed on the settee; he was placed down in the nest bed and covered up with a warm, thick blanket. Harry opened his mouth to complain, but thought better of it, he felt better being in the little made up bed and the blanket was warm and cosy. Instead he nuzzled his face into it and relaxed back, letting the warmth of heating charms lull him back into a light doze.

He heard his mates go and have showers, get dressed and Max pottering around in the kitchenette preparing breakfast. It must have only been about five in the morning, anyone else would have been shouting and complaining about being woken up, but his mates were making sure he was comfortable and going about their routines as if it was seven in the morning instead.

He remembered what waking his relatives up with his nightmare induced screams had meant. He winced as he remembered the meaty fist coming towards his face to shut him up.

"Are you alright Diletto?"

Harry opened his eyes sluggishly to see concerned indigo eyes watching him from the other settee. He nodded and closed his eyes again. He opened them and looked at Blaise.

"I want ginger biscuits." He said as carefully as he could through his throat.

Blaise nodded and made to stand up when a tin of ginger newts went flying through the air at Blaise. He caught them on reflex but only just before they connected with his nose. Blaise glared at Max who was whistling cheerfully, innocently in the kitchenette.

Harry let out a soft chuckle as Blaise snorted and pulled the lid off of the tin and handed it to Harry. Harry smiled in thanks and placed the tin on his lap and selected a ginger newt and bit into it. He chewed it twice as much as he normally would so it wouldn't irritate his throat as he swallowed and just as he had finished his first biscuit and was picking out a second, Max appeared and passed him a cup of a cloudy, pale red liquid. Raspberry leaf tea with real raspberry juice.

He sipped at it and felt his belly settle down a bit more. He nibbled another biscuit and kept breathing and as all of his mates sat down at the kitchenette table to eat the large meal that Max had made, leaving him on the settee, he felt much better.

He lay against the arm of the settee and closed his eyes. The next he knew a loud crash had him shooting upright with a startled shout and all of his mates to appear from wherever they had been in moments. He looked on the floor and saw the tin and the broken, scattered biscuits it had once held. He had fallen asleep and the tin had slipped to the floor.

"I liked those biscuits." He said with a small pout.

"I'll get you some more on the way home from work." Max told him, coming around the settee and started picking up the broken biscuits.

"How are you feeling?" Draco asked him.

"Better now. Those biscuits helped, I feel a bit wobbly though so maybe some blood a bit later on wouldn't be a bad idea."

All of them nodded as if he had said something more interesting than he had. He stretched and yawned before pushing the blanket from his body and sitting up. He pulled up the jumper Blaise had dressed him in and rubbed his baby.

"Are you feeling sick again?" Blaise asked.

"No, just saying hello to my sweet baby." Harry stated as he looked down on his belly with such a soft look.

Nasta smiled and leant over the back of the settee to lay a hand on his protruding belly. He brushed his fingers against the skin and leant right over to press a kiss just above his belly button.

Harry giggled a bit as Nasta's hair tickled him, but he pulled Nasta's head to kiss his temple, before swinging himself up off the settee and stretched until his back popped and his knees buckled a bit. Four sets of hands went to catch him, but Harry had straightened up again before they touched him.

"Are you alright?"

"The next person to ask if I'm alright is having my foot in their mouth. I'm fine."

Blaise chuckled and wrapped an arm around him, leading him out of the living room and back into the bedroom so Harry could shower himself before lessons started.

It took Harry a bit longer than normal to shower himself and get ready for school with his knees still shaking and his entire body feeling tired and weak, but he managed it with ten minutes to spare.

Max was fretting that Harry had only eaten two biscuits for breakfast and was refusing to leave for work, muttering about making Harry a good breakfast that Harry wasn't even sure he'd be able to eat without it making a reappearance.

Nasta finally dragged the larger man away, muttering about Mother Hens and overprotectiveness, Harry let Draco and Blaise pull him in the opposite direction before class started. They had Transfiguration and they were going to be late.

They finally made it and incurred the wrathful glare of Professor McGonagall from the front of the class.

"You gentlemen are five minutes late, I trust you have a valid excuse?"

"I'm sorry Professor, it's my fault." Harry told her, not even having to fake the waver in his voice. "Morning sickness hit me hard this morning, Draco and Blaise refused to leave me until I stopped being sick."

Professor McGonagall's stern look softened slightly as her severe blue gaze slid to his protruding belly, before quickly coming back to his face.

"Take you're seats." She instructed them before turning back to her lesson.

Harry was helped into his chair by Blaise; unfortunately it was right behind Ron and Hermione's desk. Draco was forced to sit three rows behind them, on the opposite side of the classroom. He wasn't happy about it either.

Harry spent the lesson forcing himself to keep his eyes open as the exhaustion of being woken up so early caught up with him. It didn't help that wayward spells from the table in front of them kept darting past his head either. Blaise blocked them all easily, but that wasn't the point. Harry growled as another jet of magic sailed past his head.

"Stop it Weasley!" Blaise hissed venomously.

"Or what?" Ron burst out loudly, loudly enough to draw Professor McGonagall's attention.

"Mister Weasley! Ten points from Gryffindor for disrupting my lesson! Any more disruptions and you will serve a detention with me tonight!"

Harry grinned and squeezed Blaise's thigh under the table. He yawned and turned back to his toad that he was trying to turn into a clam shell. Blaise had turned his toad into a very pretty shell and back again, watched by Professor McGonagall before he transfigured the toad back into a shell and gifted it to Harry, who was wearing it like a brooch to pin his robes together.

Professor McGonagall saw this, but said nothing, her lips softening slightly into a rare smile as she tried to get Millicent Bulstrode to transfigure her toad into a shell without leaving the legs on it.

Harry finally managed to turn his toad into a shell, using the last of his energy to do so, he ignored that his shell was apparently covered in the toad's skin still, at least it wasn't breathing like Tracy Davis' or croaking like Seamus' shell.

The bell rang and after the homework assignment had been noted down, Harry stood to leave with Blaise and Draco.

"Mister Potter, may I see you for a moment."

Harry waved Blaise and Draco off, helped along by a very stern glare from Professor McGonagall, before he approached her desk and forced himself to remain standing.

"I cannot help but notice your level of exhaustion today Potter, are you quite well?"

"Like I said Professor, I had a rough morning. I love being pregnant, I hate morning sickness. I was up very early with my lovers, but I didn't really eat anything so I'm running low on energy."

"I believe it would be beneficial for you to take a day off Potter, I will write a note for you and if you would go and see Madam Pomfrey."

"But…" Harry knew it was futile by the glare he received, he just couldn't stop thinking about how his four mates would react knowing that he was in the hospital wing.

He exhaled and nodded his head. He trudged out of the Transfiguration classroom, ignoring the miserable second years grouped outside the doorway waiting for Professor McGonagall to allow them into her classroom.

Harry walked past their curious little faces and made his way up to the first floor where the hospital wing was located. He walked in and immediately saw the bloodied face of one Ron Weasley. It didn't take a genius to figure out what happened and Harry sighed in exasperation, but at least Draco and Blaise hadn't beat the shit out of Ron in front of him.

"Harry dear. Are you alright?"

"Professor McGonagall sent me up here to get a check-up." Harry answered softly, trying to keep his voice from carrying over to Ron.

"Alright dear, hop up on this bed whilst I finish up with Mister Weasley, then I'll get to you. I take it Minerva has given you your next lesson off."

"The whole day Madam Pomfrey."

The Matron nodded and walked into her office to find another potion or salve or something for Ron's face, leaving Harry and Ron alone for the first time since they had broken off their friendship almost exactly a year ago.

* * *

A/N: Due to the quickly developing baby, we get to find out the gender of the baby soon! Or you readers do as I already know.

To **Hador**: Who asked about the information Harry read in the book on Drackens in chapter one. Nasta explained to Harry that not everything he read was the truth because Drackens are very rare and hide what they are from other people, most of the information written by the author was guessed or was only a half truth.

To **Kimbers1964**: Blaise cannot get pregnant by any of the other doms because he is still a dominant himself regardless of whether he tops or bottoms. Harry is the only one able to get pregnant in their little family unit.

To **A Being Of Violet Fire**: Max will get his one on one with Harry, not to worry. I was actually considering using Max to help Harry in the last chapter, but decided on Nasta in the end because Max would have been suffering from the overprotectiveness of his child as well as Draco and Blaise. But he will get his turn and you will see his bedroom kinks then, but as seen in the previous heat, he likes biting, which isn't the same as Nasta's mouth fetish, they are slightly different as Nasta doesn't always bite, but they all have more than just the one kink.

StarLight Massacre. X


	25. Overload

_Last Time_

"_Harry dear. Are you alright?"_

"_Professor McGonagall sent me up here to get a check-up." Harry answered softly, trying to keep his voice from carrying over to Ron._

"_Alright dear, hop up on this bed whilst I finish up with Mister Weasley, then I'll get to you. I take it Minerva has given you your next lesson off."_

"_The whole day Madam Pomfrey."_

_The Matron nodded and walked into her office to find another potion or salve or something for Ron's face, leaving Harry and Ron alone for the first time since they had broken off their friendship almost exactly a year ago._

Chapter Twenty-Five – Overload

Harry lay back on the bed he had been instructed to sit on and pretended as best as he could that Ron wasn't in the same room as him.

"Just defeating the Dark Lord wasn't enough for you then was it?" Ron demanded when he realised that Harry was ignoring him, pretending that the bed he was sitting on wasn't occupied. "Had to try and get more fame by shacking up with as many people as would have you!"

"Just the men." Harry answered stoically. "If I had 'shacked up' with the women who asked to have me as well there wouldn't be any left for anyone else."

Ron went a brilliant red. "Hermione and Ginny wouldn't touch you! You're just a slut, you're dirty!"

"Oh Ginny _would_ touch me." Harry stated innocently enough, remembering the hug she had given him just that morning. "Hermione just wishes she could touch me."

Sure he was being mean and nasty, but he had had it right up to his neck of Ron being a complete jackass to him, surely people couldn't blame him for being a little mean after just being called a dirty slut by his once best friend.

"No she doesn't! Neither of them like you!"

Harry made a noncommittal noise in the back of his throat, angering Ron further.

"Just look at you! Pregnant at sixteen? No one gets pregnant at sixteen unless they're stupid sluts!"

"You have no argument to call anyone stupid. I heard Crabbe actually beat you on a History of Magic essay, how proud are you of that?"

Ron went from red to purple quicker than Harry could blink. He wondered where the hell Madam Pomfrey was and what was taking her so long.

"He obviously had help from that slimy, filthy ferret! He and that dirty immigrant are going to be thrown out of Hogwarts as soon as people find out what they did to me!"

"More like they'd be given a medal for what they did. It's just too bad they couldn't break your jaw to stop you from speaking."

"You're nothing but a traitor!" Ron hissed at him, so angry he couldn't get enough air to shout. "Fucking two Slytherins and two men old enough to be your Father!"

Harry had no answer to that. His Father, if he had still been alive, would have been thirty six as of March, Nasta had turned thirty seven in February.

Ron took his silence as more ammunition and carried on, hurting Harry more than he would ever let the red-head know.

"I mean if you had wanted a Father figure there are better ways than going around shagging men that are the same age!"

"That wasn't why I chose a relationship with them." Harry said quietly. "They are so much more mature than boys my age. I mean hell look at you? Who would want you as a boyfriend? Lazy, stupid, mean, untalented, you can't even fly a broom! I don't know what a smart, pretty woman like Hermione sees in you, but you can be sure that as soon as we graduate and she gets an amazing job and starts meeting intellectual people who she can actually hold a conversation with and respects her for her brilliant brain, she'll leave you too!"

Harry was panting harshly when he finished and a sharp pain in his gut had him clutching his side. He was so angry he was vibrating with energy!

"You lost all of your friends because you are so nasty, even Seamus and Dean are at least giving Draco and Blaise a chance! You are going to lose Hermione as soon as she realises she doesn't have to be stuck with you because you're the only one who will pay attention to her, it's you who is going to die the sad, lonely old man, not me! I have a family now, I have four loving men who are willing to do anything for me and I am having a baby! As soon as we graduate, we're officially bonded, we're getting married and we are going to have lots of children to come! I have a family now and you're going to be left with nothing if you carry on being petty, prejudiced and mean!"

Ron charged at him and Harry threw his arms around his belly as Ron's fist caught the bottom of his ribcage, knocking all of the air from his lungs, the second punch caught his fingers holding protectively over his bump, but the third hit his side very hard and a searing pain had him screaming. Ron stood back, blinking stupidly as if he hadn't realised what he was doing. He just stared as Harry rolled around on the bed.

Another sharp pain in his side had Harry gasping and curling his legs over his stomach as the pains became worse.

"Get Madam Pomfrey!" He bit out between clenched teeth. He hadn't actually expected Ron to do anything of the sort, but the redhead ran the full length of the hospital wing and charged into the Matrons office.

"Mister Weasley! I know you are in a bit of pain but really, charging in here is ridiculous, I have only been gone for ten minutes as I flooed Severus for a potion for Mister Potter, surely you can wait another couple of minutes!"

"Something's wrong with Harry!" He screamed at her.

Poppy Pomfrey was taken aback for all of three seconds before she rushed out of her office to see Harry rolling around on the bed, clutching at his stomach.

"Oh heavens!" She gasped. "Weasley, go and get Professor Snape, he is in his office."

Ron ran from the room as Poppy began trying to stabilise Harry as best as she could with her limited knowledge of Drackens.

Severus flooed directly into the hospital wing via her office not five minutes later and had not brought Weasley with him, assumedly so the boy wouldn't overhear anything he wasn't supposed to.

"What happened?" He demanded as he cut his own wrist and forced Harry to latch onto the wound.

Once Harry tasted the sweet blood, he sunk his teeth and fangs into the skin to hold on as he suckled like a newborn kitten.

"I don't know, I left Misters Potter and Weasley alone whilst I flooed you for the Dracken health potion, I left them for ten minutes, the next I know Weasley comes bursting into my office and I came out to find Harry like this, what is going on Severus?"

Severus didn't answer; he just stared at Harry with pain in his black eyes, watching as Harry writhed in agony even as he continued sucking at his blood, making small noises of pain against his arm.

"I believe this must be Mister Weasley's fault." He finally answered. "Dracken pregnancies are very brittle and delicate; the slightest knock could cause a miscarriage. It's why his mates are so protective and are very violent towards those who so much as brush up against their pregnant mate."

"Severus, are you saying that Mister Potter is having a miscarriage?"

"I am hopeful that the blood will help. You need to get Albus, Poppy, he needs his mates."

Poppy rushed off and Harry looked up at Professor Snape with fearful, crushed emerald eyes. Severus looked away; he couldn't stand to see those eyes looking at him with that expression. The same expression that Regulus had worn when it had been confirmed that their chick was no more, that Regulus had had a full miscarriage. He had never forgiven James Potter to this day for bumping into Regulus and starting the miscarriage, accident or not.

James Potter had died before he had gotten any real retribution on the man for causing the death of his one and only child, he had contemplated killing Potter's child to force him to feel the pain he had, but he couldn't bring himself to do anything to harm Lily. Sweet, beautiful Lily who had been rounded with child, so happy, bright and exuberant. He had had the perfect chance and he had watched it pass him by.

Then Potter had come to Hogwarts and he had another chance, no matter how small or petty, to avenge Regulus and the child they had lost. He had tormented Harry, had unfairly punished him, had bullied and belittled him at every opportunity and then it had turned out that the boy was a Dracken.

Severus believe that it was fate. Chance had taken Regulus and their unborn daughter from them, Fate had made Harry Potter a Dracken and once again a Dracken was going to lose a baby because of another's actions, because of their ignorance and cruelty.

Poppy came bustling back into the hospital wing, Albus a step behind her. The elderly man sat on the bed and wrapped an arm around Harry.

"What happened Harry, My Boy?" He asked sadly with a warm hint of anger.

Harry, who had stopped feeding so ferociously and had just been lapping at the oozing blood, pulled his blood stained mouth away.

"He hit me!" Harry cried. "He hit my bump. I tried to cover as much of it as I could but he found a gap."

"Who hit you Harry?"

"Ron."

Albus nodded and stood back up, urging Harry to go back to sucking Severus' arm.

"I will inform Mister Zabini and Mister Malfoy at lunch after their lesson ends. Mister Maddison and Mister Delericey have already been informed that they are needed back here at the castle and should be here as soon as they are able."

"You have to keep them away from Ron, Sir. I don't like him, in fact I'm beginning to hate him, but I don't want him dead."

Albus nodded and walked out of the hospital wing, heading in the direction for the Grand staircase, ready to meet Ron and head him off.

Severus took his arm away from Harry and handed him a vial of light grey potion. Harry dipped his tongue into it and screwed up his face and shuddered at the vile taste. Severus gave a tight smile.

"Down it in one go is the best." He instructed and watched as Harry threw it all back and gagged. "That should give us a few more minutes, the sooner your mates are all here the better, you need a cocktail of sorts, of all their fluids."

Harry looked horrified.

"It sounds unpleasant and it is, at least taste wise, but your baby has no chance without it."

Harry started softly crying and held onto his bump, which was jumping about under his hands. He couldn't lose his baby, not because of Ron.

Max arrived first and he came charging into the hospital wing, sweat beading on his forehead and his massive chest heaving. His eyes went to Harry and before Harry could even say hello, Max was on him, holding him, petting him, licking him and sniffing him. When he reached his stomach he remained there, sniffing and licking for longer. He let out a rage filled roar, sounding more like a wounded rhino before he wrapped his arms around Harry's waist and pillowed his head very lightly on his belly.

The bell rang signalling lunch time; it wasn't even three minutes later when Blaise barged into the hospital wing, Draco following close behind him.

They took in Max wrapped around his belly, gently stroking it and the tears in both of their eyes. It didn't take a genius to figure it out and they both screamed and roared.

"What happened?" Blaise, the more lucid out of the two, asked.

"I'm having a miscarriage." Harry informed them. "Professor Snape and Madam Pomfrey are doing all they can to stop it and stabilise the baby again."

"Is this his fault?" Draco asked his eyes wild and his voice very distorted.

Harry had no idea that Draco might have been referring to anyone other than Ron, so he nodded his head yes.

"I'll kill him. That filthy, fucking mongrel knew it would kill the baby! I told you that's why he did it!"

"What happened?" Nasta asked as he jogged onto the ward, looking as if he had been rolling around in a pig pen he was so covered in dirt.

Draco threw a punch at him before anyone could do or say anything and Nasta flew backwards into the door. He growled wildly as his black and gold wings burst violently from his back.

"What the fuck was that for?" He demanded.

It was the first time Harry had ever heard Nasta cuss, it was also the angriest Harry had ever seen him, including that time he had crippled the tree after hearing what Dominic and his Grandfather had planned to do with Harry and his chicks.

"You know what!" Draco yelled back and before Harry could tell them to knock it off, Nasta had moved quicker than their eyes could follow.

Draco went sailing through the air and crashed into the bed on the other side of the room. Nasta had leapt on him before Draco could find his feet again and Nasta started hitting and he didn't stop.

Max held tightly onto Harry and didn't let him go. He shushed him and soothed him and tried to turn his head away so he couldn't watch, but he had to. For god's sake two of his mates were killing each other on the floor of the damned hospital wing!

"They're fighting for dominance." Max whispered to him. "Let them work it out."

"I didn't realise those fights were so violent." Harry quivered. "You and Blaise didn't have a mark between you."

"Blaise willingly submitted to me without us having to resort to violence, he did the same to Draco and the same to Nasta. Blaise really isn't a fighter, though he has proven he will kill to protect you. Draco is a fighter, so we must actually fight to prove who is more dominant to whom."

"I don't like it."

"You don't have to like it Harry love." Max told him softly, brushing his hair from his eyes, acting for all the world that two men weren't beating each other to pulps behind him.

It was near enough a one-sided fight as Nasta threw Draco across the room again and stood breathing heavily, panting with bloody fists. Draco got up and screamed in rage and humiliation as he flew back at Nasta, who caught him and slammed him into the ground, lying on Draco's legs, pinning his arms with his own and laying his teeth heavily over Draco's throat.

"He knows how to fight." Blaise commented as he edged around the two pinned men and sat down next to Harry, stroking his cheek.

Nasta stood from the ground and yanked Draco up with him. Draco's head remained bent, blood running from the teeth marks in his neck, he didn't look up and didn't acknowledge anyone.

"Want to share with the rest of us what the hell that was about?" Nasta demanded.

Draco growled and Nasta seized his wrist and pulled it up to his mouth, laying his teeth over the vein in his wrist and biting down, not enough to break skin, but enough to warn Draco not to test him.

"You caused Harry to have a miscarriage!" Draco snarled.

Harry blinked as he heard that and as pandemonium broke out around him, mainly consisting of all his mates shouting at one another, he screamed long and loud. The silence was deafening as he stopped when he ran out of breath, he glared at all of them.

"I'm lying in bed about to lose our first baby and all you idiots can do is squabble! Don't you think that maybe, just maybe I'd like some _comfort_!"

Max immediately pulled him up and onto his lap, wrapping his absolutely huge arms around him, burying Harry's head in his soft shirt. Harry heard his mates cooing and crooning at him from outside Max's arms and he lost it. He broke down and started sobbing, then full out crying. He couldn't lose his baby, he just couldn't.

* * *

Lucius Malfoy sipped on his cup of tea as he perused the morning paper. It was a load of drivel like usual, but he was still expected to comment on certain articles or understand what was being said if someone else mentioned an article.

His Wife was sitting beside him in the family dining room, eating a half an orange with a tea spoon whilst occasionally sipping her own white tea.

An owl they both recognised swooped into the dining room and landed regally on the back of Narcissa's chair, all Malfoy owls had been taught to never land on tables.

"I wonder if Draco has something more interesting to say than this waste of ink." Lucius stated folding the newspaper in half as Narcissa untied the, unusually lengthy, letter.

"It seems our Draco has more to say than most months." Narcissa told her Husband as she cracked the wax seal and shook out the roll of parchment, which was a lot longer than usual. "I hope he is alright."

"If it was anything serious he would have floo called us from Severus' office dear." Lucius reminded her.

Narcissa nodded her head and silently read the letter. Her eyes widened, her mouth parted, her eyebrows rose into her hairline and all the while Lucius sat patiently and watched her facial expressions and body language.

When she was finished, she folded the letter in half sharply and kept hold of it, looking at him with a strange, maniacal glint in her eyes that was more common from her dead sister, Bellatrix Lestrange.

"What did Draco have to say?" Lucius asked.

"I think we are going to need a bigger family dining table dear." Was all she said, going back to her orange.

Lucius looked at the four seater, solid oak, square table and matching chairs critically. Narcissa loved this table; it was why he had bought it in the first place, why would they suddenly need a bigger table when it was just the two of them and Draco?

"May I ask why we need a bigger table dear?"

"Our Draco has fallen in love. Hard by the sounds of it."

Lucius blinked before regaining his composure. "Draco has fallen in love?" He repeated his Wife's words. "That may explain his sudden desire to break the contract with the Greengrass' did Draco mention who he had fallen in love with per chance?"

"No. He didn't mention any names, but he wishes for us to meet them." Narcissa stated casually.

Lucius Malfoy narrowed his eyes at his Wife's games. "Them Cissa?"

"Yes, them Lucius. Draco has gone and fallen in love with three other men."

Lucius Malfoy choked on the air he had breathed in and he coughed sharply to get his breathing back under his control.

"Let me see his letter." He demanded when he could speak clearly, holding his hand out for it.

"One of the men is currently pregnant, possibly with Draco's child." Narcissa told him before handing over the letter and going back to her breakfast.

Lucius read his son's words with an ever growing level of shock. The way Draco spoke about his…_partners_, Cissa was right; he had fallen in love and had fallen hard.

Draco explained about one of his partners being pregnant and that there was a one in three chance that the baby could be his and he made it a clear point that he would not be abandoning his partners nor his possible child.

Draco wanted them to come to Hogwarts at their first possible convenience, preferably during a weekend so their visit didn't disrupt his lessons. He was being so casual, so cavalier about being with three other men. It would have shocked him if Draco had announced he had been with one man, let alone three. He spoke of marriage and bonding after he graduated.

Draco had never shown any homosexual tendencies before, all the questions in the usual puberty talk he had had with Draco when his son had been thirteen had been asked about when a man loves a woman, what a man does with a woman, how a man loves a woman. Not even a passing curiosity about how a man loves another man.

He and Cissa had been preparing themselves for an eventual daughter-in-law after Draco graduated; instead they had gotten three son-in-laws and a possible grandchild shoved on them. Draco had only been in school for seven months, he had written the letter to dissolve the betrothal contract between the Greengrass' only three months ago. How could everything have changed in such a short amount of time?

Lucius rubbed a hand over his face in weariness and sighed, he took a sip of his tea and finished the letter, folding it over and placing it on the table in front of him. He was going to have to pay a little visit to Draco to meet his son's future spouses and his possible grandchild. He had to make sure that his son wasn't making the biggest mistake of his life.

"It seems you are right dear, we do need a bigger table."

* * *

"So I just have to down it?" Harry asked his face scrunched up in absolute disgust.

"Surely it isn't that bad?" Max tried placating him weakly.

"If it isn't that bad then you drink it!" Harry demanded, holding out the glass beaker to Max.

It was filled to the brim with a thick, oddly coloured goop. It was a reddish purple colour and it was the knowledge of what it contained that had Harry very hesitant to drink it. It contained all four of his mates' fluids. Spit, sweat, semen, tears and lots of blood. Snape had wanted them to give urine as well, but Harry adamantly refused to drink anything with anyone's piss in it, mate or not.

"I…well…I…it won't have any benefits for me to drink it, will it?" Max told him, carefully pushing the beaker back at him.

All four of them had had to wank themselves off into a plastic cup and it had been a struggle to get themselves erect with the knowledge that their baby could be dying as they sat around pleasuring themselves, so they were all being very careful with the glass beaker. It had actually been easier to get their tears than their semen; usually it was the other way around.

"Potter! Just down it now or your baby will die!" Snape snapped at him.

Harry's face fell and his expression became crushed. It was the expression he had been wearing for an hour now and it destroyed everyone who saw it. Harry took a huffing breath to gather his courage, if it would save his baby, he would have even drank his mate's piss.

He took another great breath and put the beaker to his lips, he didn't breathe in or out until he had swallowed the last drop of the thick concoction.

He took a deep breath as he finished and had a lingering taste on his tongue. It was not a pleasant taste and he gagged. His stomach clenched and he burped a bit and spat out what had come up from his stomach. He was thankful that it wasn't a lot, he couldn't drink that again. He just couldn't.

He lay against the pillows and waited for something to happen, anything, but nothing did and tears welled up in his eyes.

"It didn't work." He warbled.

Nasta lowered his face to his belly and sniffed and licked gently. He touched lightly, ghosting his fingers over Harry's skin.

"The baby is still there and the baby is still attached to you." He stated.

"It worked?" Harry asked brightening up and trying to sit up only to be held down by Blaise.

"Don't move just yet Prezioso. It would be best if you kept as still as possible."

Harry nodded, laying his hands over his belly and rubbing gently.

"I can't lose my baby."

"We will do our utmost to keep our baby love." Max told him seriously.

"Do not move Potter. I mean it. I will tie you down if I have to." Snape stated sincerely, his dark eyes glinting.

"I'm not moving." Harry stated laying more fully on the pillows and Draco's thigh, who was sitting behind him.

Draco had several red marks on his inner thigh where Harry was 'punishing him' for attacking Nasta without asking for the full story first.

Harry pinched Draco's white skin again, watching it flush and turn red, the muscle underneath jumping at the slight pain.

He had told his mates what had actually happened and that Ron had hit his stomach and it had nothing to do with Nasta having sex with him.

His mates had gone tearing through the castle looking for the redhead, but they hadn't found him and Harry had screamed for them in distress as the pain in his stomach had hiked up beyond what he could handle. They had rushed back and apologised for turning feral and for leaving him and for not being able to find the person responsible for his condition. Harry had waved it away and sent them all to provide him with the fluids he needed.

"You're responding well to the fluids." Snape told him, waving his wand carefully over Harry's abdomen, keeping his gaze on his mates at all times so he wouldn't be caught off guard if they suddenly attacked him for coming too closer to Harry and the baby.

"How long before I can start moving again? I'm hungry."

"Give it another hour." Snape told him.

"I can go and hunt for you if you'd like." Max told him softly.

"I don't want meat and if I can't move I can't sit up. I'll end up choking."

"I have a potion brewing for you Potter, it'll postpone your heat for a few days, you can only take it twice in a row, so you have a week."

"There's a catch isn't there?" Harry asked with a feeling of doom in his gut.

"You will still feel like you are on heat. You will still burn with the need for your mates, but I cannot guarantee your baby's survival if you have sexual intercourse, especially not with the roughness of the heat period, in the next few days. You should be going on heat tomorrow correct."

"Yes." Harry answered in a small voice. It was bad enough that he felt like he was burning to death for ten days whilst on heat, but for him to feel like he was being roasted alive when he wasn't going to have sexual gratification caused a spike of fear inside of him. He could be feeling like he was stuck in a furnace for seventeen days. It was too long; hell ten days was too long!

"Can I just take it the once?" He asked. "Until the baby is assuredly safe and not in imminent danger."

"I am hopeful that yes you can." Snape answered. "I am brewing a double dosage just in case the baby has not stabilised at the end of the first dose."

Harry nodded and curled up carefully. He closed his eyes and let the voices of his mates lull him to sleep. He was exhausted after the overload of emotions and by everything that had happened. He just wanted to sleep and wake up to find all of this had been a terrible nightmare.

* * *

A/N: To those who complained about Nasta not fighting back when Blaise and Draco attacked him. Come on people he was fast asleep after making love to Harry for an hour plus! How many people do you know that can fight back against two men after being forcibly woken up by a surprise attack when being completely exhausted? Give the poor man a break.

To **cinder1013**: Harry needs to go onto heat because he needs to complete the bond with Nasta through a period of heat. When the time for heat comes and Harry doesn't go on it because of the potion he's going to take, Nasta is going to be reduced to his feral side and is going to get violent and angry at what his Dracken will perceive as Harry rejecting him. Harry will not have a heat now again whilst he is pregnant as he now has all of his mates.

To **Vampires2rocks**: Ron and Harry will never be friends in this story. Even if Ron tries to make it up to Harry, Harry will never forgive him for causing his miscarriage. Hermione I'm still not too sure on. I have a love hate relationship with her character. I can write her either way, love or hate. I haven't decided yet.

You want Harry to record Max, Nasta, Blaise and Draco having sex? LOL! I should really do that. The problem is going to be Harry actually getting hold of the camcorders, fixing them to work around magic and setting them up without any of his mates seeing him doing it, all in the three day window he has to do it in, going to be difficult.

Harry doesn't know what he's carrying at the moment; he hasn't had a scan to tell him how many babies he has as he hasn't been to see a Healer. I don't think I'd write another set or triplets just yet. The most I'd give him on his first conception is twins, but I am leaning more to giving him the one to begin with. It's going to be so hard for him to go into his seventh year of school with a newborn baby.

Henley will be back when he can. He's gone to New Zealand to see the new submissive. Harry and he will keep in correspondence with each other until they can meet each other again.

To **OfeliaWolf: **Remus can't really show up in the middle of the school year just for a chat. He assumes Harry is fine, happy and healthy as Dumbledore hasn't contacted him to tell him otherwise. He doesn't know Harry is a Dracken and he doesn't think anything is amiss. He doesn't need to come to the school to check on him personally, though Harry will be receiving a letter from him soon and it's then that he finds out that Harry is practically married to four men and pregnant.

To **was gonna log in but**: What were your questions? I can't find any serious questions that I haven't already answered.

StarLight Massacre. X


	26. Nightmare or Reality

_Last Time_

_Harry nodded and curled up carefully. He closed his eyes and let the voices of his mates lull him to sleep. He was exhausted after the overload of emotions and by everything that had happened. He just wanted to sleep and wake up to find all of this had been a terrible nightmare._

Chapter Twenty-Six – Nightmare or Reality

Harry couldn't believe it. He couldn't breathe, couldn't get enough air into his lungs as he gasped and choked. His beautiful baby had died. He had lost the baby.

He looked down to his stomach; it was flat again where he should have been round with child. He shivered in the warm air. He was cold, so cold.

Madam Pomfrey bustled around him, telling him that he had gone into shock and that he should try to breathe normally before he started to hyperventilate. He couldn't. How could he calm down and breathe normally when his baby was lying dead next to him, wrapped in a white towel that was speckling red with blood. His blood, not the baby's. His little baby had been covered in his blood when it had come out of him.

His baby was perfect. A tiny little body, small features, all ten fingers and ten toes, thick, dark hair that looked like it might have been inherited from the Potter side of the family. Pale white skin that was so soft it had no comparison. He had just had to touch his baby; he would never get the feel of that skin from his memories now, not ever.

His baby was perfect in every little way, except for one thing. His baby wasn't breathing. No one had moved his baby from beside him. His baby was lying on a small table, wrapped tightly in the towel, right beside him. He could reach out and touch his dead baby if he wanted to. He didn't. He wanted to be brave and hold his child, but he couldn't.

A small giggle pushed its way up from his throat, he sat in the hospital bed giggling and then the tears came. He eased from giggling to sobbing and then full out crying as tears soaked the collar of his shirt in moments.

He reached out and touched the towel, it moved. It slipped sideways and the perfect head of his perfect baby was revealed to his horrified eyes. He sobbed some more, feeling as if his heart would rip itself to pieces in his chest as he touched that thick, dark hair. It looked coarse, but it was baby fine, silky, just like his own.

He screamed and buried his face in his hands, hands that were now covered in blood from the baby's body. He cried out in distress, calling for his mates. Then he remembered. He remembered the anger, the pain, so much hurt and rage.

He looked down on the floor of the hospital. Legs poked around the bottom of the bed frame, Draco's legs. A slack face stared up at him from just passed those long, lean legs, eyes wide in shock, glassy in death. A large, powerful body with bright blue wings that was oozing thick blood into a large puddle on the floor.

Harry screamed and threw himself away from Max's body. He jerked and shot up, tearing his mind away from the image of Max lying, bleeding and dead on the floor.

Arms wrapped around him and Harry gasped in huge lungfuls of air as he clung to the soothing, familiar scent of pine and disinfectant. He sobbed and buried himself even further into the tight hold, his head and back being stroked lovingly.

"Shh Harry, it was just a dream." Max's voice whispered gently.

Harry huffed as he tried to breathe; he looked around him, to the three hospital beds that had been pushed together. To Blaise lying curled up on the other side of Max. To Nasta who was lying on his back, facing away from them and Draco, who was lying on Harry's other side, one of Nasta's arms pushed under his neck, their legs entwined, but no other part of their bodies touching.

Harry brought a hand to his belly, too scared to look just in case his bump was no longer there, that his baby was no longer there. He let out a great, shuddering breath and looked down at his bump when he felt his ballooned stomach. It was still there, exactly the same as it had been yesterday, though maybe just a tad bigger.

"You had a nightmare about the baby dying didn't you?" Max asked him softly, his own, massive, hands coming down to hold his over the baby bump.

Harry nodded his head slowly as he looked to their hands placed protectively over the baby.

"The baby died. I killed you in rage. I killed all of you and the baby was still just as dead, lying next to me on a table wrapped in a bloodied towel."

Max pulled him in to a tight hug, holding his head tightly as if he could squeeze the dream out through his ears if he held on tight enough.

"I had a similar dream only both you and the baby died and I killed all of the others. I'd bet that all of them are going to have a nightmare tonight. Our Drackens are reminding us what is at stake, reminding us that we can't be careless, that the baby is fragile and the pregnancy is delicate. This can never happen again Harry."

Harry wrapped his arms around Max and held on. He couldn't believe that it had been a dream; it felt so real, so life like. Even now he could believe it had actually happened.

He let go of Max and let him lie down and sniff and lick at the bump. After the dream he had just had he wished that he could sniff and lick at himself as well, if only to assure himself that the baby really was alive and well in his belly.

Max stayed where he was, his tongue pressed very low down on his abdomen, like his tongue was a finger and he was checking a pulse. He found out that that wasn't too far from the mark actually.

"The baby's heartbeat is normal." He told Harry, stroking the place his tongue had been.

"Is that where the baby's head is?" Harry asked, placing his hand next to Max's.

"Yes. The baby fell asleep as you were lying down, it was flat then, you've sat up now so the baby is upside down."

"Should I lie back down?" Harry asked a small frown on his face.

Max chuckled deeply and shook his head. "The baby doesn't mind at all Harry. If it was uncomfortable, it would move itself."

Harry nodded a bit uncertainly, he couldn't wait to start those parent and baby classes Nasta had signed them all up for.

Harry's stomach gave a small gurgle of hunger and Max moved as if it were a gunshot. Harry latched onto his arm.

"I don't want you to go hunting. I'm too near my heat, even if I do have to delay it for a few days. I need fruit."

"I'll go up to our rooms and get you some from the kitchenette."

Harry shook his head. "I don't want you to leave."

"You need to eat Harry."

"So I'll just call a house elf." Harry answered, rolling his eyes. "Dobby!"

A loud crack which had Harry darting to look at his three sleeping mates preceded an old and ugly house elf entering the hospital wing, grumbling and muttering darkly. Thankfully Blaise and Draco slept on, Nasta's eyebrows scrunched up and he cautiously sniffed the air, making a low grumble in his chest before he rolled closer to Draco and slept on.

"Master Harry Potter called for Kreacher." The poisonous, oily voice greeted.

Another, quieter pop and a little figure dressed in an overlarge jumper jumped onto the pillowcase clad Kreacher, yelling and scuffling.

Harry scooted until he was sat behind Max, who growled and tugged Harry behind him more firmly. The little squeaks and squeals were shrill, but not loud enough to wake up the three deeply sleeping men. Again Nasta sniffed the air and again he let out a deep rumble, which Blaise answered with a grunt and they slept on.

"Stop it now!" Harry hissed. "There are three people trying to sleep!"

"Master Harry called for Kreacher."

"No! Mister Harry Potter sir called for Dobby! Not Kreacher, you's should be going back to the kitchens!"

"Kreacher is Master's house elf, you belong to no one!" Kreacher dug in hurtfully, making Dobby's ears droop.

"Dobby is a free elf! Dobby likes being free and Dobby gets paying now."

Harry rubbed at his eyes tiredly.

"Oi!" He called out a bit louder. "Stop arguing and keep it down!"

Max wrapped an arm around him and pulled him out from behind his back and onto his lap.

"Harry Potter called for Dobby?" Dobby asked bowing.

"Kreacher is Master Harry Potter's elf!" Kreacher screamed out.

Harry looked behind him to see Nasta blinking his hazel eyes open slowly. He looked first to Draco who was wrapped in his arms and then further over to see Blaise lying on his own on the farthest bed and then he sat up, panicking lightly as his eyes darted around before settling on him and Max wrapped up in each other's arms.

"I had a nightmare." He told them and he crawled over to them and wrapped his arms around Harry's head, pulling him forward to kiss his forehead, before lying on his stomach to lick and sniff at the baby belly.

"That I and the baby had died and you had killed the other three dominants." Harry elaborated softly.

Nasta nodded against his stomach and rubbed the skin of his leg with gentle fingertips.

"Max had the same dream and I dreamed that the baby was dead and I killed all of my dominants in rage."

"Our Drackens are reminding us what is at stake if we are reckless and careless with the baby." Nasta said softly. "The baby is too vulnerable. We could have lost the baby Harry; we could have lost you and the baby because we weren't careful enough."

"We're going to resolve that, I promise." Harry answered, running little fingers through Nasta's hair.

Harry turned back to the two house-elves looking as though they wanted to beat themselves senseless.

"I need lots of fruit." Harry told them. "I also want a mango and red berry smoothie, Dobby. Kreacher, lots of raw, red meat please. I don't want it, but my mates certainly do want it, cook it lightly please, I don't think I could handle it totally raw. Is that alright with you?"

Nasta nodded against his belly and Max pulled him forward to kiss him. "We can handle a bit of cooked meat Harry, if you are going to be sick if it's raw, that would be the bigger problem, you vomiting now could dislodge the placenta and kill the baby."

Harry swallowed and held a hand over his belly. He had fallen asleep last night with the knowledge that his baby was still thriving in his womb. Then that nightmare had nearly ripped his heart to pieces and he had woken up afraid and hurting.

Dobby popped back into the room first with a huge basket full of fresh fruit and a tall glass full of a dull purplish coloured goo. It reminded Harry very forcefully of the concoction he had had to drink yesterday, but the smell of mashed mangoes drew him to the glass regardless.

He gulped down the first quarter of the glass before slowing down a bit, before finally putting the glass on the side. He opened the basket and happily dove through the delights of fresh strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and the more exotic papaya, passion fruit and dragon fruit.

Kreacher came just as Harry was devouring a whole kiwi laden down with what looked like a half cooked side of beef. It was much bigger than the poor house elf and Harry automatically reached forward to steady the half a cow.

Max took it from the both of them and conjured four plates and using his claws he cut large chunks of meat from the bones. Harry turned away.

"Thank you both."

Dobby squealed and popped away. Kreacher said nothing as he left with a loud crack, Harry considered it a win that he hadn't said anything about Mudbloods, traitors or mentioned Walburga Black.

Harry returned his attention to his mates when Blaise shot up with a gasp and scanned the surrounding area, his eyes resting on him and Harry crawled over to Blaise as he moved towards him so they could hug and start the process of assuring the recently awoken male that the baby was completely fine.

"Ero così preoccupato, Prezioso." Blaise murmured holding him tightly. "Ti amo, non posso perdere o il neonato."

"Blaise, I can't understand you love." Harry whispered.

"He's saying that he was worried about you, that he loves you and doesn't want to lose you or the baby." Nasta translated.

"Does he always revert to Italian when he's upset?" Max asked curiously.

Harry nodded. "And when he's angry or scared as well. He seems to lose the language barrier in his panicked mind."

Blaise held his head gently and pulled Harry into a deep, toe-curling kiss and sat on the bed stroking his hair, down his neck, all the way down and over his bump.

Harry lay against him and let him, also allowing Max to pop a blueberry or a grape into his mouth every so often. Nasta was the only one not eating and Max seemed to have come to a realisation as he tore into another cube of fresh meat. He didn't look to happy about his sudden epiphany either.

"What is it?" Harry asked looking between the two of them worriedly.

"Nothing love." Max told him gently, passing him another handful of blueberries.

Harry looked at them both suspiciously through narrowed eyes, something was going on between them and he was going to find out what it was.

They were all distracted though when Draco started making deep noises and moving around in distress. Harry crawled over to him and lay down in his arms as he started twitching. Silver eyes snapped open and with a gasp like a diver surfacing from the water Draco's arms wrapped around him tight.

"It was just a nightmare Draco. It wasn't real. The baby and I are fine and Max, Nasta and Blaise are fine." Harry soothed lovingly, petting Draco's silky blonde hair.

Draco heaved in another breath before slipping down the bed to nose at his stomach. Harry pulled his shirt out of the way so Draco could have skin to skin contact with the baby bump and let his blonde mate do as he pleased.

When Draco had finished licking and sniffing, Nasta handed a plate full of meat to the blonde and watched him eat a few pieces before he finally started eating himself. Harry wondered what the significance of it was as Draco and Blaise didn't seem to notice or care, but Max was looking disgruntled.

Harry didn't ask. Maybe their dominance instincts were awakening and they would have to have their dominance fight soon. He hoped he wasn't there to see it. Nasta beating Draco to a pulp yesterday had been about all he could stand. He loved all of them and the last thing he wanted to see was them fighting and hurting each other.

* * *

Marianna Lychorinda sighed as her body prepared itself to go onto heat. She had wanted to go and visit her son, Blaise, at his school for a while now, but she was very busy at the moment and her newest Husband, Josiah Lychorinda, was not too happy with the news that he would have to take six days off from work because she was going on heat.

Humans just didn't understand Drackens; it was what Marianna ended up killing most of them for, especially if they dared lay a finger on her precious chick. Only one had ever been stupid and suicidal enough to hit her darling Blaise and he had died a horrible, painful death. He had begged for days for her to kill him, but she had been so angry and seeing the handprint on her four year old son's face had kept the anger and rage raw and growing.

She didn't regret killing Pasqual, but she did regret torturing him as she had. At the time instinct and rage had taken away her inhibitions, had stripped all rationality from her mind. Now, years later, she looked back upon Pasqual with regret, sorrow and shame. He had needed to die for smacking her baby, but he needn't have died so painfully, so slowly. She should have just snapped his neck and be done with him, but at the time such a thought would never have passed through her mind, it would have been too easy a death for one who had touched her son.

She smiled fondly as she thought of her son, her one and only chick. The only chick she would ever have now she had taken to sleeping with humans after her beloved mate, Maximiliano Enzo Zabini had died. She had killed him whilst pregnant with their first child. It had been a terrible time for the both of them.

Her instincts had shrouded her normally quick and sharp mind, she didn't need Maximiliano to help her with her pregnancy, she could do it herself. Her chick didn't need anyone other than her to look after it.

They had shouted at each other, she had thrown things at Maximiliano and he had showed such amazing strength and patience. Most dominants in that situation would have punished their mate regardless of pregnancy; it just wouldn't have been tolerated. The behaviour of the mate would have driven all thoughts of the pregnancy from the dominants mind.

Maximiliano had taken everything she had thrown at him, all of her harsh words and her takeover of his bed and bedroom, including the en suite bathroom. He hadn't been allowed near her and she had gone through pregnancy alone.

Then one day when she was five months pregnant, Maximiliano had had enough, his patience had come to an end and he had barged into the bedroom and tried to force her to submit to him.

Tears came to Marianna's eyes as she remembered perfectly how she had fought back, how she had fought him whilst protecting their growing chick. She had wrapped her fingers around his neck and had snapped his spine in two. He had died before he knew what she was doing, died before he hit the ground, died before she could reconsider, died before she could tell him how much she loved him, died before she could do anything to take it all back.

Blaise had been born only three weeks later, her early labour being offset by the death of her mate. He looked so much like Maximiliano. She had wanted to name him after his Father, but she couldn't bear to call him Maximiliano, not when the memories were too raw and painful, the rage that her chick brought up in her would have overflowed had he had the same name. How dare he look so much like her dead mate!

She couldn't bear to name him at all; Blaise had spent the first month of his life nameless until she had finally found the courage to name him Blaise Mariano Zabini. Blaise because it was the name that Maximiliano had wanted for their first child, whether boy or girl and Mariano after herself, there had been no doubt in her mind that his last name would be Zabini.

She loved her son so dearly, her only living link to her mate Maximiliano. She would give Blaise anything and everything to see him happy, but the one thing she couldn't give to him was a mate. He had to do that on his own and it frightened her. What if his mate wasn't pretty enough, wasn't curvy enough, wasn't kind enough. What if Blaise got stuck with some submissive slut that had already slept with a human, forever barring her Blaise from being a Father?

Then in October Blaise had sent her a letter, a letter she had been dreading. He had found a mate. He was so young as well. Normally a submissive went for mates in the eighteen to twenty-five age range, true Blaise was seventeen, but he was only just seventeen, she had sent him a birthday card and four owls worth of shrunken presents on the twelfth of October, the letter she had gotten back had been the one telling her that her baby had a fully bonded mate.

She had thought, had hoped, that he would be out of school before he found a mate. Blaise was too intelligent to drop out of school for a mate.

She needed to pay him and his mate a visit. Ooh, what if they had already conceived? She could already be a Grandmother! Marianna patted her thick, dark brown hair and applied a little lipstick ready for when Josiah joined her in the bedroom. She couldn't wait to be a Grandmother, but she could have waited a few more years for her son to finish his education first.

* * *

Harry wasn't released from the hospital for two days. His mates all had to work or go to classes, but they worked in tandem with each other so he was never left alone.

Blaise and Draco stayed with him on their free periods, Max came on his lunch break and Nasta took the graveyard shift at the Dragon Reserve so he could be there all day and go to work whilst the other three were sleeping next to him.

When he was finally released Harry felt like sighing in relief. He hated the hospital wing, nothing against Madam Pomfrey, but he really did hate Healers and all hospitals. It was likely the smell but then Max smelt of the disinfectant he used before he handled any ingredient when making potions and that smell didn't bother him at all.

Draco carried him from the hospital wing and the others walked as if they were the royal guard. It annoyed Harry, but he would put up with anything to keep his baby safe, though he did suggest that they not be so obvious about what they were doing. They ignored him.

Draco sat on the settee in their living room and held Harry on his lap as the other three scouted the room for 'dangers' Harry sat still and rolled his eyes and tutted.

Once the rooms were clear of dangers Harry was allowed to do as he pleased, as long as it didn't involve leave the room his dominants were in that is. He hoped that this behaviour didn't last until the end of his pregnancy because he could quite easily see himself ripping his mates' legs from their knee joints so they couldn't follow him.

At dinner time, Harry allowed Max to carry him down to the Great Hall. The entire student body knew he had been in the hospital wing for the past three days because of problems with his baby and as all five of them walked into the Great Hall and sat at the Slytherin table, Harry was accosted by Lavender, Parvati, Padma and Ginny.

"Harry, are you alright?" Ginny asked.

"How's your baby? Is the baby alright?"

"Did you have a miscarriage?"

"Girls!" Harry cried out. "Calm down. I'm fine, the baby is fine. There isn't anything to worry about any more."

Draco growled and the blonde's hand clamped around his thigh, Harry looked to Draco to reprimand him or ask what the hell he had done wrong when he saw all of his mates were growling and looking in the same direction.

Harry looked the same way, behind Ginny and Lavender was Hermione. Her head was down and she didn't look at him as she timidly handed him an envelope and a small wrapped box.

"What is this?" Harry asked as he opened the envelope. Inside was a get well soon card. His heart almost stopped.

Harry opened the wrapped present and inside was a beautiful hand knitted cosy-toes. It was white and hand embroidered with silver stitching that made up a beautiful vine and leaf design. There was lace carefully stitched onto the front to make a pocket for baby's hands and it was all fleece lined on the inside to keep baby warm.

"I…I…this is amazing Hermione." Harry managed to stutter out. "It's beautiful, thank you."

"Does this mean that you've finally come to your senses?" Ginny asked in a harsh tone.

"I think it means that Hermione has gotten better at knitting." Harry put in trying to lighten the mood.

Hermione gave a wry smile and shuffled a bit on her feet.

"I've been knitting that since I first heard that you were pregnant." She told him softly.

"You've really put a lot of effort into this Hermione, I love it and I'm sure the baby will as well."

"I didn't know if I should give it to you or not. Not after the rumours."

"The baby is fine. It was touch and go for a day or so, but Madam Pomfrey and Professor Snape finally managed to stabilise the baby."

"What happened?" Parvati asked.

Harry looked to Ginny and Hermione and sighed. He shook his head and looked over to the end of the Gryffindor table when Ron was watching them all with a red face and a clenched fist. Obviously his bout of helping in the hospital wing had been all his mentality could handle.

"What did he do?" Ginny asked through gritted teeth having looked to where Harry was and seeing her brother.

Harry had decided he wasn't going to say anything, he didn't want his mates getting upset again, but they had other ideas.

"He decided it would be a good idea to punch Harry in the stomach when he was already in the hospital wing because of stomach cramps." Blaise bit out forcefully. "Harry almost lost the baby twice because of that fool!"

Ginny went a red so spectacular she put her robes and her hair to shame.

"I can't believe he would do such a thing!" She hissed. "Just wait until Mum finds out!"

Ginny stomped off, presumably towards the Owlery to send a letter to Mrs Weasley. If he hadn't of been so shocked he would have told her not to. Dumbledore had already sent a letter of warning to Mrs Weasley, this would be the second warning, if a student got a third, they were expelled.

There was no doubt in his mind though that if he had fully miscarried the baby then Ron's wand would have been snapped right then and there, followed by his neck by his mates and possible by himself. No one hurt his baby, much less killed them and get away with it.

"But…but you're alright now?" Hermione asked hesitantly.

"Yes, just a few lingering bruises, the baby is completely fine. We're all going to take a week or so off now to just relax and to let the baby reaffirm its place in my womb. I've got all of my homework assignments for the next week, so don't worry about my school work."

Hermione closed her mouth with a small click and smiled a bit sheepishly.

"I'll just go now. I just wanted to give you that and to make sure the baby was alright. I can't understand why Ron would hurt an innocent baby, but I'll have a talk with him. We both know he has a temper."

Harry nodded but said nothing else. It was true. Ron did have a temper, they both did which was why it had been a bad idea to put them in the hospital wing together and leave them alone. Not that it was Madam Pomfrey's fault, she hadn't really understood how bad things had gotten, how much Ron and Harry had grown to dislike each other.

Harry laid his face on the cosy toes and nuzzled it a bit. It was super soft and he could just imagine carrying his baby around in it from place to place. He smiled; he had found another item to bring with him into the nest when he went into labour.

* * *

A/N: Next chapter is the heat and the subsequent taking of the potion which will delay Harry's portion of the heat for a few days.

Thanks to **FairyDust18** for being the **3000th reviewer**!

To **Louise**: Draco didn't need to tell Lucius that he was a creature, nor that he was in a relationship specifically with Harry to end the betrothal. The terms of the betrothal were that if Draco hadn't found someone to procreate an Heir with by the time he was twenty-five he would take Astoria. All he had to say was that he had found someone he had fallen in love with and who was able to carry and birth an Heir, the contract would have been immediately nulled and voided.

To **HealingRose**: Female Drackens can get pregnant from other female Drackens. It takes a hell of a lot of magic and a bit of creative use of fingers, but it is possible. I forget that readers can't see my notes or the little booklet I wrote just to remember everything about Drackens. I will work in a dominant female with a submissive female just for you to make up for my oversight.

**Lientjuhh**: You were the 3,028th reviewer actually, the counter on the actual story is behind the actual number of reviews.

Thanks for reading!

StarLight Massacre. X


	27. Death's Door

_Last Time_

_Harry nodded but said nothing else. It was true. Ron did have a temper, they both did which was why it had been a bad idea to put them in the hospital wing together and leave them alone. Not that it was Madam Pomfrey's fault, she hadn't really understood how bad things had gotten, how much Ron and Harry had grown to dislike each other._

_Harry laid his face on the cosy toes and nuzzled it a bit. It was super soft and he could just imagine carrying his baby around in it from place to place. He smiled; he had found another item to bring with him into the nest when he went into labour._

Chapter Twenty–Seven – Death's Door

Harry grinned as he watched Max and Nasta act like little children. The thirty-one year old and the thirty-seven year old were wrestling each other around the living room floor like toddlers, but there was a reason in the childish madness.

They hadn't had their dominance fight and Harry could feel the first touches of heat come upon him. Had he not taken the potion his heat would have come to him in the afternoon, which differed from all of his other heats which had taken place some when in the middle of the night.

Max and Nasta were rolling around the floor wrestling to try and bring out their Drackens to fight for the top spot of the family. They had told Harry to go into the bedroom so he didn't have to watch, but how the hell could he give up watching two grown, supposedly mature men, rolling around the floor with each other?

He chuckled again as Nasta pinned Max to the carpet and smirked down at the larger man gloatingly. Max brought a knee up to Nasta's stomach and winded him, rolling until he was on top and was smirking gloatingly down at the older man.

Harry chuckled and moved Blaise's hand more firmly over the baby bump which they were all delighted to see had grown. A growing bump meant a growing baby; a growing baby was an alive baby.

Draco was at their feet with his homework spread out on the table, he chuckled every now and then at a particularly rough move, but other than that his entire focus was on his homework and massaging Harry's leg, which was draped over his shoulder.

"I don't think it's working." Harry told them as Max came close to having his head cracked open on the corner of the coffee table.

"It should!" Max puffed as he gripped Nasta's arm and tried to dislocate it.

"Any form of violence should be taken as a challenge." Blaise told him.

"Maybe you're both top dominant." Harry hedged carefully.

"No such thing!" Max told him as he got a good punch into Nasta's gut.

"A single family cannot have more than one top dominant; it would ruin the balance of the family and fights would be an almost daily occurrence." Nasta stated calmly as if he wasn't rolling around on the floor. "The top dominant has the last say in every family related decision. It stops fights and squabbles among the other dominants."

"Well you're out of time; I can feel the heat coming on. If this isn't resolved soon, then it will be too late. What will happen then?"

"No idea." Max told him as he took his heavy work boot to Nasta's shin.

Nasta growled and took a fistful of Max's thick brown hair and yanked on it.

"You fight like girls." Draco snorted. "At least my fight was bloody and violent; yours looks staged, like a cover picture for a dirty magazine."

Harry giggled and rubbed his foot along Draco's defined abdominal muscles.

"The instinct to fight just isn't coming!" Max sighed in frustration.

"Maybe it would if you try to actually have sex with each other." Harry put in slyly. "One of you has to top, maybe you'll find out that way."

"You dirty little boy; you just want to have a free show."

Harry let out a fully belly laugh and sat grinning at the two men on the floor.

"Well it would work." Harry told them. "You can't both fuck the other; one of you is going to have to be the top partner and the other the bottom partner."

"As skewed as Harry's logic is and no matter how lascivious his motives are, I believe he is right in a way with what he is saying." Blaise stated. "One of you would have to dominate the other in order for you to have penetrative sex."

"I should be the top dominant! I'm bigger." Max growled as he shoved at Nasta.

"Please! That's like me saying I'm the oldest so I should be top dominant." Nasta answered wrapping his arms around Max and flipping him.

"Older or not, it would be easier to have sex if I was the top!"

"It's like they've reverted back to their five year old state of mind." Harry giggled.

"I'm older so I should have that toy. But I'm bigger so it should be mine!" Blaise whispered bringing a round of laughter from Harry and an amused snort from Draco.

"Maybe you've already figured out whose top dominant but don't realise it." Draco told them.

The two older Drackens looked at each other and Nasta smirked and Max growled.

"That's it isn't it. You already know. So why the hell are you trying to force yourselves to fight?" Harry demanded a touch of anger coming through in his voice.

"Maximilius won't accept that I am dominant to him without a fight." Nasta stated with a grin.

"You are not dominant to me!" Max bellowed raising a fist to punch Nasta, who blocked with his forearm and rolled until he was on top of the other man.

"I am dominant to all of you!" Nasta growled back, seemingly only just losing his patience.

"How did this happen?" Harry asked. "When did it happen?"

"In the hospital wing, when we woke up from those bloody nightmares." Max scowled.

"When we were eating." Nasta elaborated when Harry looked ready to explode. "We were all hungry, but my Dracken wouldn't let me eat. A top dominant is not allowed to eat until all those subordinate to him have started eating. I have to provide for all of you, even though it isn't really needed as you can all hunt for yourselves."

"But, what moment made your Drackens realise that Nasta was top and Max wasn't?"

Max gave an elegant, one shouldered shrug that could have meant anything and nothing.

"No idea, I certainly haven't acted submissive to anyone." He answered.

"Maybe it's because you cook, which is typically a female, or in this case, submissive thing to do. Maybe it has nothing to do with how dominant you're acting, but how submissive you are being by doing something that a hundred years ago would have been considered a submissives job." Blaise put in disarmingly.

"So because Maxie cooks, Nasta's Dracken saw him as submissive because of long forgotten domestic roles from centuries ago that have absolutely no bearing on current lifestyles or stereotypes?" Harry stated confusedly.

Blaise shrugged and flipped his head to one side that Harry took to mean 'maybe'.

"Huh. Oh well, that settles that, now we just need Max and Draco to fight it out and then all the violence can stop." Harry chirped happily, but his face fell when a sudden thought hit him. "Wait, if Nasta's Dracken sees Max as subordinate because he cooks, won't Draco's Dracken do the same?"

"Oh no. No, no, no, I will not be subordinate to two other dominants!" Max hissed. "Not because I actually know how to cook and feed myself!"

"Maybe we should buy you a pink, frilly apron to wear as you cook." Draco goaded.

"Stop it!" Harry growled. "I won't have you kicking up a fuss or a fight near the baby. Fine if you are play wrestling on the floor, but if it's going to be real take it outside!"

All of them settled down at the reminder of how close they had come to losing their first baby. Harry placed a loving hand on his bump and rubbed it. He was coming up to three months pregnant, he was now in the second trimester, had he been pregnant as a human, he would only just be reaching the middle of the first trimester. But as his Dracken genes knocked off two months, every trimester only lasted two and a third months instead of three months per trimester.

Harry was moved onto Blaise's lap as the three oldest of his mates tried to settle on the same settee, a difficult feat as neither Max nor Nasta were small men and Blaise was no stick.

"Why don't you just enlarge the settee?" Harry asked as Max shifted around to try and fit his large thighs into the small gap that Nasta had left him.

"An item can only be enlarged so far." Draco told him from the floor. "It has to do with the dimensions of the original size of the item."

Harry shook his head looking puzzled. "But the bed has been enlarged three times."

"The first time we enlarged it only a little bit Harry." Blaise told him indulgently, stroking his exposed belly where his shirt had ridden up the bump. "Just enough to fit Draco in with us. The second time we needed to enlarge it more as Max is a lot bigger than all of us, but it still wasn't more than twice the bed's original size. When Nas joined us, we enlarged it to its maximum and it is a good thing that that bed was a super king size to begin with or we would never fit all of us inside it, one of us would be sleeping on the floor every night."

"I was never any good at magical theory." Harry sighed.

A tap at the window had Draco sighing at the distraction to his homework, he picked up his wand from beside him and gave it a casual, almost elegant flick and the living room window sprang open and admitted the brown feathered, black speckled owl into their rooms. It landed on Max's arm and he greeted it like an old friend.

"This is Jasmine, she is a childhood friend." He told them as he stroked her.

"Is she yours?" Harry asked, crawling from Blaise, over Nasta and onto Max's lap to stroke the soft feathers on Jasmine's breast.

"Yes, she was a present from my parents when I got into Salem's Academy of Magic, I have another owl, Esmeralda, she was a graduation present. I sent a letter to my brother in America; I've been eagerly awaiting his reply. His Wife is expecting my first Niece."

"You never said you had a brother." Harry turned to speak to Max, but his attention was caught by a sharp nip on his finger and he soon went back to cooing and paying attention to Jasmine.

"One brother and three sisters." Max told him. "Caesar is twenty-nine, Julinda is twenty-seven, Talia is twenty-six and Alayla is twenty-three."

"Do you only have the one Niece on the way?"

"Yep. Juli is married to a man named Laurel, they don't have kids yet, I'm not even sure if they're trying. Laurel is a businessman first and foremost; I don't think Juli sees him more than twice a month."

"I couldn't cope with seeing you for only twice a month."

"Lucky for you I'm not a businessman then." Max told him with a smile.

"I love you too Maxie."

"I told you only my granddad calls me that."

"Your grandparents are still alive?" Draco asked interestedly.

"Yours aren't?"

"No. On my Father's side, my grandfather Abraxus died from Dragon Pox before I was born. My Grandmother Amorette died when I was five. My grandfather on my Mother's side, Cygnus Black died the year before I was born. Grandmother Druella died when I was seven."

"I have never met my paternal grandparents." Blaise told them quietly. "They blamed my Mother for my Father's death, still do in fact. They refuse to have anything to do with me. I asked to see them when I was eight and they refused to even come and meet me to see what I looked like, I look a lot like my Father according to my Mother. I wrote them letters when I learned how to write, but they came back unopened. Their logic was that if I had never been conceived then my Father would still be alive."

"So they blamed you? An innocent child!" Max asked outraged.

"Apparently so." Blaise sniffed indifferently, if it bothered him that he had never met his Father's side of the family, then it didn't show, but still Nasta threw an arm around him and cuddled him in close.

Blaise fought for a moment until he realised it was futile to fight against Nasta's strength and muscle and relaxed against him instead.

"I think everyone knows what happened to my family." Harry said sadly. "I don't know what happened to my paternal grandparents but I know from the potion I used to find out where my Dracken inheritance came from that my grandmother Dorea died in nineteen-seventy-seven, three years before I was born. If my maternal grandparents are still alive, I've never met them or even know what their names are."

"Don't you have Muggle relatives?" Max asked.

"Yeah, my aunt Petunia was my Mum's sister, her Husband Vernon and my cousin Dudley." Harry breathed in deeply to quell feelings of panic and quickly changed the subject. "What about your family Nas?"

"My Mother died when I was born. My Father brought me and my older brother, Sanex up. We had a sister, Angharad but she died from a spell gone wrong when she was twenty. She'd be forty now if she had lived."

"You told me before that your Dad never let you drink coffee or carbonated drinks." Harry said with a smile.

Nasta looked at him tenderly and kissed him.

"I can't believe you remember that." He answered with a small shake of his head. "It's true. My Dad always told us that if we wanted to drink something to the equivalent of acid he would make it easier for us and just give us a bottle of bleach and a straw. He was very…protective after Mum died. He wouldn't let us eat anything unhealthy, drink anything unhealthy, he made sure we did an hour of exercise a day, pushed us at everything we did, encouraged us to be our best and our fittest."

"He didn't want his children to die." Harry put in softly, touching Nasta's cheek.

"No he didn't. He's a Dracken as well, family means everything to him. When Mum died giving birth to me, he could have so easily turned on me, blamed me for her death, but he did no such thing. Angharad told me that he practically ignored Mum's dead body as he rushed to me first, cleaning me off and wrapping me up."

"He knew that his Wife was already dead." Max said gently. "He didn't want the son she had died for leaving with her."

Nasta shook his head and scrubbed his hands roughly over his face. "I'm the only one of my siblings who is a Dracken, Mum and Dad should have had more than three children, plenty more, but when Mum died, Dad refused to take another mate, even though the counsel have offered to let him go back to the submissive meetings."

"I thought all dominants had to go." Harry stated confusedly.

"After a dominant has gotten a mate, even if that mate dies, we lose the urge to go to submissive meetings." Max told him. "If the dominant want's another mate, they can petition the counsel to be let back in on the submissive meetings or the counsel can ask if the dominant wants to be let back in on the meetings."

"I wouldn't want another mate." Harry said sadly. "If all of you died, I would never take another mate."

"With submissives it's different." Nasta stated his tone conveying his disgust. "You might be forced to take another dominant as you are a submissive and there are too few to how many dominants there are."

"I wouldn't want one; I will not be forced to live my life with a man I feel nothing for." Harry stated stubbornly.

"It's a moot point as none of us are going to die." Blaise told them surely.

"My Dad never wanted another mate either after Mum died. He told the counsel to shove their meetings where the sun doesn't shine and carried on raising me and my siblings."

"Why does the counsel petition some dominants, not all of them?" Harry asked.

"My Dad had three young children, one of which was a newborn Dracken. They were…concerned that a dominant male alone could not raise three babies and that he needed a submissive's help, as if any sixteen year old would have accepted a twenty-six year old mate with three kids."

"I might have if he was a kind and considerate mate." Harry told him.

Nasta let out a startled laugh and pulled Harry into a kiss.

"Am I going to have to worry about introducing you to my Father this summer?" He asked teasingly.

"Oh no, I'd much rather have his youngest son." Harry grinned. "Am I going to be in trouble from him for stealing his youngest son from his overprotective hands?"

"No. My Dad will love you. He's been…distressed lately because I hadn't found a mate at thirty-seven."

"He thought it was too late for you to be happily mated."

"He believes that if a dominant hasn't been chosen by a mate by at least thirty then they'll be stuck with unworthy mates, like Miette Solange."

"I keep hearing that name." Harry said with a smile looking to Blaise.

"You were old enough to go to the Solange meeting in Toulouse?" Max asked.

"Yes, it was my first and only meeting before Harry, I didn't stay for long. I left just after she announced that her ideal mate would be forced onto his hands and knees to boost her onto her horse so she could go riding every Wednesday and Saturday afternoons."

"I left before that, when she said that her mate was expected to wake up before her every day and serve her breakfast in bed." Nasta growled. "I will not be a servant."

"I left after that, breakfast in bed I could handle, but when she said that she would expect her dominant mate to be at her beck and call at every hour of the day. She expected us to give up our jobs." Max shook his head. "I love my job too much to ever give it up completely."

"How were you going to support her then?" Draco asked.

"Miette comes from old money, her family is filthy rich, the entire front garden path was made from gold nuggets."

"She got what she deserved. A fifty-eight year old dominant and no children." Blaise stated.

"It doesn't seem common for a submissive to have more than one mate, why does Harry have four?" Draco asked.

"Because he is so powerful." Nasta told the blonde. "Only powerful submissives need more than two mates. That Harry need's four is a testament to his power."

"I am not powerful!" Harry sulked.

Max chuckled at him and kissed his pout away. "You are." He said lovingly. "You're just too modest to see it."

"Why am I the one to get four mates? Not that I don't love each and every one of you, but it's not you lot that are going to be fucked raw in a few days' time."

"I might be." Blaise told him casually. Harry turned to him questioningly. "I am the lowest dominant of the family group, just above you in the…'hierarchy' for lack of a better word. I am going to be fucked just as much as you are."

Harry let out a soft giggle, before covering his mouth as if he had uttered a foul swear word. He removed his hand, opened his mouth and giggled again. He shook his head and grinned.

"I can't wait to see that." He managed to say through his large smile. "This is payback for the first two heats I've barely survived thanks to your prowess."

Blaise grinned back at him and bopped him on the head gently. Harry turned back to Jasmine when she squawked and began petting her again.

"Didn't you have urgent news on your Niece?" Harry told Max, who blinked and then smiled, tearing open the letter and reading quickly.

"Amelle, Caesar's Wife is about ready to give birth." Max told them. "Before I mated I was going to go and stay with my brother, my entire family is going to be there for the birth, but I can't leave now, I don't want to." He added when Harry opened his mouth.

"She is going to be your first Niece." Harry started angrily. "She…"

"She will still be there after your heat and after our baby is born." Max stated firmly. "I won't leave you."

"We can visit in the summer holidays." Harry offered.

"At which point you will be five, six months pregnant." Max deadpanned. "You won't be up to travelling longer than it takes to get from the bed to the bathroom."

"I'm not lazy!"

"You will be when you are heavily pregnant." Nasta soothed gently. "The baby will be siphoning off nearly all of your energy as it grows impossibly bigger and develops vastly quicker in a very short space of time. If you try to push yourself, you may collapse and lose the baby. I can tell you that it is a lot harder losing a baby when you are a month from giving birth than when you are only a month pregnant."

Harry deflated and let all of his breath out. "I wouldn't hold it against you if you wanted to go and see your Niece Max, even if it was only for a day or two. I'm sure Nasta, Draco and Blaise can cope with looking after me for a few days. I'm not that hard to handle."

Max still looked unsure so Harry kissed him and kept his hands on the back of his neck, playing with the thick, brown hair.

"What if I made a promise to stay in bed and not move a muscle until you came back?"

"Like any one of us would believe that." Draco told him with a roll of his eyes. "Honestly Harry, you can't stay in bed when you're ill or injured, how are you going to manage it when you're neither."

Harry huffed and pouted, turning away from Draco and looking back up at Max.

"I don't want to keep you from your family."

"You are part of my family now and you carry my baby, Amelle carries my brother's, I know where my loyalties lie and I know where I want to stay."

Harry let it drop, but he made a mental note to pick it up when he was alone with Max and didn't have the others to put in 'helpful' comments.

* * *

Harry threw another cushion at Blaise and screamed. His heat had hit him and he was in agony. He couldn't keep still; he kept writhing and rolling on the floor in front of the fireplace. He called to his mates who were standing around him utterly distraught at his tears.

A lick of fire curled up his spine and Harry screamed again, arching from the floor, writhing in utmost anguish feeling as if his skin was melting from his bones. How the hell did this help the baby any more than having sex?

"Please try and stay still." Max begged. Harry threw a cushion at him this time.

Harry had thought his mates would go and have sex without him, but they hadn't. They were all hard and ready for sex and they were all suffering as an hour passed and their erections weren't relieved.

Harry was torn; on the one hand he didn't want his mates to suffer, on the other hand he didn't want to be the only one to have to suffer for something that hadn't been his fault. He didn't want to be left alone to deal with this pain as his mates went and fucked each other.

He screamed as fire tore through his belly, his own erection as solid as rock, he had tried to relieve himself, but it didn't work, the fire only got hotter the more he stroked and he had soon let go.

"Please! Please!" He begged hoping one of them would help him.

None of them did. They couldn't even touch him to sooth him as it made the flames within him sear his skin. He had to survive three days of this, perhaps more if the baby hadn't stabilised enough.

A sweet scent filled his nose and Harry turned his head towards it, his fangs bared as he saw Nasta had dug his claws into his forearm. His oldest, most dominant mate came towards him and knelt by his head, taking care of Harry's wings spread out on the carpet and without touching him, offered the bleeding arm.

Harry latched onto it and his lips felt like they would blister where they touched Nasta's arm, but the blood was cool going down his throat and into his stomach as he swallowed convulsively.

Snape had told them when he had delivered the potion that they would have to feed Harry blood as where Harry could go ten days without eating on his heat, the baby certainly couldn't. However getting blood, sweat and semen for sustenance during a heat period was incredibly easy, but when he was stuck in this flaming inferno, not fully able to go onto heat and not able to leave it either, the last thing he wanted was blood, sweat or semen. He wanted ice, lots and lots of ice.

Nasta tugged on his hair and Harry let go of his arm to hiss, fully intending to go back to his meal, but Nasta had already moved his arm away and the coolness of the blood in his stomach heated up until it felt like lava.

"Please! Help! I can't take it anymore." He sobbed.

The four men exchanged sad glances; it broke their hearts to see Harry this way. He was naked and flushed a delicate pink, but the sight didn't arouse them at all, not when Harry was crying his heart out, wailing, screaming and sobbing at them to make it stop.

"Please Harry, it'll be over soon." Draco whispered, looking devastated, his usually pale face had gone a greyish colour.

"How long…long has it been?" Harry panted out, wiping imaginary sweat from his forehead.

Draco grimaced. "An hour and a half."

Harry wailed sharply and rolled onto his side, his back to them, crying incessantly as the raging fire grew. He couldn't take much more of this.

* * *

Harry hadn't slept for three days. Nasta hadn't either, as top dominant he had remained by Harry's side, though never touching him, at all times.

Max, Draco and Blaise got a couple of hours sleep every now and then so that when the actual heat started they wouldn't be too tired to perform, thus causing Harry more agony in the long run.

Harry had a very, very thin blanket covering his lower body as Snape cautiously lowered himself next to him amid growls and snarls from the other four, who did not like Snape being so close to their pregnant mate, their pregnant mate who was on heat no less.

Snape didn't speak, he quickly cast spell after spell, careful not to touch any part of Harry's body and he nodded tightly, his body aching with tension as he cast a final spell.

"The baby has stabilised enough." He announced carefully, knowing there was a possibility that the five feral Drackens might not be able to understand what he was saying. "There is no need for you to take any more potion, as soon as this dose wears off you'll be fine to follow your instincts."

"Go away now." Max growled harshly, threateningly. Showing no acknowledgement that he had heard or understood a word Severus had said.

All of their minds had been lost to their feral Drackens during the last three days and thought didn't come easy to them anymore. All they saw was a widowed dominant near their pregnant mate and his presence would no longer be tolerated.

Snape eased up slowly and backed away. He knew that if he had so much as brushed Potter, he'd be dead. If Potter had so much as gasped or made a noise of distress when he was so close, he would have been held responsible and torn to pieces.

"Remember to keep feeding, Potter." Snape commented, not entirely sure if the Drackens could hear or understand him, but he took Maximilius' vocal threat as a sign that at least one of them wasn't too far gone to understand him, before backing out of the portrait door, Blaise and Draco stalking him and hissing at him all the way, and slammed it shut.

"How long until it wears off?" Harry slurred weakly, too tired to even move.

"About two hours." Nasta informed him quietly, his eyes pinned to the portrait door in case the threat came back.

"I feel so drained."

"Do you want some more blood?" Blaise asked his voice no longer silk like and smooth, but rough and distorted.

"Just a bit, but I can't sit up to take it."

It was Draco's turn to open a vein for him and he did so gladly, holding his bleeding arm over Harry's mouth, making sure not to touch any skin, letting his blood flow freely into Harry's mouth.

Harry swallowed, letting the excess drip onto his face before he opened his mouth for another mouthful, he swallowed and turned away, indicating that he didn't want any more. The blood cooled him for all of three seconds and gave him a small energy boost. He couldn't wait until his bloody heat actually started.

Nasta used the thin blanket that had been covering his dignity in front of Snape to wipe the blood from his chin and cheeks, being obsessively careful not to touch him skin to skin.

"It will all be over soon." He soothed. "You won't have to have another heat now until after the baby is born."

"I'm dying!" Harry wailed as another burst of heat clenched his body and made him twist in agony, using energy he didn't have.

All of his mates were around him then hushing and soothing him and Harry didn't even have the energy to cry anymore. The fire had eaten away all of his tears, he had none left to cry with, instead he dry sobbed.

Two hours passed like years. His mind was barely clinging to sanity at the end and he didn't care how much more pain it brought him, he gave into his desires and clung to his mates. He buried his face into their skin, soaked in their scents, ignoring the pain and blisters he could feel on his skin but couldn't see.

He felt red raw, surely his skin couldn't have survived such heat? But his skin was perfect, just a little pink flushed, his pale body scales highlighted by an inner light and red-rimmed from the heat, he shook his head in despair, his skin shouldn't just be pink! Heat like he was experiencing did not just pink up the skin! It melted it, it burned, blistered, seared, why was his body betraying his mind?

"Harry? Maybe it would be better not to touch us." Max said softly or as softly as he could when it sounded like his throat was full of razor blades.

Harry wailed and clenched his arms around the body he was holding, he couldn't even recognise them through touch anymore, his brain was boiling in his head. He was going to die.

"You are causing yourself more pain." Nasta growled, as someone tried to pry his arms away.

"If I'm going to die I'll die holding my mates!" Harry sobbed.

"You aren't going to die, the potion will wear off soon, just twenty more minutes and then just seven days until you come off heat."

Those hands succeeded in pulling Harry free and he cried. There had been no doubt in him that his mates would have gotten him free, they were too strong and he was weak, so weak, he couldn't even sit up on his own anymore.

"Please!" He begged.

Someone sighed roughly, sadly. "How long?" The same voice growled.

"Sixteen minutes, give or take a minute." Another voice answered. Harry couldn't make sense of anything now, he could hear the words, but he couldn't understand them.

"Perhaps it would help to prepare him now, when we are not totally lost in the heat haze to do so. It would help prevent his skin from splitting on initial entry. The scent of blood always makes us treat him rougher."

"Won't it cause him more pain? You'll be touching him."

"It'll hurt to touch him regardless; the only difference is that he can be distracted with sex."

"You are hoping to distract him with it now."

"It may work."

Harry lay still and breathed deeply, heavily as he let the conversation float over him, not taking in anything other than the voices of his mates.

A touch on his naked body caused him to wail as the fire within him shot to the place where his mate was touching, charring his skin and surely scorching his mate as well. The hand glided down his sweat soaked skin and Harry screamed as it moved to his more sensitive places, the fire following in its wake.

* * *

Sex scenes are on Adultfanfiction and Archive of our own, links are in my profile.

* * *

When Harry next woke up he felt terrible. He let out a soft groan and rolled onto his side before his eyes widened as he felt a twinge in his abdomen. His bladder was beyond full and moving had put too much pressure upon it.

He bolted upright, but fell back when pain shot up his spine. His bladder ached to be relieved and he moaned in agony. He tried to get up carefully, shifting his arms to lift his upper body, but this turned out to be a mistake because as soon as he crunched up his stomach, his bladder released without his say so.

Once he had started he couldn't stop and he felt tears of humiliation prick at his eyes. His face burnt bright red in embarrassment, he had wet the bed for the first time since he was about six years old and even then he had only wet himself because the Dursleys had forgotten to let him out from the cupboard under the stairs to use the bathroom.

The tears fell over his eyes as he just sat in the wet patch he had made. He couldn't move and he sobbed in distress. A moment later his mates were around him, asking him what was wrong, though it didn't take them too long to figure out from the strong smell of urine.

Nasta sighed and sat on the edge of the bed and wrapped an arm around him as Harry curled into himself in mortification.

"There is nothing to be ashamed of Harry." He said softly. "The best of us have accidents and you are pregnant which has put a lot of undue stress upon your bladder."

"I've never had this problem before." He wailed in shame, his neck and ears burning along with his face.

"You've never consumed so much liquid on a heat before." Max told him with a reassuring smile. "We already almost piss ourselves when we wake up off a heat as it is Harry, with the amount of blood you consumed when you were on heat it was inevitable that you would wet yourself before you reached the bathroom."

Harry sniffed and hugged himself. Nasta put his other arm around him and hugged him tightly, kissing his hair.

"Let's get you cleaned up Harry, how about a nice hot bath whilst Draco and I go hunting?"

Harry sniffed again as his stomach rumbled loudly. He nodded his head and let Nasta pick him up and carry him to the bathroom, uncaring that Harry's naked legs and bottom were soaking wet from where he had been sitting in the large patch of wee.

Nasta run a bath and put Harry's favourite scented bubble bath under the running water. He tested the temperature and turned off the hot water tap and ran the cold. When the temperature was perfect he sat Harry in the water and left him to wash with a kiss.

Harry smiled at Nasta's retreating back. He loved his mates so much and they obviously loved him enough to carry him even when he was sopping wet with his own piss. He picked up a washcloth and dipped it in the water before he started scrubbing himself, particularly hard when he reached his legs and bum. He didn't bother washing his hair; he didn't want to put the dirty, piss water on it. He'd have a shower before he went to bed.

He got out and wrapped himself in a towel and padded barefooted back into the bedroom. He could see from the floor that the bed up on its platform had been stripped and recovered with different sheets, duvet and pillowcases. It wasn't blue anymore, but a dark red. Blaise and Max must have done it whilst he was in the bath.

He didn't bother getting dressed, he always managed to get blood on his clothes when he ate a fresh meal, he'd stay naked and get dressed afterwards.

He went into the living room and smiled as Max and Blaise were cuddled up on the settee together. Max grinned at him and gestured for him to come and sit between them. There wasn't enough room to fit a doll between them, let along his pregnant frame.

"I'm not going to fit." He complained.

Max chuckled. "You will, come here."

Harry didn't bother arguing, he was hungry and he was still tired. His bum hurt a lot as well and his spine and his hips, but he had found out why they hurt when he was in the bath, they were covered thickly in dark bruises.

Max picked him up and placed Harry partly on his lap, partly on Blaise's. Harry smiled; they hadn't wanted him between them, but on their laps.

They both threw an arm around him and held him, kissed his neck and shoulders, rubbed his growing belly, which he had been startled to see had grown significantly over the week when he couldn't remember anything but sex and toe-curling pleasure.

Blaise leant over him and pressed a lingering kiss to the widest part of his belly and stroked just beside his bellybutton. He kissed his belly again and Harry chuckled, bopping Blaise's head.

"That tickles." He said when Blaise shot him a questioning look for bopping his head.

Blaise chuckled deeply and kissed his belly a final time, gave it one final stroke, before leaning back further into the settee and kissing the back of Harry's neck instead as Max licked his shoulder. Harry moaned and then shoved both of their heads away.

"I am far too hungry, too tired and way too sore to do anything with you, so stop it."

"We have missed you Prezioso." Blaise told him. "You were asleep for a day longer than we were."

"What?" Harry asked softly, turning his head to look at Blaise over his shoulder.

"It's perfectly normal for a pregnant submissive to sleep anything from twelve to thirty-eight hours longer than their dominant after a heat period. With the delays at the start of your cycle I'm not surprised you slept for twenty-six hours longer than us."

Harry sighed and yawned widely. He had been asleep for about two days, he felt as if he hadn't slept in a month.

"You can go back to bed as soon as you have eaten love." Max told him, pushed the tufts of hair out of his face gently.

"Am I really not going to have another heat now until after the baby is born?"

"That's right. Submissives only go on heat to get pregnant, which you already are, or to fully bond to a mate, which you now have all the dominants you need. So no more heat until after the baby is born."

"Thank god. I don't think I'll survive another heat when I'm pregnant."

"We'll be able to tell if you're pregnant now by your heat cycles." Max told him with a smile. "If your heat comes, you aren't pregnant, if it doesn't come, you're pregnant."

"Ergh, like a woman's period." Harry grumbled.

They both laughed uproariously at him and Harry crossed his arms and scowled.

"What's so funny?" Draco asked as he came into the living room carting a dead boar on his shoulder.

Nasta followed him in with the biggest buck Harry had ever seen. They deposited their kills on the floor and Harry was urged to eat immediately.

"Harry has likened his heat cycles to a woman's menstrual cycle." Max answered Draco as he folded his huge body onto the floor and began eating after a stern glare from Nasta.

"Isn't that what they are though?" Draco asked as he sat on the settee watching everyone else eat. The bloodstains on his cheeks and chin told them that he had already eaten his fill. "Only every two months not every month."

The two older Drackens started laughing and Nasta sat down next to Harry and began skinning meat for him so he could eat faster.

"I don't bleed!" Harry groused as he accepted another chunk of meat off of Nasta.

"Harry doesn't have eggs either. Or ovaries or a uterus…"

"Or a vagina." Harry insisted, which brought tears to his mates' eyes.

"Really he doesn't even have a womb." Max said after he had calmed down. "We call it a womb for lack of a better word for it, but it's more like a…"

"Like a sac." Nasta answered as Max struggled for words. "It just holds the forming baby and Harry will have to split the sac to get the baby out, a bit like a womb, but it's thicker as Dracken babies are very…rumbustious as they reach six months."

Harry placed a hand on his belly and frowned. If his baby was going to start bouncing around inside of him he'd much rather be more stable in his pregnancy. He hoped to god that nothing ever happened to his babies ever again.

If he had the maximum amount of babies he could have over a hundred and fifty years, there was a possibility that he would lose one or twoclutches, but he didn't want to, he hoped, he prayed that he never lost a baby. His heart would shatter into miniscule pieces.

* * *

Thanks to **tamzingrace** who was the **3,100****th**** reviewer**.

To **Solice364**: Harry's heat isn't exact to the hour. I mentioned before that if Harry is ill, injured or unconscious he won't go onto heat, his body was still recovering from the near miscarriage and saw it as 'injured' so his heat stopped itself, then with the delays from the potion as well it took a few days to get back into the cycle. As for the House-elf feud. Dobby is a free elf, all of the other house-elves think he's mad, Kreacher is no exception. And I think it was in Half-Blood Prince when Dobby and Kreacher actually did have a fight when Harry called them both to keep an eye on Draco Malfoy. They were rolling around the floor and biting each other.

To **unneeded**: Kreacher didn't really mellow out, he just didn't say anything bad and it was actually because Harry thanked him for bringing what he asked for. Kreacher isn't used to being thanked or praised or being treated kindly, it was important to the story because Harry will get the story of what happened to Regulus out of him by treating him nicely because he doesn't have the locket to give him in this fic.

To **peruser**: Ron hasn't been given a Dracken punishment is because he isn't a Dracken. A Dracken can kill another Dracken easily and hide the truth because the families all know about their family member being a Dracken so they accept the laws and the behaviour of the Drackens. Ron isn't a Dracken; therefore it will be near impossible to kill him without anyone questioning it, especially his family. Also Harry does have a heart and doesn't want his mates to be killers. But believe me when I say that had Ron succeeded in killing the baby, Harry would have been first in the queue to kill him. Ron would have been slaughtered had the baby died and then Harry and his mates would have to immediately leave for the refuge of Australia. Again he is still at Hogwarts for the same reason, Dumbledore has to put every expulsion through the board of governors to be assessed before Ron is officially expelled, as far at the governors would see it he was fighting with someone, that someone happened to be pregnant, but he didn't lose the baby, so it's just seen as fighting.

To **miss quirky bookworm and tvturtle12**: I didn't realise that cosy-toes weren't known world-wide. It's my oversight, but it's like a padded, fleece lined pouch that you can put a baby into. Usually used in prams, carrycots, pushchairs, cribs, bouncers or just for carrying the baby around it, much better than a blanket because it won't slip or tangle up baby's hands.

http :/www. Footmuffsandbibs ./ dolls-cosy-toes- footmuff-bow-style- 106-p. asp

This is a link to see what a cosy-toes looks like, just remove all of the spaces. These ones are for dolls, but a real baby cosy-toes looks exactly the same.

To **Lidden**: I wasn't sure if I should take this as a flame or not, but I've decided to answer what should have been obvious. First you cannot be accused of attempted murder for a foetus as it isn't classed as actually living until after it is born and takes its first breath. The most anyone could be get for forced termination of a foetus is charges of child destruction and as Ron didn't actually kill the baby he can't be charged for it.

Second, I've already answered this, but Drackens are outlawed, as in, not allowed to be in Britain, America, Europe or Asia. Killing Ron would defeat the point of keeping themselves hidden and would put Harry and the baby in more danger than if they hadn't reacted at all, Ron didn't actually kill the baby, so killing him would be the worst thing they could have done by the baby, the baby doesn't care for revenge and neither does Harry. In the first hour when they were so murderous with rage, when their feral Drackens were out for blood, they wouldn't have been thinking properly and would have killed him regardless, but Dumbledore hid Ron after Harry begged him to until a time when his mates were thinking clearly enough to realise that killing Ron would have forced all of them out of their homeland and into a new country with not a penny to their names.

To **GrasshopperKnight**: Yes the rejected Dracken was a very young Max, who lost out because his wings weren't mature enough to be at their full length, good thing too or our Harry wouldn't have gotten him. You've re-read the entire story four times? lol. That makes me feel about ten feet tall. I glad that you know the OC's names through re-reading the story; a lot of people spell them wrong, especially Nasta's. I'm also glad that you read the review responses, I know a lot of my readers do, I just wish all of them would, it would stop me having to answer questions repeatedly and I'm glad I could make you a fan of Ginny again.

To **kikkina123**: I hope this chapter helped you with your question, but just in case. Nasta is the top dominant and he is dominant over all of them. Then Max is next, then Draco, then Blaise and Harry. At the moment Snape will not be getting another mate.

**TalaDentro**: Yes, as sad as it is, it is entirely possible for a Dracken to have a still born baby within a clutch of babies. Say Harry has a clutch of five and four of those babies are living and growing, but one isn't, Harry would have to carry all of them to term for the sake of the four that are alive. So yes your scenario is entirely possible.

**Laughing Cat**: Elder Trintus either never heard Draco because he wasn't paying close enough attention or he did notice and enquired after it, but he couldn't have just taken hold of Draco and marched him away for tests, he's still a sixteen year old boy, so he would have gone to Dumbledore about it, who would have informed Severus as Draco's Godfather, who dealt with Draco when Blaise dragged him to see him anyway.

As for Elder Trintus and Elder Getus looking so old even though they're only in their sixties, They aren't described as old, they just both have grey hair. Grey hair doesn't make you old.

**Lientjuhh**: The rewrite is difficult. It's annoying more than anything though. As for the new chapters. I'm going to write them as I always have, like Fanfiction hasn't made me take out all the explicit scenes because I'm writing the story how I want it to be written and just because fanfiction has stopped me from posting it, doesn't mean I'm going to stop writing it, I'll just have to edit it out when putting it on this site.

**alinemcb54**: Ron's a villain. The Death Eaters still at large are villains, Amelle can be classed as a villain, Astoria in her own way is a villain and a few more who have yet to pop up. I did know that the story is translated into French, I gave my permission for it and I like to read through it, I know what every other word is, but I have no hope in hell in reading it. Harry doesn't need a bonding ceremony as he is already bonded to his mates, that's what the heat periods are for, to bond him to each new mate.

StarLight Massacre. X


	28. Revenge

_Last Time_

_Harry placed a hand on his belly and frowned. If his baby was going to start bouncing around inside of him he'd much rather be more stable in his pregnancy. He hoped to god that nothing ever happened to his babies ever again. _

_If he had the maximum amount of babies he could have over a hundred and fifty years, there was a possibility that he would lose one or two clutches, but he didn't want to, he hoped, he prayed that he never lost a baby. His heart would shatter into miniscule pieces._

Chapter Twenty-Eight – Revenge

It was Saturday and Harry was still recovering from his heat, which he had only woken up from yesterday. It was the seventh of May. He had fucked his way through Easter and the beginning of the new month.

Mrs Weasley had sent him an egg the size of Quaffle and all of his mates had given him an egg or chocolate of some kind. He shared it all with them in one big indulgence fest, except for his chocolate fudge bars, those were his. Though he was glad that he had been given more, he only had one bar left from his post Quidditch injury stash. It was amazing how quickly eighteen bars of chocolate had become one. Now he had five and he was content with them.

Mrs Weasley had also given him the first of the baby things she had knitted. Cute little booties and socks, knitted bibs and shawls, blankets and hats all in a soft, pure white had filled the lined box she had sent along with his Easter egg.

Hermione had also told him that she was knitting things for him as well. Between her and Mrs Weasley he was going to be able to open his own hand made baby clothing store.

Hermione seemed determined to make it up to him in any way possible, even giving him her homework to help catch himself up after his 'bout of illness' for the last twelve days. She was trying her hardest to get along with his mates, but Draco completely snubbed her, Blaise was only a little better, Nasta remained silent around her and Max only grunted now and then when she spoke to him. It was disheartening and it filled Harry with sadness. He had known it would take a while for them to forgive her treatment of him, but he hadn't thought that they would be so…so, he couldn't even think of a word to describe how they were acting, but it was rudeness mixed with hostility or if not hostility then definitely unfriendliness.

Harry was now three months pregnant and it showed. A lot. Max and Nasta had both gone off to work, though why they both had to work on a Saturday was beyond him. Max said that he had a very volatile batch of potion on stand-by that he needed to finish and Nasta had told him that a Dragon still needed care on a weekend as much as a weekday and that he had been called in to cover a friend's shift who had had to be taken to the hospital with burns all down his side.

Blaise and Draco were arguing with Hermione and had been for the past hour. Harry was sick of it. He got up and walked out of the portrait door without a backward glance. The three were so wrapped up in their little argument that they didn't notice him going.

Harry wandered to the hospital wing and got a check-up from Madam Pomfrey, who told him that his baby was thriving and was healthy as could be, but he himself needed some more potassium, they had deduced that it had been his recent bout of morning sickness that had lowered his potassium levels, so with a banana in one hand, Harry set off around the school again.

He wandered aimlessly for a while before he decided to pay the Headmaster a visit. He hadn't had a talk with the elderly man in a while and if he needed anything at the moment he needed to talk.

He finished his banana just as he knocked on the door to the Headmaster's office (after eventually guessing correctly that the password was fudge flies.)

"Come in." A firm, yet gentle voice commanded.

Harry happily peeked around the door and smiled as Dumbledore pushed aside his work and stood, his arms flung wide as if greeting his favourite child.

"Harry! Come in my boy, sit down, do you have time for a cup of tea?"

"Yes please." Harry answered happily as he took the seat right in front of the Headmaster's desk, plopping his banana skin into the waste basket by the side of the desk.

"Would you like your honey tea, or perhaps some chamomile? Madam Pomfrey is in quite a fret over your continued sickness."

"My honey tea, please sir, I haven't had it in a while and I miss it. Plus I was only sick a little bit yesterday. I went to see Madam Pomfrey before I came and she said the baby and I are fine, I just have a small dip in my potassium levels, which is why she gave me a banana to eat."

"Yes, I have been watching your progress from afar; your little one seems to be doing exponentially well, I must say." Dumbledore told him as he waved his wand to summon a china tea set and began flicking his wand to bring the water to a boil before he pottered around making the teas.

"I've gained weight as well. I'm not sure if it's entirely because of the baby either. The amount of food my men are feeding me." Harry shook his head. "I've put on nine pounds in a week. I knew I shouldn't have eaten anymore of that boar."

Dumbledore chuckled gently as he placed a steaming cup of delicate yellow coloured tea in front of him. Harry immediately wrapped his hands around it and soaked up the warmth. He blew on the outer rim of the china cup and took a small sip, relaxing more as the familiar flavour comforted him.

The both of them sat in comfortable silence, each sipping their tea and basking in their companionship. Harry sighed as he realised he hadn't had any relaxation since before his heat. Not really. He had been on edge and tense all throughout the time when he thought he was going to have a miscarriage, he was agitated and frightened as he approached his heat knowing that he would be experiencing a lot of pain, he had been in immense pain when his heat had hit him and been delayed for three days and he had been fucked raw for the next six days of his heat. He had slept deeply for two days after his heat and immediately when he woke up the tension and a lingering soreness had flooded back into his body. Now that his mates were all acting so hostilely towards Hermione, they had little time to smile and laugh around him and it made him sad and withdrawn.

"Is there something you want to tell me Harry?" Dumbledore asked softly, sipping on his own white tea.

Harry sighed again and put his cup down. "I made up with Hermione again. She never wanted me to get hurt and was sickened when I told her what Ron had done to the baby."

"Yes, I was quite delighted when Miss Granger came to her senses, but I can tell that this is not what's bothering you so deeply."

"My men don't like her. Nasta won't speak at all when she's in the room, which isn't really unusual, but he at least says something now and then! Even if it's an odd comment, now he's like a living statue or a mute! Max just mumbles, Blaise answers in short, clipped monosyllables and Draco is downright rude and mean. Hermione knows how she treated me was unfair and wrong and she is really sorry, I just want them all to get along."

"It will likely take some time for them to adjust to her Harry. Mister Malfoy especially as he has such a…rocky past with her, I believe it was she who punched him in third year?"

Harry looked down to his lap. "Yeah, she did. He was being mean about Hagrid and Buckbeak so she hit him. We laughed about it back then, but it must have really humiliated him to be hit by a girl."

"Not to mention a knock to his ego and pride. It is likely he still holds some animosity or anger towards her from this incidence. Or it could be something as simple as habit. Perhaps Mister Malfoy is so used to teasing and baiting Miss Granger that he falls into the same habits as he used to."

"Maybe, I just don't like it. They were arguing when I left, they didn't even notice me leave they were all so busy ripping each other apart. I don't really blame Hermione for giving as good as she gets, but she's encouraging them to carry on and the more she gets wound up and reacts the more Draco and Blaise are going to do it."

Dumbledore nodded gravely and refilled their tea cups, floating the teapot over their cups with an eased and practised movement of the hand that spoke volumes of how often he had done it over the years.

"I wish they'd get along, I think if they looked past all the anger and animosity or whatever the hell they hold against each other then they'll get along. They are all smart, intelligent people who can hold a decent conversation and have intellectual debates with each other. I guess it was too much to hope for, I mean I knew it wasn't going to happen overnight, but I guess I hoped that all of them would have been a bit more adult than they are showing they are. They're acting like…like…"

"Teenagers Harry. They are acting like teenagers and I think that sometimes you forget that that is exactly what you are. You are just sixteen years old Harry, don't be too hard on yourself, or on them. You have always been a very mature person Harry and with the proof of your impending parenthood I believe that you have decided to adopt a very adult view of things and therefore can't see why Misters Malfoy and Zabini and Miss Granger, who are near enough the same age as you, act the way they do."

Harry frowned as he played with his tea cup before raising it to his lips and taking a long sip.

"Maybe you're right Professor. Maybe it is me that's the problem."

Dumbledore sighed heavily and patted one of Harry's hands gently.

"That isn't what I had meant Harry. There is nothing wrong with being mature or being an adult in some situations, especially not with your baby on the way, but I believe you need to cut loose once in a while and remember that you are only sixteen. Misters Malfoy and Zabini and Miss Granger act the way they do because it is all they know, they have always acted the same towards one another, so don't know how to act differently or even want to act any differently. You are still only children and you still have a lot of life left to live and a lot left to learn. Don't be too hard on them all or yourself for that matter."

Harry smiled and helped himself to the tin of ginger newts.

"Thanks sir, I think this talk has helped me realise a few things."

"And that, my dear boy, is why everyone should listen to an old man's wheezing waffle every now and then." Dumbledore told him with a wink.

Harry laughed and stayed grinning in his seat. He spied his favourite chess board and looked to Dumbledore with a challenge in his eyes.

"Do you have time for a game of chess sir?" He asked innocently, knowing the old man would love nothing more.

"I believe I have enough time for a few games Harry. More tea?"

* * *

Harry stayed with Dumbledore, talking, playing chess and drinking tea until two in the afternoon. They had had a plate of sandwiches and a pitcher of pumpkin juice brought to them by a very enthusiastic house elf for lunch and Harry finally felt that he had relaxed and unwound due to his stress free morning with the Headmaster.

Max had flooed into the office at just gone two and he had smiled happily at seeing Harry, who had lost spectacularly at chess fourteen times in a row and had laughed every time.

Harry had hugged Max tightly and given him a happy, welcoming kiss.

"I thought you didn't get off until four?" Harry asked with a wide smile at seeing Max earlier than he had hoped.

"I finished all the batches before I thought I would. I did the last two simultaneously so I could get home quicker." Max answered, picking Harry up to give him a proper, squeezy hug.

Harry held him back just as tightly and savoured the moment when Max was being affectionate and loving. As soon as they reached their rooms, he would close himself off again because of Hermione and Harry didn't like it.

"I will see you again soon Harry." Dumbledore told him with a smile, waving his wand and banishing the chessboard and pieces back to the shelf from whence they came.

"Of course sir, thank you for putting up with me for the entire morning."

"It was no trouble at all Harry; I enjoy your company very much."

"Well time to face the fire." Harry sighed.

"What did you do?" Max asked with a frown.

"Left the rooms without telling anyone." Harry answered casually.

"You WHAT?" Max bellowed.

"Left the rooms without telling anyone." Harry repeated his eyes glaring daggers at Max, daring him to try and punish him for it. "They didn't even notice Max! I didn't sneak out or trick them, I got up and left! They didn't notice me bloody leaving!"

"Were they asleep?" Max asked weakly.

"No, they were too busy shouting and screaming at each other, I went for a check-up with Madam Pomfrey and then came here to unwind. I'm stressed Max! All the fighting and screaming is making me tense, there is no way that can be good for the baby."

Max sighed and pulled him into a hug. He nodded his goodbye to Dumbledore and steered Harry out of the room, he picked him up before Harry had a chance to put a foot on the first stair and carried him down.

"I guess we all owe you an apology. She treated you like dirt, she ignored you and hurt you, chose her little boyfriend over you. You might have forgiven her easily Harry, but we…we can't forget the pain we saw on your face, the hurt you went through because of her actions."

"So you're making her feel like dirt because of how she treated me?"

"Perhaps not dirt, but we want her to remember what she did to you, we wanted her to know that we are not as easily forgiving as you are."

"I think she gets it now. You've started hurting me in your quest to hurt her."

Max nuzzled the side of his face and carried him into their rooms to see destruction. Every chair had been flipped over, all of the fabrics had been torn, the glass coffee table looked like it had been thrown at the opposite wall and the door leading to the bedroom was splintered.

In the middle of the mess Blaise lay huddled up crying and Draco was nowhere to be seen. Max rushed to Blaise and fell to his knees beside him. Pulling him onto his lap and holding him.

"Are you alright?" Max asked.

"We lost him! We lost Harry. We're terrible dominants!" Blaise cried.

"No you're not." Harry said softly.

Blaise shot up and took his head into his hands hard. For a split second Harry thought that maybe Blaise was going to snap his neck, but his mate reined back the pressure he was exerting and pulled him forward into a kiss instead.

"Where have you been? We have been searching for you for hours." Blaise told him.

"I went to get a check-up and then went to see Dumbledore. Max found me and then he brought me back here to find you have demolished our rooms."

"It's easily fixed love." Max soothed him, pulling out his wand and giving it a complicated wave.

Everything flew together and mended itself. Glass flew back into the picture frames and reformed the coffee table, all the fabrics knitted back together, the door creaked back into solid wood again, fitting itself back on its hinges and within ten seconds everything was perfect again.

Max put him down on the settee and steered Blaise to sit next to him.

"Where is Draco?" Max asked.

"Searching the forest, we checked all over the castle and couldn't find Harry, so we thought he might have been outside."

"No one can be found in Dumbledore's office." Harry told Blaise. "Not even a Dracken. It's where Dumbledore hid Ron after he hit me so you couldn't find him and kill him. Max can you go and get Draco please?"

Max nodded and left to go hunt down the errant blonde leaving Harry with Blaise.

"Why did you leave?" Blaise asked, rubbing the tears from his face.

"You were all shouting and screaming and yelling and I couldn't take it. I was clenching my hands so tightly my fingers cramped. My stress levels are through the roof Blaise. I need rest and relaxation and I'm not going to get it if the rooms I am living in become a shouting ground for violence and snide comments."

Blaise sighed and ran a hand through his layered black hair. He tugged on it harshly before dropping his hand to his lap.

"Please tell me you at least went somewhere protected. Did you spend the entire day with the Headmaster?"

"Near enough. I went to get a check-up first, the baby's thriving by the way, then I went to Dumbledore's office and stayed there until Max came home. He brought me straight here, not that I think anyone would have attacked me with a six foot eight, muscle bound thirty-one year old man carrying me."

Blaise smiled and held him carefully and gently, he seemed to be holding back on something as his muscles twitched every now and then.

"Whatever you want to say or do, just do it." Harry told him with a sigh.

Blaise immediately leant down to the baby bump and began sniffing and licking at it. Harry smiled, he should have known, if he was out of their sight for just a moment they sniffed and licked him, but he had screamed at all of them the last time they had done it, but to be fair he had only gone to the bathroom, it wasn't likely that there was an enemy hiding in the toilet waiting to pounce on him as soon as he was free of his dominants.

Draco burst into the room and Harry thought he was going to be punished from the look on Draco's face, but the blonde dropped to his knees and held him tightly.

Draco's white blonde hair was dishevelled and covered with twigs, he was covered in dirt and leaves and he had a few scratches on his face and arms. Harry felt like crying for putting them both through hell, but he held himself together, he instead started picking the twigs and leaves lovingly from Draco's hair. He stood by what he had done, he couldn't take the animosity anymore, that sort of atmosphere definitely wasn't good for the baby and he would not put up with his mates behaving in such a way anymore.

* * *

Harry giggled as Blaise tickled him. They were both on the floor, Harry on his back and Blaise leaning over him. It reminded Harry of when it was just the two of them in these private rooms, acting all lovey dovey, the overhanging need of a second dominant had been a pushed aside nightmare as the two of them rolled around their floor acting like lovers.

Now Max was laughing at them from the kitchen and Draco was smirking and chuckling now and then as Harry let out rather sporadic and babyish sounding giggles as Blaise caught a particularly sensitive, ticklish spot and Harry thought that it was so much better now than it had been, he had a family now, a proper, large family and it was only going to keep on growing with the introduction of their children.

Nasta walked through the door at ten to six in the evening, covered in mud and what Harry suspected was Dragon dung, a livid burn going all the way down his arm and a disgruntled look on his handsome face.

He stopped when he saw Harry and Blaise on the floor, Harry's cheeks a flushed red colour from his laughter, his eyes streaming with happy tears and the widest smile on his face. Blaise caught his sides again, just below his ribcage and Harry writhed around the carpet as he giggled uproariously.

Nasta chuckled and shook his head as he shut the portrait door to their rooms. He went straight through to the other end of the room and stopped as he reached Harry and Blaise.

"I'd hug and kiss you, but I'm afraid I'd get you filthy." He stated as he grinned down at them. "Hugs will have to wait until I've had a shower."

Harry grinned up at him before spotting the burn and all happiness washed away with worry and concern.

"You're arm?"

Nasta grimaced. "A rampaging Iron Belly bull decided he was going to be unfriendly. Idiots got too close to his nesting female."

"Are you going to be okay? Do you need a hospital?" Harry asked, rolling over and looking up at Nasta with a face crumpled in worry.

Nasta smiled softly and used his only, partially clean hand to cup Harry's chin and cheek.

"I'll be fine cariad. It will most likely be gone by tomorrow morning. We are Drackens; burns hold little worry for us. Our scales absorb the heat and convert it to energy."

"But…" Harry gestured to the burn desperately.

"I wasn't in Dracken form so my scales were under my skin; unfortunately my skin took a bit of a hit because of this, like I said Harry, the damage will be repaired before tomorrow morning."

"Go and have a shower, you smell." Max told Nasta shooing him from the living room slash kitchenette and away from his cooking.

Nasta chuckled and did as he was told, caressing Harry's cheek before going to have his shower.

"Do you think you can handle a full meal today Harry?" Max asked him from the kitchenette counter where he was happily frying vegetables in a pan.

"Maybe. I'd say yes, but the last time I did I was sick over the floor."

"I'll give you a full plate then, but if you can't eat it don't force yourself. Remember what Poppy said, forcing yourself to eat is more detrimental to you and the baby than not eating at all."

Harry smiled and nodded his head. He shuffled on his knees to Draco and collapsed next to the blonde and snuggled into him. Draco threw an arm around him, still absorbed in his latest book. Harry made himself comfortable before he spread his legs and let Blaise lie between them, his arms and head pillowed on Harry's chest, his body arched over the baby bump, so he was touching it, but put no weight upon it.

Nasta came out wearing his pyjama bottoms and nothing else. He was dry, but his black hair was still slightly damp. He collapsed on the settee that Draco was leaning against with Harry pillowed on him and Blaise pillowed on Harry and rolled onto his side so he could watch them.

Harry's hands were carding through Blaise's thick hair and the older boy had pushed Harry's shirt up slightly away from his hips and was tracing small patterns onto the skin of Harry's hip and lower abdomen with his fingertips. Draco had a book in one hand and his other was holding around Harry's neck, his fingers dipping under his shirt collar and rubbing lightly at the skin of his upper chest.

The noises from the kitchen made him smile as the five of them were the picture of family bliss. All they needed were a few children playing on the floor, perhaps in front of the fire, a toddler sleeping on a cushion somewhere and Harry rounded with child. But then Harry already was rounded with child.

Nasta looked at Harry's belly which was stretching his baggy tee shirt. Harry would need bigger clothes soon and he made a mental note to ask his mate if he would like to spend the Hogsmeade weekend coming up the week after next getting some maternity clothes for wizards.

"Alright you lot, foods up." Max called, serving the plates onto the kitchenette table.

Blaise got up first and hoisted Harry from the floor; Nasta rolled to his feet and caught Draco by the elbow when the blonde's knee gave in on him because he had been sat on it for so long.

"Thanks." The blonde grunted, shaking the blood back into his leg before making his way to the table and sitting down next to Harry, who was sitting opposite Max. Blaise sat next to Max, opposite Draco and Nasta climbed onto the chair that had been moved to the end of the table so he wouldn't be the only one eating up the other end of the table.

They all ate their food, but subtly kept an eye on Harry to see if he was struggling with his food. He wasn't and seemed to be demolishing the plate of food in front of him. Nasta hid a smile behind his fork. It seemed the worst of Harry's nausea had passed and it was a good thing too, Harry was too skinny as it was without throwing up everything he was eating as well.

"God I'm full." Harry whined a while later as he held his bulging stomach, his dessert bowl empty in front of him.

Max smiled happily. He loved that people liked his cooking. He loved cooking and he loved food, but most of all, he loved seeing those he loved so dearly love his cooking.

"Ergh." Harry groaned as he tried to move.

Nasta chuckled and scooped him up and carried him to one of the settees. He sat him down gently and kissed him before flumping down next to him.

Harry wrapped his arms around Nasta's injured left arm and kissed it lightly, laving the burn with the tip of his tongue.

Nasta laughed deeply and moved his arm away from Harry and threw it around his shoulders instead, pulling Harry to lean on him. Harry started licking at his nipple instead, which Nasta didn't think was an improvement.

"You're sinful." Draco told Harry as he walked past to pick up his book, before settling himself next to Nasta, which Harry felt a small amount of smugness at. Draco was getting more comfortable with the older two.

"Harry, do you know what happens on the fourteenth of May?" Max asked as he finished washing up with Blaise and came to sit on the other settee.

"Umm…no?" Harry stated confusedly as Blaise and Nasta both gasped. Draco looked as puzzled as Harry felt; it was nice to know that he wasn't the only one ill informed.

"The second Saturday of May is the day when all Drackens in Britain meet up and sort of mingle with each other. As there are so few of us it gives us a chance to meet up." Blaise explained. "My Mother takes me every year. You will get to see Dracken chicks for the first time."

"Don't they look just like other children?" Harry asked.

"Yes, but they aren't regular children. Decades ago the meeting was used as a chance for parents of Dracken children to set up betrothals between their children."

"Of course Dracken betrothals have since been abolished." Nasta stated.

"Do I have to go?" Harry asked in a small voice, looking to his pregnant belly.

"You don't have to go, but my parents will be there." Max told him. "It would be nice to introduce you. My Mother and my Fathers will love you."

"Fathers?" Blaise questioned.

"Yep. I have two, my Mother needed two dominants."

"Why do you only have one brother and three sisters if your parents are Drackens?" Harry asked.

Max looked suddenly very sad and terribly angry and Harry huddled in closer to Nasta. Max immediately looked apologetic.

"Don't be afraid of me Harry; it isn't you I'm angry at. I…nineteen years ago my Mother…she got…she was captured, by Dracken poachers. She was pregnant, very heavily pregnant and they ripped the baby from her. A family _friend_ who is no longer living exchanged her and the baby for a lot of gold. The baby died almost immediately, but what they would have done to my little brother it was almost a blessing that he died quickly. They took their anger out on my Mother who refused to unsheathe her wings so they could scale her. My Fathers only just got to her in time. She was nearly dead and it took her months to recover and even longer to get over the mental and emotional pain she felt. She never went onto heat again, never got pregnant. The Healers said she was traumatised and put her through therapy. It didn't work. Turned out that her womb had been heavily scarred when the poachers had pulled the baby from her. She was devastated at the time, but she's better now, much better, she's waiting anxiously for grandchildren." Max smiled softly and looked pointedly to Harry's growing belly.

"Am I going to be mobbed?" Harry asked when he could speak through the lump in his throat, trying to ease the sadness and tension in the room.

"More than likely. Just be warned I get my height and body build from my biological Father, he's about six foot ten and wider across than both me and Draco together."

Harry looked at Max and at Draco and tried to imagine a man that was the same width as the both of them and two inches taller than Max. He gulped, he was glad he didn't have that man for a mate, he'd be flattened.

"I'll go." Harry said softly. He wanted to meet such a brave woman who had carried on living after such a terrible experience. He had felt like dying when he had found out he was having a miscarriage, but to have his baby ripped from his stomach as he was strapped down and unable to stop it. He felt sick.

"My Dad will be there with my brother." Nasta stated. "They only stay for an hour or so though. My Dad never liked parading us around like trophies; he would have rathered lock us away from the rest of the world."

"My Mother will be there. She loves the parties and the mingling." Blaise said. "Her newest human lover might not be there, Josiah is…strange when it comes to socialising."

"As my parents aren't Drackens and have no idea that I'm one yet, they won't be there." Draco said.

"I thought you told them?" Harry demanded.

"No, I told them that I was in a relationship with three men and possibly had a baby on the way. Telling your parents that you are a now a magical creature is not something you put in a letter Harry. Imagine if it went astray? No, I'll tell them in person. My Father will likely come at his next convenience; I know he is busy at the moment with the new bill that is trying to be passed through the Wizengamot. It isn't likely to be this weekend or even next. He will send an owl to forewarn me of when he and Mother are visiting."

Harry nodded. He felt nerves grip his stomach. He was going to be meeting three of his mates' families next week all at the same time. He hoped he didn't make a fool of himself and that he proved to them that he was worth their sons. He wouldn't like to think of what would happen if he didn't make the mark in their eyes.

* * *

It was Friday the thirteenth. Harry had rolled his eyes so many times today at the Muggleborns and their superstitions. One first year had burst out crying when a fifth year's all black pet kneazle had stalked her through the school or the third year who had jumped all over a poor Pureblood first year when he knocked over the salt shaker at lunch.

He was dreading tomorrow. They had gotten special permission from Dumbledore to leave the school grounds to go to the party, which started at five in the evening and lasted until midnight. Harry doubted he could last until midnight, not with how early he had been going to bed lately, but he had promised himself that he was at least going to meet all of his mates' families, no matter how nervous or frightened he might be.

The others were trying their hardest to calm him down and comfort him, but Harry believed that the only way he wasn't going to be frightened anymore was when he actually came face to face these people. When he was put on the spot he could perform exceptionally well, but let him have a big build up to worry and fret over and he freaked out like a little kid.

Harry kissed Draco goodbye and walked down to the Herbology greenhouses, his last lesson of the day. Draco had Arithmancy and Blaise had Charms. It was one of the only lessons that they didn't have together, but now that Harry was speaking to Hermione again, he sat next her in class instead of being on his own.

Hermione was refusing to speak to Ron because of what he had done to Harry in the hospital wing and Dean and Seamus told him that she had chewed Ron out for daring to hit a pregnant person, man or woman. It was then that it had become common knowledge that Ronald Weasley of Gryffindor had hit a pregnant man. He was targeted for stray spells in the corridors, the butt of jokes and the tester for pranks. He was tripped up, pushed down, his book bag split about several times a day and he found himself with bruises where people punched him in the crush to and from lessons. He had only ended up in the hospital wing twice and both times were the fault of Draco and Blaise. Though there was no evidence and no proof except that they laughed it up in their private rooms with Max, Nasta just scowled at them and called them all childish.

Harry smiled and sat beside Hermione, ignoring the glare he got from Ron, who unfortunately was opposite them. Luckily though the table was big enough that he wasn't anywhere near arms reach and out of ear shot if they talked quietly enough.

"How are you Harry?" Hermione asked.

"Alright. The baby kept me awake half the night by lying heavily on my bladder, I kept having to get up to use the toilet, but other than that I'm fine. How are you?"

"A bit tired. Nothing like the reason you're tired though. I was up late studying."

"Hermione it's May!" Harry complained.

"The exams are less than a month away!" Hermione replied scandalised.

"Two months! Exams are at the end of June, not the beginning."

"No, first through to fourth years are at the end of June, fifth years are the two weeks before them and sixth and seventh years start their exams the last week of May and carry on through the first week into June Harry!"

Harry blinked. He hadn't known that though perhaps he should have guessed from how engrossed both Blaise and Draco were in their studies. Draco read a book a day and Blaise had even stopped his work on translating the book Harry had given to him for Christmas. Harry had thought that perhaps Blaise had hit a dead end or a brick wall, but it made sense if he had stopped to focus entirely on the exams.

"Oh." He said softly.

"You haven't been revising have you?" Hermione asked.

"No. I doubt I'd have the time anyway. Between homework, my illness and the baby, I haven't had much time for anything else and most of my free time is spent napping or eating."

"Oh Harry. I'll come to your rooms tomorrow and help you."

"That might not be a good idea Hermione."

"I know your boyfriends don't like me much but…"

"No, it isn't because of that. I told them to get over themselves and to accept you, it's that Max and Nasta have the day off tomorrow, we were going to go baby shopping."

"I thought you agreed that you didn't need any clothes?"

"Clothes no, but the baby will need a cot, a changing table, a bath, a pram, I need maternity clothes as well as mine are getting a bit too tight and all sorts of stuff, but I think Nasta mentioned getting the maternity clothes on our next Hogsmeade weekend."

"Oh. I didn't think of that."

"It's alright. You're stressed from the exams you always are." Harry teased as he nudged her.

"Do you need any help?"

"Nah, the men have it covered. We're meeting up with their families as well. I get to meet the in-laws." Harry mock shuddered as Hermione hid a giggle behind her pruning shears.

"I'm sure they are perfectly nice Harry."

"Yeah, nice. Max is the oldest of a brother and three sisters and Nasta has an older brother. He's the baby of the family."

"Isn't Nasta the oldest of your boyfriends?"

"Yeah, he's thirty-seven. His brother is thirty-nine and his Dad is fifty-nine, nearly sixty."

Hermione giggled and snipped away another leaf from a flowering fanged freesia that Harry immediately froze with his wand and placed in a vial and then sealed with another tap from his wand. The leaves were used in potions so they had to be careful to snip far enough down the stem to make a good potions ingredient, but not too far down to 'injure' the plant. Or rather Hermione did as Harry had cut too far down on his first try and the plant had started screaming in agony and tried to sink it's fangs into his hand, now Harry was in charge of freezing the potions specimen and sealing it up.

"Surely they won't be too bad? I'm sure they'll love you, everyone loves you."

Harry snorted. "I'll be sure to tell Voldemort that when I see him next."

They both snorted into their flowerpots and started laughing as quietly as they could so they didn't attract the attention of Professor Sprout.

The lesson ended and Harry walked out of the greenhouse with Hermione, Lavender and Parvati. He was holding under his bump as his back was starting to ache from the hour long lesson standing up.

"God I hate Herbology." Harry groaned.

"Hey!"

Harry looked ahead with an apologetic smile at Neville, who was turning around to face him with another wizarding plant tucked under his arm in a pot; Dean and Seamus were with him.

"Sorry Neville. It isn't the lessons I hate, but the standing up for an hour. It kills my back. Potions would be the same if I was allowed in on those lessons."

Harry grinned as he remembered his latest potions class which he had spent in Professor Snape's office sleeping on the very comfortable brown leather settee.

"How did your seven thousand word essay on the Insomnia potion go?" Dean asked with a large grin.

Harry pretended to sigh and kick up a fuss about how 'unfair it was' that he had to 'write all those essays' just because he was pregnant.

"It does seem a bit unfair, but at least you're learning something, even if you can't do the practical." Hermione told him.

"It's totally unfair!" Seamus defended Harry. "You should go to Dumbledore mate."

"Nah. I have Draco do the essays for me so he can use them as practise for the exams."

They all burst out laughing, except for Hermione who frowned.

"Harry, you should be doing those essays, how are you supposed to get a good mark in your Potions exam otherwise?"

"I'm already going to fail Hermione. I can't do the practical exam. I asked Professor Snape not to put me in for the oral or theory exams either."

"Why?" Hermione asked scandalised.

"Because without the practical exam I have no way of getting above a 'P' Hermione, the practical counts for fifty percent of the marks and I can't sit it. I've already put my name down to do my potions exam at the Ministry after the baby is born."

"You…you have?"

"Yep. As if Draco would ever let me not get a N.E.W.T mark in Potions."

"He's just a slimy Slytherin git!"

Harry turned to see Ron glaring at him from just behind him. Harry sighed. He didn't want to deal with this.

"What's the matter? Come to hit Harry and his baby again?" Lavender snarled aggressively, as she placed a hand over Harry's belly.

Ron looked ashamed for all of three seconds before his face heated up.

"That's a Death Eater baby!"

"How dare you!" Harry hissed. "All guilty Death Eaters were rounded up and put to trial, the remainder of those scum are on the run and in hiding! They can't even show their faces or they'll be arrested!"

"The Malfoys are…!"

"They were acquitted by the courts of all crimes!" Harry snarled fiercely. "There was overwhelming evidence that proved that Voldemort was holding the lives of Draco and Narcissa Malfoy over Lucius Malfoy's head. Under the Wizardry Conduct Code of fifteen-forty, section four Lucius Malfoy was within his rights to attack, curse or kill anyone he saw fit to protect the life of his only named son and Heir as the Head of the only remaining bloodline of the Malfoy family."

"They were still Death Eaters!"

"And so was Snape but he was also acquitted of all crimes, both in the first war and in the second! The world isn't black and white, Ron. There were genuine people who were cursed, coerced, blackmailed and forced to do Voldemort's bidding. The sooner you realise that the better!"

"That baby is doomed before it's even born." Ron hissed nastily. "It has two Death Eaters for Fathers and Merlin knows what those other two old men are like! They're perverts! Paedophiles! You are after all only sixteen and they're how old? Forty?"

"Stop it Ron!" Hermione screamed with tears in her eyes, but Harry saw red.

He couldn't control himself after hearing Ron call Draco and Blaise Death Eaters and Nasta and Max paedophiles and he couldn't stop himself as his instincts demanded that he defend his dominants honour. He forgot all about magic and his wand and instead launched himself at Ron and punched him several times before the red-head knew what had hit him.

Ron fell to the floor and Harry rode his body all the way down still hitting as much of him as possible, trying to cause Ron as much pain as he was feeling on the inside from his words. He ignored the shouts and screams; he just kept hitting that nasty, lie spewing mouth with his clenched fist, ignoring the blood and blocking any attempt Ron took to hit him back.

Someone shouted above all the rest of the crowd that had gathered, but they were further away. That same person swore when he didn't stop, Harry heard pounding footsteps that covered the distance to where he had Ron pinned on the floor over the wet grass and then the same person shouted a spell that hit him in the back and he fell forward, into blackness.

* * *

To **SnowTigerQueen**: Yes it is completely possible for Harry to give birth to fraternal twins and one of them to be a Dracken and the other to be human. Though it isn't possible if they are identical twins. The same if Harry has any other number of babies. For example if he has the largest number of babies (five) three could be human and two could be Drackens or any number of variants in between.

To **Jackanapes**: No, I meant rumbustious at the end of the chapter. It is the British way of spelling rambunctious and as I'm British I will use the British way spelling words as it was how I was taught. We will meet the families in the next chapter.

To **Gabby: **I hadn't actually realised that the order of dominants was the same order in which Harry got them in reverse, that is completely coincidental as I was going to give Max the top spot, but when I wrote the scene in the hospital wing, I just knew that I had to give it to Nasta instead, he's more dominant in personality than Max.

To **kikkina123**: You were correct, Draco realised he was subordinate to Max when Max tried to penetrate him during the heat. Max and Nasta had to work out who was dominant to whom before the heat because they would have started fighting during it when they were supposed to have been helping Harry. Max and Draco didn't have the time to fight before Harry's heat hit, but instead of physically fighting, they, like Harry suggested, tried to have sex with each other. Their instincts led Max to dominate and Draco to submit, only he didn't want to, so he never.

To **Reader no name**: Nasta and Draco went to hunt because they are trying to bond with each other. Draco is the most stubborn and he isn't really getting on with the older two dominants, so Nasta took him hunting with him to try and bond over their instincts to kill an animal and feed their shared submissive. The order of the dominants was, as I've said, a complete coincidence. I hadn't realised until it was pointed out that the order was the same as Harry got his mates in reverse. I had originally planned for Max to be the top dom, but in the end decided that Nasta had the more dominant personality.

To **Shay Khardeen**: I was wondering when someone was going to ask what would happen to the baby during the heat after it's born. But the answer is quite simple and not as dramatic as putting the baby under a stasis spell or something as equally, ridiculously insane that I have seen in other stories. It's what family is for, this story has very strong underlying plotlines to family and the baby will be very well looked after by a family member, there are no shortages of them and all would very happily look after the baby for a week when Harry starts having his heat again, which might not be until the baby is five years old.

To **PrincessKay**: Harry is an underaged magical orphan and therefore, whilst he falls to the Dursleys care during the summer holidays, he is legally under the care of the magical school which he attends and therefore the Headmaster or Headmistress during the school year. So it's Dumbledore who would be informed of his pregnancy and as he already knows it's a moot point. If you want I can have a scene where the Ministry sends a 'happy' letter to the Dursleys congratulating them on their Nephew getting pregnant, actually that would probably be hilarious. I can see Petunia fainting right away, but I'm not sure if I can make Vernon's face go a shade of reddish-purple enough to convey what he's feeling without having his head explode. Hmm…maybe Aunt Marge is visiting as well.

StarLight Massacre. X


	29. A Very Secret Society

Dedicated to **HealingRose** who reminded me that my readers are not super heroes who can read my mind and therefore I have to tell you about the Dracken world and not expect you to just know, assume or understand. The scene you wanted is included in this chapter, I hope you like it.

_Last Time_

_He couldn't control himself after hearing Ron call Draco and Blaise Death Eaters and Nasta and Max paedophiles and he couldn't stop himself as his instincts demanded that he defend his dominants honour. He forgot all about magic and his wand and instead launched himself at Ron and punched him several times before the red-head knew what had hit him. _

_Ron fell to the floor and Harry rode his body all the way down still hitting as much of him as possible, trying to cause Ron as much pain as he was feeling on the inside from his words. He ignored the shouts and screams; he just kept hitting that nasty, lie spewing mouth with his clenched fist, ignoring the blood and blocking any attempt Ron took to hit him back._

_Someone shouted above all the rest of the crowd that had gathered, but they were further away. That same person swore when he didn't stop, Harry heard pounding footsteps that covered the distance to where he had Ron pinned on the floor over the wet grass and then the same person shouted a spell that hit him in the back and he fell forward, into blackness._

Chapter Twenty-Nine – A very Secret Society 

Harry woke up and blearily looked around. He was in the hospital wing, he recognised the ceiling. He sat up and looked around, definitely the hospital wing, only there was a floating yellowish green orb hung in mid-air next to him. He rubbed his eyes to make sure he was actually seeing what he was looking at. The orb was still there floating next to him like a ghostly tennis ball. He stared at it and even as he watched the orb went a little bit greener.

"Madam Pomfrey?" Harry called out hoarsely, his throat was very dry.

There was the sound of flat soled shoes on the linoleum floor and Madam Pomfrey poked her head out from around her office door.

"Oh Mister Potter." She cried out as she bustled to him. "You're boys have been so frantic."

"How long was I out?" He asked with a frown. The last thing he remembered was hitting seven shades of shit out of Ron.

"Overnight dear, it's Saturday morning."

Harry's stomach jolted. He was going to the party today. He was going to meet his mates' families today.

"Am I well enough to go?" Harry asked.

"Maybe around midday dear, but not right now. You had quite a tumble."

"The baby?" Harry asked quickly, pressing a hand to his belly hard.

"Perfectly fine Harry. This observation orb has been monitoring the baby. The brighter the green colour the healthier the baby."

"It's a yellowish green colour." Harry pointed out fearfully.

"Not to worry Harry, if the baby was in any danger the yellow would darken to orange and then turn to red. Red is the stillborn or miscarriage zone. I believe that the slightly off green colour is due to the fact that you haven't eaten anything yet."

Harry nodded and accepted the bowl of porridge Madam Pomfrey had made for him to eat, keeping his eye on the orb, hypnotised by the colour changing, getting a deeper, darker green with every bite he took.

He put the nearly empty bowl aside when a wave in his belly threatened to make him sick.

"What happened Madam Pomfrey? The last thing I remember was Ron calling my mates paedophiles and I just started hitting him."

"Well, Professor Drios saw the fight and tried to stop you, when you didn't listen he hit you with a very powerful stunning spell. He didn't realise who you were, or that you were pregnant, your back was to him, but he is very apologetic. He would never have hit a pregnant student with a powerful stunning spell otherwise, they can be quite dangerous, but I have triple checked and your baby is fine. Professor Drios aimed at, and hit, your upper back, not anywhere near your baby." The matron assured.

"What about Ron?"

"You did quite a number on him, but I fixed up the worst of the cuts and bruises. He was released an hour after he came to the ward. You on the other hand were out for the count. Professor Drios is known for his very powerful stunning spells. It was decided to keep you stunned and let you sleep it off naturally so we, Professor Snape and I, could observe your baby for any signs of damage more sufficiently."

"Please tell me my mates aren't chasing the Professor around the school?"

"No, after the initial wave of anger and fury, Professor Dumbledore managed to get them to realise that it was a simple mistake and after being assured that there was absolutely nothing wrong with you or the baby, they saw fit to forgive Professor Drios."

"That's a first." Harry grumbled wondering how much of their forgiveness was Professor Dumbledore's doing.

"Well he was very sorry Harry and he did absolutely no harm. In fact he might have saved your baby, your pregnancy is so delicate Harry, any very vigorous or even a very sharp movement could detach the placenta. I've been reading up on Dracken pregnancies for you and apparently the reason for this is your abnormally thick sac lining which holds and protects the baby, the fingers of the placenta can't grip in deep enough to keep the placenta stabilised because of how thick the lining is and if you make a sudden, violent movement, the fingers just come loose and then detach."

Harry sighed. "I couldn't stop myself from hitting him. He had offended me, had shamed my mates, I had to get retribution, I had to take revenge, I couldn't let him get away with calling them paedophiles and Death Eaters."

"No, Drackens are very prideful creatures Harry. The moment he cast a doubt over them, you had to answer it, regardless of anything else. Your mates understand that, I understand and so does the Headmaster. Then again those who know nothing about your creature heritage know why you did what you did; he did say some very vile things according to the witnesses."

"Am I in trouble?"

"No dear, Mister Weasley got a month in detention for the vile slander he uttered and for intentionally baiting a pregnant man into a fight to go with the two months he got for punching you in this very ward."

"I didn't know he had gotten detention."

"Well did you think he'd get away with hitting you and not have a punishment?" Madam Pomfrey demanded. "No! He got two months' worth of detentions, had his flying privileges' stripped from him and he is not allowed to visit Hogsmeade. We have the full backing of his parents, who sent him a Howler the week you were on heat. I believe he received four of them. One from his parents, one from his brother Bill, one from his brother Charlie and another from his Aunt Muriel who was particularly disgusted, I also believe that his twin brothers, Fred and George sent his sister Ginny a package that she has been using to prank him, but of course no one can prove it."

Harry smiled. He remembered the last time Ron had gotten a Howler from Mrs Weasley back in second year. The Howler from her was almost punishment enough, almost. But to get four of them? He would have loved to have seen the reception that had gotten.

"So Ron has another month of detention thrown on top of the two months he already had? But Madam Pomfrey there is only two and a half months left of the school term."

"Mister Weasley has already served some of his detentions, but I believe that Professor McGonagall is going to make a note of the outstanding detentions at the end of the year and the remaining detentions will start up again on the second of September."

Harry smiled. He liked knowing that Ron was being punished, that not even the teachers would have let Ron get away with hitting a pregnant person. He just couldn't wait until the papers got a hold of the information. The headlines would be spectacular and the number of Howlers Ron had received so far would pale to how many he'd be sent from the great British public; however he knew there would be a few 'congratulatory' letters thrown in there, after all not everyone liked him and not everyone was going to like his choice in lovers.

* * *

Harry had been picked up from the hospital wing by Draco, who had been the first of his mates to wake up and come and visit him. He had admitted to not being able to sleep very well. Madam Pomfrey had let him go early instead of keeping him until midday when she was assured that Harry and the baby, whose observation orb had gone a solid, bright green, were perfectly fine and healthy.

Harry had sat cuddling and talking with Draco on the settee until Max had stumbled blearily into the room, half-dressed and yawning, ready for his morning coffee. He had scooped Harry up as soon as he had laid eyes on him with a happy yell which had brought Blaise and Nasta running.

After assuring his mates that he and the baby were fine, being backed up by Draco who had Madam Pomfrey's word of honour as a medi-witch that Harry and the baby were fighting fit, they had stepped back and allowed him to breathe as Max happily started on breakfast.

"What do you want today? Pancakes? Croissants? Breakfast tarts?"

"Croissants!" Harry answered happily, before anyone else could say anything.

"Croissants it is." Max grinned. "Blaise, get the conserves, Draco, get the cutlery, Harry, lay out the napkins, Nasta, plates please. Get a move on people we have a lot to do today."

Harry grinned as he brushed around Max's bum, making sure to touch as much of it as possible, to get to the draw where he kept the fabric napkins. Max had sorted out their little kitchenette to his liking near enough on the same day he had arrived here, Harry thought it was adorable, but didn't dare tell Max anything. He had told Blaise instead who had snorted in amusement.

Fresh croissants usually took eight or nine hours to make from scratch, but Harry watched as Max took shortcuts by using magic. He flicked his wand very often when cooking and Harry recognised cooling charms when he saw them. It wasn't even half an hour later when a very large plate piled high with warm croissants was placed in the middle of the table.

"There's more if you want them, but I couldn't get any more onto the plate." Max told them with a grin as he took one of the pastries and smeared it with raspberry jam.

Nasta waited until everyone had a croissant before taking one himself and Harry noticed that he waited until everyone had taken the first bite before doing so himself. Nasta had been waiting for Harry, who had spent a lot of time covering his own croissant very thickly with honey.

"You'll rot your teeth if you keep eating that." Draco told him shaking his head.

"Then I'll pull them out and drink Skele-Gro." Harry answered rolling his eyes.

"That stuff tastes absolutely vile Harry." Max warned him.

"I know. I had all the bones in my right arm removed when I was twelve. I had to take a beaker of it every four hours until all thirty-three bones were back in my arm."

"How did you manage to remove all the bones in your arm?" Nasta asked him, a deep frown on his face. "It's very difficult to remove bones and only a specialist at St Mungos would be able to extract a demolished bone to have it replaced."

"Funny story. It was during a Quidditch match, I got hit by a rogue bludger that snapped my arm at the elbow. We had a terrible fraud as a defence teacher who insisted that he fix my arm himself. I told him that I would rather keep my arm broken and go up to the hospital wing to have it fixed by Madam Pomfrey, but he wouldn't listen to me, he wanted to show off to the crowd. Long story short, he said a made up spell that could have been anything and vanished all of my bones and I had to spend the entire night with stabbing pains running up and down my arm as the bones grew back. I'm sure a couple of teeth won't hurt any more than having every single bone in my arm re-grown."

"So that's what happened to you. Some Hufflepuff was banging on that you had tried to do it yourself and dropped your wand onto your arm and made all the bones disappear."

"How the hell can you believe that?" Harry demanded of Draco. "Obviously she was a Lockhart lover and thought he could do no wrong."

The blonde shrugged and took another bite from his croissant, chewing and then swallowing before he spoke again. "Us Slytherins didn't really care, you'd won the match and that was all we were interested in at the time."

"Lovely people you Slytherins." Harry sniffed, but let out a giggle when Blaise poked his side with a finger.

"Do we have apricot jam?" Harry asked as he searched for it in the twelve or so jars on the table, getting slightly panicked when he couldn't see it.

"We should have." Max told him.

Harry pouted when he couldn't find it, his heart rate spiking just a tad. He got up only to be ushered back down. Max went digging through his jar cupboard and brought out the aforementioned jam from the back.

"Must have missed that one." Blaise shrugged.

Harry happily spread the jam onto his croissant, smeared honey over it and bit into the pasty.

"Please tell me that that wasn't your first food craving."

Harry frowned. "It might have been. But then it could have been that I just really wanted apricot jam." Harry shrugged and took another bite.

"Just don't start eating anchovies. I hate anchovies." Draco shuddered.

Harry chuckled. "I hate them too, so don't worry about that."

"I never knew you didn't like anchovies." Blaise said. "I thought you told me all of your likes and dislikes over Christmas."

"I did. I hate all seafood and shellfish. An anchovy is a fish. Fish come from the sea, seafood."

Max burst out laughing and had to cough a couple of times as he inhaled a piece of croissant.

"What?" Harry demanded.

"I fed you all smoked haddock last week. A haddock is a fish; fish come from the sea, seafood."

Harry giggled, turned it into a chuckle before shaking his head. "I like haddock and salmon. Not sure if I like cod, I've never had it, but every other fish is gross."

Max shook his head. "I'll be sure not to give you any other seafood then. Though perhaps you could try cod?"

Harry shrugged. "I'm up for trying it all again if you want me too. It might have been my Aunt's cooking that made it taste bad."

Max smiled happily at him and Harry felt like melting. He liked making his mates feel happy and if eating seafood made Max happy, Harry was willing to give it another try, though he was sure he didn't like anchovies, or prawns for that matter, or octopus. He shivered at that last one, definitely not octopus.

* * *

"I'm uncomfortable!" Harry whined as he pulled on the waist of his new dress robes.

Max had bought them on the way home from work yesterday. They were a beautiful forest green colour and made from lambswool and cashmere. They were super soft and very comfortable, except that they showed off his bulging belly to the max, which meant that they were very tight and constricting around his bump.

"I think you look gorgeous." Blaise complimented from where he was checking himself out in the mirror, his own dark blue robes were made from crushed velvet.

Draco came out of the bathroom dressed in robes made of silvery-grey silk. Harry rolled his eyes at the extravagance, but he had to admit Draco looked good.

Nasta wore dress robes made of simple black cotton, but they were cut in such a way that made them look like they had costed a thousand Galleons when they hadn't, only a really experienced tailor could have pulled that off. Max looked stunning in woollen dress robes the same colour as his eyes, which also matched his scales when he unsheathed his wings.

"What time is it?" Max asked as he fastened the cuffs of his dress robes with fancy cufflinks. Harry had also been made to wear cufflinks. He missed his old dress robes which had been made with teenagers in mind and hadn't needed any cufflinks, fiddling about or other fancy accessories.

"Nearing half five." Nasta answered, trying his shoelaces. "Are we all ready?"

Various grunts and murmurs echoed around the room. Harry didn't bother answering. All of his mates had taken the time to dress him in the robes, groom him and make sure he looked perfect. This was the first time Harry was going to be going into the Dracken circles and a submissive was a huge source of pride to a dominant, so he understood he had to look good to make his mates look good, but he hated being uncomfortable or fussed over.

"Come on then." Nasta said as he stood and took Harry's hand. It made him feel more like a child and less of a lover, he didn't like it.

Harry pulled his hand from Nasta's and wrapped an arm around his waist instead. It felt better and Nasta didn't question him, but draped an arm over his shoulders. It made the situation feel more intimate and Harry smiled, much happier now.

They were taking a Portkey and Harry swallowed as his heart accelerated. He hadn't touched a Portkey since the end of the Tri-wizard tournament when he had touched the cup to bring him and Cedric's dead body back to Hogwarts. He felt sick and he held tightly onto Nasta.

"It's alright love." Nasta soothed, holding him tighter.

"It'll only last a moment Harry." Draco added, holding his other side.

Harry nodded and touched a finger to the embossed piece of paper that was Max's invitation to the party. Max, Nasta and Blaise had all gotten one, but as the Dracken circles didn't know about Harry or Draco, they didn't have an invitation. But after tonight they would be getting one every year, not five invitations, but one, addressed to all of them, because they were one family and Harry was going to let them all know that these men were his and no one could take them from him.

* * *

Harry landed with a bump and would have gone straight to the floor if it hadn't have been for Draco's arm curling around his back and Nasta's steadying grip around his waist.

Harry stood back on his feet and looked around. They were in a very elaborate and extravagant room. The solid gold carvings on the archways, the solid marble flooring, the pure ivory pillars, Harry had never seen such a waste of money in all his life.

"Where the hell are we?" He asked.

"Counsel meeting halls." Blaise answered him.

"Huh, so this is where I could have had my dominant meetings. I think the hell hotel was the better choice personally."

His mates snorted and ushered him out of the room where a tall man stood with a book on a pedestal; he looked like the Maître d' for a restaurant. He looked first at Max and Nasta and obviously recognised them as he smiled and greeted them politely before looking down his book to check them off, then he looked to Blaise and nodded with a smiled greeting, checking him off without ever asking for a name, then he looked at Draco and frowned.

"I have never seen you before." He said carefully, trying not to offend.

"Draco Malfoy. I came into my inheritance last June."

"Ah! Your first gathering." The man made a happy note in his book and then his eyes fell down to him.

Those eyes widened and then dropped lower, taking in the exposed bump. His eyes rose to meet Harry's again and he swallowed.

"Please try not to drool over our mate David." Max growled out testily. "I'd hate to have to rip your tongue from your mouth."

"N…name please." The man, David, asked, trying and failing to keep his eyes on Harry's, his gaze kept trying to go lower than was polite.

"Harry Potter, this is my first meeting too."

David let out a dramatic little gasp and held his quill out from his body as if it would act like a shield to Harry's words.

"Please tell me they aren't all going to act like this?" Harry asked, turning around to address Max and Nasta.

"They had better not." Draco growled jealously.

Nasta rolled his eyes and wrapped an arm around Harry and led him across the corridor that was filled with more gold, silver, marble and what looked like crystal tables, through a set of double doors that led to a huge, cavernous room where soft music was playing and the gentle hum of voices were heard.

There were about one hundred and fifty people in the room, all mingling about, talking, hugging like old friends. There were children running around and toddlers playing in a corner crèche as their Mothers happily boasted to friends and acquaintances about their children nearby. There were four, subtly armed, guards stationed around the crèche, Harry blinked at them and couldn't help but stare at the level of protection the babies had.

Harry stuck close to Nasta as he walked through the crowd of people, but no one paid him a second glance. Any and all looks were for his dominants. Harry didn't like that, it made his gut twist.

"Maximilius!" A woman called out happily.

Max groaned softly under his breath. Harry smiled as the elderly woman embraced his mate as Max was obviously uncomfortable, but Harry's eyes narrowed when the woman gestured a younger, slighter woman over. No, not a woman, a girl. His eyes flashed dangerously.

"Max honey, this is my youngest daughter Gretchen. Sixteen next week, she's about to get her inheritance. The meeting will be held at Joshua's and my home, please come?"

"You don't know if Miss Gretchen will be a submissive yet Gertrude." Max answered smoothly, never taking his eyes off the woman in front of him, not even giving a passing glance at the woman's daughter.

"Of course she will Max! Look at her! Small and slight of build, she's dark haired, you always did like dark hair."

"He's taken!" Harry hissed aggressively wrapping an arm around Max's and moving to stand in front of him as if his five foot five inch frame could hide Max's six foot eight inches from the lustful gazes of Gertrude and her daughter Gretchen.

"Maximilius, did I hear right? You have found a mate at last?" A man appeared and put an arm around the woman Gertrude.

"I have Joshua. This is Harry."

"A male submissive?" The man, Joshua, cried in shock. "But there hasn't been a meeting for a male submissive in centuries!"

"Harry has been the first in a long while." Max answered tightly, he obviously didn't like these people.

"Well you really are a lucky sod, mind it did take you twenty years to get a mate." Joshua ribbed. "He is a gorgeous little thing isn't he?"

Harry growled at being called little and a thing in the same sentence and bared his teeth.

"Feisty as well. You do know how to pick them. Then he is pregnant, it can be expected. Do your Fathers know? They didn't mention it when I asked after you earlier. They didn't seem to think you were coming, said they hadn't heard from you."

"I have been busy settling in with my mate and his other dominants; I didn't know if I was coming tonight."

"But you have come." Gertrude cut in. "Are you sure Gretchen cannot tempt you Max?"

"I am a happily bonded man!" Max stated harshly, still not looking at the young girl, who looked very put out by it.

Gertrude looked sullen and then she brightened up as she caught sight of some other poor bastard that she dragged Gretchen over to meet.

"Pay no mind to Gertie; she's desperate to find a good, stable mate for our Gretchen. She's our only unmated child now."

"Yes, well if you don't mind, we'll be going to find my Fathers." Max intoned dryly.

He didn't even give Joshua time to answer before tugging Harry in the opposite direction.

"Poisonous sharks the lot of them!" Max growled.

"At least you have Harry to defend your honour." Draco smirked.

"I didn't like the way she was looking at him!" Harry hissed at Draco. "Bitches the both of them!"

"I think someone is a little jealous." Max smiled

"Like you weren't jealous of that David prat practically eating me with his eyes! I don't like it here."

"You might as well get used to it." Blaise told him. "Everyone's going to be trying to get someone for their son or their daughter. I did tell you that the main purpose of these meetings a few decades ago was to betroth Dracken children to one another; the purpose hasn't been dropped entirely."

"I thought it was illegal now."

"It is illegal to betroth a Dracken to another Dracken, doesn't mean parents can't give their kids a…shove in the direction of the dominant they want their kid with."

"Disgusting." Harry sneered. "I don't care what any of you say our children will have properly planned out meetings and will choose whomever they want as long as they treat my baby right, if they don't I'll skin them."

Max grinned and bent to kiss Harry's head. A group of older women cooed and giggled at them and Harry felt his face heat up without his permission.

"Nas!" A voice called out and Harry was all ready to dive in front of Nasta and protect him from some idiot who wanted his oldest mate for their child when he saw who had actually called out to Nasta.

Harry stopped dead and just looked at the man who looked like an older version of Nasta, only with very noticeable mistakes. Where Nasta's eyes were a light hazel colour, with hints of green and gold, this man's eyes were darker, more of a true brown. Nasta's hair was black, this man's hair was a dark shade of brown and where Nasta was six foot six, this man was six foot four.

Nasta embraced the man and they held each other for longer than a polite or friendly hug. Harry didn't feel at all threatened by the display.

"I haven't seen you in ages! Where have you been?"

"I have been very busy lately."

"I'll say. Dad isn't best pleased with you. Why aren't you in New Zealand? There's a meeting over there isn't there? That's why all of the unmated dominants aren't here. Please tell me you didn't walk away from another mate, Dad'll kill you."

Harry smiled. This was Nasta's older brother? He acted like he was younger; no wonder Nasta was so unconcerned with having Harry meet with him.

"I never went at all Sanex."

"How did you not go? It's virtually impossible to resist the submissives call."

"Unless I'm already mated."

Harry took his cue and cuddled up to Nasta's side. He grinned up at Nasta's older brother.

"Hi."

"Oh my giddy aunt. You got a mate! A pregnant mate! Ha! Dad is so going to kill you." Sanex grinned happily before striding off through the crowd presumable to get Nasta's Father.

"Killed if you haven't got a mate, killed if you do, you're screwed mate." Max grinned patting Nasta on the shoulder, Nasta smiled, before a small chuckle slipped from his lips.

"Why is your Dad going to kill you?" Harry asked.

"Because I haven't written or been to see him in a while. That and he isn't going to be pleased that I have gotten you and not told him."

Max snorted. "I'm going to go and see if I can find my Fathers, I'd rather not watch you be chewed out by yours, no matter how funny it might be."

Harry chuckled, but stopped when he saw the man that was cutting his way through everyone else to reach them.

"Yeah, I'm going to go find my Mother." Blaise stated.

"I'll go with you." Draco chuckled and the both of them shot off.

"Cowards." Harry hissed.

"Nasta!" The man growled pulling his mate into a forceful hug that looked like it would break bones on a normal human. He held and touched as much of Nasta as he could, subtly sniffing him for injury or illness, Harry smiled at the display, it was so sweet.

Harry noticed that Nasta's Dad was about the same height as Nasta at six foot six, but he was a lot broader than his son. Nasta got his muscles by hard, manual labour on the Dragon reserve, his Father looked like he had weightlifted a lot in his youth and now either he couldn't be bothered or didn't care about building his muscles anymore, but he was still a big man, a big, muscly, intimidating man.

"Sanex is going on about you having a pregnant submissive. I know it can't possibly be true, you would never have gotten a submissive pregnant without telling me that said submissive actually existed first."

"I wasn't lying!" Sanex burst in, appearing at Nasta's elbow, facing Harry, who was standing back, just watching. "See, there he is Dad."

Nasta's Father turned and looked at him. He roved his gaze all over him and settled on his protruding belly that was wrapped in Harry's thin arms.

"Sanex get the boy." Nasta's Father ordered before he dragged Nasta by the arm through the crowd.

Sanex took his hand gently and began pulling him after his Father and Nasta like he was a little, lost child. Harry kicked him hard and strode after the two other Drackens, leaving Sanex to hobble after him.

Nasta's Dad had gone into a private room down another corridor at the back of the meeting hall. Nasta embraced him as he walked through the door and held him gently and protectively.

"Where is Sanex?" The man growled.

"Limping his way down the corridor. He touched me without my permission!" Harry growled, glaring at Nasta's Dad. He wasn't liking this man or the way he treated Nasta at all.

"You hit my brother?" Nasta asked.

"Technically I kicked him."

Nasta chuckled and kissed him. Sanex hopped into the room scowling and rubbing his shin.

"Kid has a hell of a kick on him." He grumbled.

"Enough of this. When were you going to tell me that you were mated Nasta?"

"Tonight."

"Don't you think that I would have rathered know before tonight? Say when you first got your mate, or when you got him pregnant."

"Technically I didn't get him pregnant."

"Explain this to me Nasta."

"Harry has three other mates. I was the fourth. Harry got pregnant with the other three, so really there is no way this baby can biologically be mine."

"You needed four mates?" Sanex asked in awe.

"I thought you said your brother was thirty-nine, not twelve?" Harry asked Nasta, who chuckled.

"You'll have to forgive him, he's human and he's been spoilt beyond ruin."

"So have you." Sanex defended.

"So when exactly did you mate?" Nasta's Father asked interrupting the sibling argument.

"April."

"Only a month ago?" Nasta's Dad asked with a hopeful hint in his voice.

"Yes."

"Before or after I was ill? Why didn't you mention it when you came to visit?" Sanex asked.

"It was after you were ill and I didn't mention it because I had no idea at the time that Harry was going to choose me."

"Of course I was always going to choose you, I loved you from the moment I first met you and I love you more and more each day." Harry answered, kissing the underside of Nasta's jaw.

The look on Nasta's Dad's face gave Harry hope that the man actually wasn't a bastard and had just been shocked and surprised to find his youngest son mated and a soon to be Father. He looked so happy as he watched them kiss and cuddle.

"We haven't been introduced." He said holding out a hand. "I'm Aneirin Delericey."

Harry looked at the hand before he gave an internal shrug of the shoulders and hugged the man around the middle. "I'm Harry Potter."

"Harry Potter? As in _the_ Harry Potter?" Sanex asked excitedly.

"Ask for an autograph why don't you Nex." Nasta stated with an eye roll.

"So he is _the _Harry Potter?"

"You're an idiot." Nasta said affectionately.

The door opened and a bored Draco wandered in and right up to Harry. Aneirin pulled Harry behind him and growled. Draco hissed back and bared his fangs.

"Dad it's alright. This is Draco, one of our other dominants."

"You're liking them young aren't you Nas?" Sanex grinned.

"I chose Nasta not the other way around." Harry defended hotly, the fight with Ron yesterday still fresh in his mind and the comment about Max and Nasta being paedophiles.

Sanex roared with laughter and even Nasta managed a small smile.

"He's teasing cariad."

"He isn't very funny." Harry scowled.

"I am happy to know that even though you are submissive that you will defend my son, even if it is from his own brother."

"Don't encourage him." Draco bit out harshly. "He defends us enough and yesterday he ended up in the hospital wing because he was defending our honour. He needs to stop doing it."

Nasta smacked the back of Draco's head almost casually and Draco's head dropped to his chest. He growled, but didn't pick his chin back up. Nasta left Draco for a moment before he gently pulled his head up.

"You're the top dominant?" Aneirin asked.

"Did you expect anything else?" Nasta grinned.

"Course he's the top dominant if he's the biggest and oldest out of a bunch of baby doms!" Sanex stated.

"He's the oldest, but he isn't the biggest." Harry told them.

"Harry has also mated with the son of a very good friend of yours Dad."

"Really?" Aneirin asked interestedly. "Who?"

"Maximilius Maddison."

"Never Myron Maddison's oldest?"

"The very same."

"My word. Never would I have believed Myron and I to be related through a bond. Ha! This is going to tickle him something fierce. Where is he?"

"Max went to go and find his Dads, Draco where is Blaise?"

"Still looking for his Mother." Draco answered.

"Blaise? I have heard that name before." Aneirin said with a frown.

"Zabini. He's the son of Marianna and Maximiliano Zabini."

Nasta's Dad laughed happily and shook his head.

"A fine collection you've got yourself Harry."

Harry frowned. "They're not a collection, they're my mates." He told the man seriously.

Everyone started laughing at him and Harry huffed and walked away, wandering back into the main meeting hall. Draco followed him; Nasta stayed with his Dad and brother and started talking about everything that had happened in the last couple of months.

"Where are we going?" Draco asked.

"Away from those hyenas!" Harry sulked.

"Harry!"

Harry looked around at the sound of Blaise's voice and felt his eyes widen at the absolutely massive woman beside him. She was taller than her son and more muscular than him, but they shared the same slender body. Despite all of her muscles and her height that would have most ordinary men running in the opposite direction, she still managed to look stunningly pretty in a violet dress and matching high heels.

Her slanted eyes were a pretty purplish-blue colour, lighter than Blaise's deep indigo, that almost matched her dress and shoes perfectly, her nails were painted blue and the clutch purse she held, of course, matched everything else. Her thick, dark brown hair was curled and twisted into an elegant knot on the top of her head, leaving a few curly tendrils to fall down and soften her, slightly square, face.

"Bello, this is my Mother Marianna. Mother this is my mate Harry."

"This is the beautiful boy I've heard so much about? Blaise I am disappointed in you."

Marianna's voice was a dark, seductive, yet oddly husky sound with the barest hints of a French accent, but it was the words that made Harry's face fall. She didn't like him.

"Honestly Blaise, I know you have a way with words so I find myself at a loss as I did not think for a moment that you would underestimate your own mate's beauty by such a considerable difference. He is completely stunning."

"I did tell you that Harry was breath taking Mother. When I first saw him it was as if someone had punched right through my chest."

"Yes, I understand more now what you meant. He sort of makes your breath catch in your lungs doesn't he?"

Harry frowned in puzzlement. What the hell was going on? Draco wrapped an arm around him in silent support before leaning down and whispering in his ear.

"They are always like this. They always have been, just ignore them."

Harry chuckled lightly and was soon found in Marianna's arms as she hugged the life out of him.

"Careful of Harry's baby Mother!" Blaise stated quickly.

"I know I know Blaise! Honestly, you'd think I'd never been pregnant before."

"Yes, but forgive me Mother, but you do have a tendency to forget your strength, do you remember my kitten, Hernandez, do you remember what you did to Hernandez when I was eight?"

Marianna harrumphed and flicked her hair and turned her back on her son playfully.

"I know an insult when I hear one. Come on Harry darling, let's go and get you a drink and leave these two cretins to themselves."

Marianna shuffled Harry away from Blaise and Draco who were grinning. Harry pouted and followed Marianna to the bar that ran the entire length of one side of the room. There were four large men and two slender women working behind it.

One of the large men grinned and winked at him and Marianna growled at him. He paled and took a deep breath.

"I apologise." He said in a deep voice. "I didn't realise that you were a couple."

Harry choked and coughed to try and get his breathing back to normal. "We're not a couple!" He burst out when he could breathe properly.

The poor man behind the bar went red in the face and seemed to be dying of embarrassment on the spot.

"I…I'm sorry! I meant no offence."

"None taken, your name is Adrian isn't it? Nathan and Lisa's son. Just be wary of my claws the next time you start flirting with my pregnant son-in-law." Marianna hissed.

"Yes Ma'am." Adrian gulped. "I…drinks! What can I get you?"

Harry chuckled at Adrian. He looked so embarrassed and so uncomfortable.

"I'll have a champagne and Harry will have a sparkling grape juice."

Harry didn't mind someone ordering his drink for him, because he had absolutely no idea what this place served. He accepted the tall champagne flute filled with what looked like alcohol, but at Marianna's urging, he took a small sip and found it really was just grape juice made to look like champagne. Probably so the pregnant submissives didn't feel left out.

"Oh! Excuse me Harry, Josiah came after all!" Marianna stated happily and excitedly as she gracefully weaved through the people towards a short, thin, balding man who looked to be wearing an entire jewellery store on his person.

Harry decided to wander around a bit. Max had told him that he would be perfectly safe at this meeting. Not only were there going to be counsel Elders here, Dracken children and Dracken couples, but there were also dominant Drackens acting as security who would step in immediately to help if he got into any trouble, which wasn't likely as nearly all unmated Drackens were in New Zealand. The only ones that weren't were Drackens who had either been rejected by the submissive or had left of their own free will or hadn't been able to make it over to New Zealand.

This wasn't a place for arguments or fights, this was simply a peaceful meeting for all the Drackens of Great Britain to meet up and exchange words, catch up with each other and hear the latest news on who was mated to whom or who was pregnant with whom. It was essentially a social gathering.

Harry found himself gravitating towards the corner crèche where all the little toddlers were clambering over padded walls and poles, jumping into ball pits and playing with stuffed toys. He stood close by one of the armed guards so he wouldn't be accused of trying to take a child or hurting or attacking one. The last thing he wanted was for the Drackens to call him a paedophile. It was bad enough that Ron was falsely accusing Max and Nasta of it because they were in a relationship with him.

"You know you can get in with them." The guard told him with a knowing smile.

"They aren't my children." Harry said as he drew his attention to the guard from two little girls braiding a third's golden coloured, waist length hair, they all looked about four.

The guard snorted lightly in amusement. "It doesn't matter. These kids love having a willing adult to play with."

Harry looked at the guard pointedly. He snorted again.

"We're here purely just to put the parents at ease and to discourage anyone from trying to remove these kids from the crèche. We had some dozy, drunk dominant try to take an armful of kids a few years back. He thought they were his own, but that's beside the point. The counsel decided to put guards on the kids after that, just in case."

"So are those guns real?" Harry asked, eyeing the weapon concealed under the guards open blazer.

"Yep. But we only get to fire them in extreme cases, like if someone tried to steal away a kid that wasn't theirs on purpose."

"Why do Drackens even need guns?" Harry asked curiously. "Why don't you just rip the kidnapper to pieces with your claws or use magic?"

"Because cutie, when you're up against someone who also has claws and magic it's not really an advantage. The kidnapper could outweigh us by a hundred pounds, or he could be a better fighter or be better at offensive spells."

"So the guns give you an advantage over them?"

"Exactly right. Now go help those little girls put beads in, they look like they're having trouble." The guard encouraged.

Harry smiled and climbed carefully over the mesh net fence, being helped and told off simultaneously by the guard for not asking for help over the fence after the man realised that Harry was actually pregnant.

He approached the little girls cautiously and sat down with them at their tiny table and chairs set, they _were_ having trouble with the beads and the girl with the long, golden blonde hair was whimpering in pain with a shine of tears in her big blue eyes as the other girls tried to force the beads onto her plaits.

"Hey, do you need help?" He asked with a smile.

He had expected them to scream, to say no, to run away, to tell him to go away, to call him a stranger, or something similar, but he did not expect one of the little red heads to clamber right onto his lap and give him a fistful of brightly coloured beads.

"They won't go on!" She told him with an adorable little pout.

"They hurt!" The little girl with blonde hair whined, her plaits all ruffled up with odd strands of hair sticking out where the other little red head had tried to force them on.

"Come here." Harry said gently as he eased himself and the red head on his lap to the floor and he began undoing the plaits. "Let's redo these all nice and pretty again."

The two little red heads helped him undo the plaits and then redo them until they were perfect again.

"Now the trick with these beads is to use the special wand." Harry told them.

"Mummy said we aren't supposed to use wands!" The red head on his left told him with a gasp.

"But this is a special wand." Harry answered as he dug through the bead box until he found the applicator for the beads. "Here." He said showing them the yellow plastic wand. "You pick which bead you want." Harry smiled as the red head on his right thrust a bright pink bead at him. "You slide the bead over the tip of the wand, all the way down. You pick the plait you want it on and push it through the little hole." He said as he put one golden plait into the hole as gently as he could. "Then you hold the bead between your fingers and pull the wand, which pulls plait out, threading the bead onto it. See."

"It works!" The little girls squealed and began examining the bead on the end of the plait.

"I want this glitter one next!" The blonde haired girl exclaimed thrusting a clear yellow bead at him filled with silver glitter.

Harry showed the girls how to use the wand again, taking one of the red head's little hands and letting her do it with him holding her hand and the wand. He did the next bead, a pretty pearlescent purple one, holding the other little red headed girl's hand and the next one, a livid orange. Then he let the little girls carry on, even digging out another bead applicator, only this one green so that they could both put beads in the blonde girl's hair.

Once they ran out of plaits to put beads onto they all looked so put out. The little red heads had their hair perfectly coiffured into loose rolls that were pinned to their heads with hairpins. Harry could just guess that their Mother had told them not to spoil their hair.

"Why don't you put beads into my hair?" He offered smiling softly as their faces lit up. He had to dig another plastic applicator out of the box for the little blonde girl, this one was red.

Their fingers tugged and pulled and twisted his hair and Harry grimaced now and then when strands came loose from his scalp but he otherwise ignored the small bites of pain as the little girls laughed and giggled happily as they put small plaits on every inch of his head, putting up to four beads on each one until he looked like a reject from an arts and crafts factory.

"Marisa, what are you doing to that poor man?" A woman said with a wide grin as she stepped over the mesh fence, addressing the blonde haired little girl who was twisting a bead tightly into a plait on the top of his head.

Harry got a good look at the guard who had helped him over the fence, the man had lingering traces of laughter on his face and his eyes were still crinkled in an effort not to burst out laughing again. Harry was glad he found it amusing; he probably looked so comical it was a wonder that those in the proximity hadn't wet themselves yet.

"Making him pretty Mummy! Isn't he so pretty."

"Yes, I dare say he is." The woman answered, chuckling lightly behind her hand. "I do apologise if these girls have coerced you into doing this, they could wheedle the secrets out of a man with no mouth."

"It's alright. I saw that they were struggling to put beads into your daughter's hair so I decided to help, then they ran out of plaits and I offered them my hair to play with."

The woman chuckled lightly. "That was very brave of you; I wouldn't have done what you have." The woman told him, her own hair a mass of tight, frothy curls.

"Janine? What have those girls been doing?" A man asked as he gaped at Harry from over the mesh fence.

"My Husband." The woman told Harry, before turning to him. "Our Marisa and her friends are making him pretty Rory honey."

"Pretty? Dear don't you think you should stop them?"

"All done!" One of the red heads exclaimed proudly.

"Too late darling." Janine answered.

Rory shook his head in exasperation and wandered away. Harry chuckled as Janine and the little girls giggled. Janine took hold of Marisa's hand.

"Come along Marisa, Auntie Judith has arrived and wants to see you." Janine said as she pulled her daughter over to the fence and stepped over it waving at Harry, leaving him with the two red headed girls who had picked up baby dolls and were playing a game they called 'Mummies and babies' They had tried to give him a doll and a fake bottle, but he had declined and told them, before they started crying, that he already had his own baby to look after and pointed out his large stomach.

"I hope they aren't being too much of a bother." A red headed woman that could only be their Mother stated, stepping over the fence with the help from another guard as her heavily pregnant belly was as exposed as Harry's, it seemed to be a trend to show off their baby bellies.

"Not at all." Harry smiled back.

"It's just." The woman gestured helplessly at his hair and Harry grinned.

"I quite like it. Not sure if my mates will agree, but then it's not their hair."

The woman laughed joyously and Harry found himself smiling.

"Who are your mates? I haven't seen you around so this must be your first gathering."

"It is. I turned sixteen last July. My first mate is Blaise Zabini…"

"Oh Blaise? He's a lovely gentleman. He's been coming here for years with his Mother, Marianna. I only met his Father, Maximiliano, a handful of times. It was so sad how he died, but it was always going to happen, one of them was always going to kill the other. It was a tragedy when Marianna came into her inheritance as a dominant Dracken. She had shot up that year to six foot and had gained a lot of muscle, her parents tried to back out of the betrothal then, they had a feeling that she would be a dominant, but of course the betrothals were final and permanent. Theirs was one of the last, when the Elders saw what happened, how Maximiliano died so horrifically by the hands of a pregnant Marianna, well. My mate says that it was lucky that Marianna caught Maximiliano off guard or it could have been her and Blaise dead."

Harry sucked in a breath. Blaise had told him that his Father had died when he was a few weeks old, not that his Mother had been pregnant with him when she had killed his Father. Hadn't Blaise told him that he took comfort from knowing that his Father had held him? But if what this woman was saying was true, then Marianna had lied to her son. If what this woman was saying was true, then Maximiliano hadn't even seen his son, let alone held him.

"Who is your other mate?" The woman asked, dragging his attention back to the conversation.

"I…the next one was Draco, then Max and finally Nasta."

"You have four mates?" The woman asked in awe and slight sympathy. "I don't recognise the first two, but the last. Well it's hard to forget such an unusual name as Nasta. Aneirin Delericey always did have a strange taste for strange names, the only relatively sane name in that family was their daughter, Angharad, that was a tragedy as well, she died so young, but it was Lowri who named Angharad, Aneirin named the boys, but of course he had to name Nasta as Lowri died before she could name him."

"Draco's new to the scene as well. His inheritance was a month before mine, but perhaps you'd recognise Max more if I told you his full name was actually Maximilius?"

"Maddison? As in Myron Maddison's only son?"

"Max said he had a brother." Harry said confusedly.

"Yes, but Ashleigh, Maximilius' Mother needed two dominants, Myron and Richard. Caesar is Richard's son and Maximilius is Myron's."

Harry swallowed. The way people spoke of Max's Father. Such tones of respect and pride and awe. Harry was wondering for the first time, just what had he gotten himself into.

"Julia?"

Harry and the red headed woman looked up to the caramel haired woman stepping over the fence to come and greet them. She was huge and muscly, obviously another dominant female, but like Marianna Zabini she retained an air of femininity about her as she navigated her way through the strewn about toys in her high heels.

"Sarah, what's wrong?" The red headed woman, Julia, asked.

"My Father wishes to see his granddaughters before he leaves. His arm is playing up again and he wants more potion." The woman, Sarah, answered with a sigh.

"Okay. I'll go and grab the girls."

Harry turned to the table the little red headed girls had been sat on to find them gone; they had obviously ran off some when whilst he had been talking to Julia.

"What happened to your hair?" Sarah asked as she seemed unable to hold her tongue after staring at him for over a minute.

"Our girls happened." Julia answered as she came back tugging a little girl in each hand.

"He looks pretty doesn't he Daddy?" One little girl stated.

It was Harry's turn to stare as the woman Sarah, was referred to as Daddy.

"I see from the look on your face you've never met an all-female couple?"

"I…I just…I…um…" Harry trailed off and scratched the back of his head in embarrassment.

"No need to panic, it is quite rare, not as rare as an all-male harem though." Julia told him as she leant forward and kissed Sarah passionately, Sarah's arms coming around Julia to cradle her gently and to stroke her bump, just like his men did to his bump. His hand automatically went to it and stroked it.

"How do you…how did you…?" Harry gestured helplessly at the bump.

"Get pregnant?" Sarah finished for him and grinned as he nodded. "Quite simple really, all we…"

"Sarah! Should we be telling a sixteen year old male submissive how all-female couples get pregnant? He is obviously gay himself and I don't think he'd appreciate it."

"Nonsense Julia love, he's obviously curious and it'll be a learning point for him." Sarah answered before turning back to Harry. "It's really just a creative use of fingers."

Harry choked and spluttered at hearing that and his face lit up like a beacon.

"We need to mingle our juices so I get my juices onto my fingers and insert them into Julia as far as I can and rub up by her cervix. Her juices mix with mine and her Dracken magic does the rest. It does take a couple of tries though. Where you male submissives get pregnant on your first or second tries, it takes us three or four tries to get a baby and where you can get pregnant on your heats, we can't, the heat is too instinctual, to rough and primal, we need our minds and thoughts to get pregnant and that doesn't happen on a heat which is why each of our children is precious to us."

Harry wished the floor would open up and swallow him whole. He didn't think he had ever been so embarrassed before in his life. He couldn't get the mental images of the two women in front of him inserting their fingers into places he had never seen, or ever wanted to see, to get a baby. He felt like puking to get rid of the images, but he didn't want to hurt the women's feelings, nor cause a scene.

"Have you scarred the poor boy enough now? Natalie and Kayla are getting tired and we still have to find your Father." Julia snapped, stomping away towards the mesh fence. Sarah jogged after her in her high heels in time to support her…Wife? over the fence.

Harry wandered over to the fence and the same guard that he had been talking to before placed his hands on his hips and lifted him clean over the mesh fence and set him gently on his feet.

"Your hair looks like it has clumps of clay stuck in it." He snickered.

Harry chuckled and tugged on the tight beads. He'd take them out as soon as he was sure that the three little girls who had put them in were gone. He could see Natalie and Kayla being hugged by a very elderly man and Marisa's head of blonde plaits with their brightly coloured beads were bouncing on her Father's shoulders.

Harry couldn't see any of his mates anywhere and he wondered where they had gotten too. He wandered back to the bar and ordered another sparkling grape juice, listening to others conversations and being dragged into odd talks and being given advice by elderly Drackens before he got away and wandered around the room, dodging children, who were starting to lose their energy and activity as it neared eight o'clock in the night and he kept to the edge of the room as much as he could.

"What the hell happened to your hair?"

Harry turned with a large smile as he recognised Max's voice. He was standing tall and proud next to a man that could have only been his Father, they were easily the tallest men in the room and Max hadn't been kidding about how broad his Father was, he wouldn't fit through most normal doors.

There was a smaller, slighter man beside them, he was very good looking and had a soft smile, but a livid scar going down from his chin and over the front of his neck, like someone had taken a blade and had tried to cut his head in two from the neck up, Harry had no idea how the man had even survived.

There was a group of women with them, a blonde haired middle aged woman who had both of her arms through Max's Father's and the man with the scar, an older woman who was arm in arm with an older gentleman and three younger women who all bore some resemblance to each other. Harry realised then that he had walked by their family reunion.

"You don't like it?" Harry asked in a light, teasing way. "I was thinking of making it permanent."

Max chuckled and gently pulled him into the circle of his arms, his hands splaying over his baby bulge and bringing his family's attention to it.

"So Maxie was telling the truth, you are in fact pregnant." The older man stated with a smile. Harry heard Max's voice filled with love and respect in his head telling him that only his grandfather called him Maxie and Harry realised exactly who he was talking to.

"Three months. My first baby." Harry answered with a soft smile.

"Yet Maximilius tells us that already you have almost lost the baby twice." Max's Father, Myron, Harry remembered, stated with a raised eyebrow. The man wasn't at all impressed with him.

"Yes." Harry answered sadly. "A student at the school I go to punched my side when I was two months pregnant and the second time I leapt on him and punched him back for daring to insult my mates. That was yesterday."

"Now Max did not tell us that." The woman on Myron's arm stated. Harry deduced that she must be Max's Mother, Ashleigh and the other man must be Richard if what Julia had said was true.

"You never gave me the chance to Mother, before you all started assuming the worst of Harry." Max answered tightly as he held Harry tighter.

"Perhaps we were a bit too quick in judging him, but he is being a bit reckless isn't he?"

"Ashleigh dear, you know that once a mate is insulted that that insult has to be answered." The older woman stated firmly. "It must have been something particularly vile and vulgar to have a pregnant submissive react in a way that could have endangered his child."

"He called Max a paedophile." Harry informed them and there was almost instant outrage.

"That is preposterous!" Max's grandfather burst out.

"Absolutely untrue!" One of the younger women stated angrily.

"Completely outrageous!"

"You see now that I couldn't let that bit of slime get away with calling Max such a horrible thing. I had to retaliate, I didn't even think about it."

"I never asked if you got a good hit on him." Max grinned.

"Bloodied him up pretty bad, it took Madam Pomfrey an hour to fix the damage and someone said that he had to have Skele-Gro because I knocked out two of his teeth and broke his nose."

"Good on you lad." Max's grandfather complimented. "Next time go for the eyes, they are not as easy to fix."

"Grandfather!" One of the young girls replied with a shocked voice, she had Max's thick, chestnut brown hair, the hair they shared with their Father.

"I apologise for such talk in front of you Alayla dear, Harry."

"Oh I don't mind." Harry grinned. "I like the useful tips I'm getting, some are very creative. One man over by the bar told me to aim for the back of the neck; apparently a good hit there will snap the spine in two and if it doesn't kill them immediately, it'll disable them."

"So you have been speaking to people then?" Max asked surprised.

"Oh yes, met a lovely couple, Julia and Sarah, who decided to torture me with the information on how Sarah got Julia pregnant."

That brought a round of laughter and Harry relaxed back into Max. His family wasn't bad at all, despite his initial thoughts of his Father, Myron.

"Are you going to tell us the story of how you managed to achieve this?" Max asked as he tugged lightly on a bead.

"I saw three little girls in the crèche who were having trouble putting beads into their hair, so I decided to help them out. When they ran out of hair to put the beads on they looked so upset that I offered them my hair to use."

Max chuckled along with his family.

"Well they certainly made use of every strand of hair you have Harry, how long are you keeping these in for? I don't think I'll be able to sleep next to you if you have a head full of hard plastic."

"Probably until the girls leave. I can still see Natalie and Kayla. I don't want to hurt their feelings, but you do know that my hair is going to be even worse when I take them out?"

"It can't be any worse than it normally is." Nasta answered as he appeared at Max's shoulder and gave Harry a kiss to the cheek before fingering the beads.

"One of the other mates you told us about is Nasta Delericey?" Myron Maddison demanded.

"You got a problem with that?" Harry demanded back, glaring at the impossibly huge man who looked taken aback by his aggression.

Max's grandfather laughed happily. "He's like a blast of cool air on a scorching hot day."

"How many mates do you have darling?" Ashleigh asked, making no secret of how hungrily she was looking at his baby belly.

"Four." Harry answered his eyes still glaring holes into Myron's deep black. Max got his eyes from his Mother.

"My lord." Ashleigh gasped. "I only have these two and they fought like cat and dog for three weeks after I had chosen them."

Harry snorted. "Five months down the line and mine are _still _fighting."

"Still? But surely they know their order by now."

"Oh they do, some of them just don't want to accept it." Harry answered with a pointed look up at Max, who growled lowly.

Nasta cuffed the back of his head and Max's chin went to his chest with the reprimand, like Draco's had. Nasta pulled Max's head back up gently and all was forgiven and Max looked a little bit sheepish at having growled in the first place.

"You are not top dominant?" Myron asked sending an astonished look at his son. "You, my only son, are subordinate to another man?" Myron actually smacked Max's head like Nasta had; only his was meant to hurt where Nasta's had been a light clip to reprimand.

Harry snarled and tried to launch himself at Myron, but was picked up and held kicking, scratching and snarling by Max, who looked faintly shocked at his behaviour.

"You touch him again and I'll tear your face off with my teeth!" Harry spat.

"Harry love. It's part of how I grew up. My Dad has always given me physical discipline."

"He shouldn't hit you just because you aren't top dominant!" Harry hissed. "He has no idea how it happened, why or if there were any extenuating circumstances! He just assumed you lost a fight and that's that! Closed minded dick!" Harry spat at Myron, who was actually looking at him with budding respect in his eyes.

Max's grandfather was beside himself as he started laughing so hard he had to hunch over his knees. Two girls jumped to support him, but he pushed them aside.

"I'm fine Julinda, Talia. Absolutely fine. Maxie, I adore your little mate and I would be highly offended if you did not bring him to my next birthday party."

"Grandfather, your birthday is the twentieth of August, Harry will be nearly seven months pregnant at that time, I don't think he'll be able to go."

"Just get me a wheelchair." Harry stated. "I'd love to go. Your grandfather is great!"

Nasta chuckled softly next to him whilst the others all roared with laughter. Blaise and Draco appeared with Marianna and her newest Husband Josiah.

"There you are." Blaise sighed with relief. "When I heard that Mother had left you on your own." Blaise shook his head.

"What in the name of Merlin did you do to your hair?" Draco asked looking horrified and slightly sick. "I know I told you that anything would make it look better but I didn't mean for you to go out and prove me wrong!"

"I take it these are the final two of your foursome?" Max's previously silent second Father, Richard asked. His voice was hoarse and slightly strangled, as if the blade that had sliced his neck had also sliced his voice box.

"Yes, Blaise and Draco."

"I, of course, recognise the son of the lovely Marianna, but correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't you the only son of Lucius Malfoy? I had no idea that Dracken blood ran in the Malfoy family." Max's grandfather commented.

"It doesn't." Draco replied. "My Mother is a daughter of the Black family, Harry and I get our Dracken blood from the same ancestor."

"How odd. Usually our Dracken blood repels those of close blood."

"We aren't close." Draco stated with narrowed eyes. "Cygnus Black was my great-great grandfather and Harry's great grandfather. Two separate family lines created, separated and diluted through marriage many times over."

"Ah, that explains it. I knew there was no way for blood relatives to be mates. Our Drackens just won't allow us."

Harry squirmed to be put down and Max reluctantly set him on his feet, but kept an arm around his shoulders and kept himself between him and his Father, as if Harry would suddenly charge and attack the older man.

Harry leant on Max and yawned subtly behind his hand. It was nearing nine o'clock now and all the playing with the little girls, all the mingling and talking and walking and shouting had taken a lot out of him. He was exhausted.

A little girl with blonde hair attacked his legs and Harry smiled down at Marisa, crouching down to be on eye level with her.

"I have to go home now because it's past my bedtime." She told him sadly. "Thank you for helping me with my beads and for letting me bead your hair, you're very pretty."

Harry chuckled and hugged the little girl tightly.

"I'll see you around Marisa." Harry told her, smiling as she ran off waving, taking her Father's hand and disappearing.

Before he could get up or anyone could say anything he was attacked again by two little red headed girls. He fell onto his bum and waved away Max and Nasta, who had both stooped to pick him up again, almost automatically.

"We have to go now. Granddaddy isn't very well." One little red head stated.

"Will you be here next year?" The other asked.

"More than likely." Harry told them happily. "Maybe next year you can put beads in my mate's hair, Draco would love it."

"I would not!" Draco hissed, looking petrified at the very thought, his hand subconsciously jumping to his hair to touch it, to make sure it was all still in place.

Harry laughed and hugged the two little girls' goodbye as Sarah called to them.

"Bye Natalie, bye Kayla." Harry waved from the floor.

When they were gone Max picked him up off the floor, dusted him down, his hand remaining a little too long on his bum to be anything other than intentional and setting him on his feet again.

"Well you certainly made an impression on those three little girls." Ashleigh told him happily. "You'll be a great Mother Harry sweetie."

Harry blushed and to his horror he started feeling teary eyed. He kept his eyes wide so the forming tears wouldn't fall and smiled to dispel any suspicion, happily moving to hug Max's Mother, who held him back just as tightly, her hands stroking his belly reverently.

Max was bursting with pride as Harry snuggled back into him and Myron and Richard looked to their exuberant mate as if they had never seen her so happy before, Harry didn't know but maybe she hadn't been so happy since she had lost her baby boy.

"Can I take those beads out now?" Draco asked as if he couldn't help himself.

"Sure, they're starting to give me a headache anyway; some of them are way too tight."

Harry stayed leaning against Max as Draco began gently and carefully taking out the beads and listened as everyone around him got to know one another, Nasta's Dad Aneirin wandered over and he and Myron spoke like old friends, both happy that their sons were mated at last, to the same person none-the-less, and Marianna, Blaise's Mother happily spoke to Ashleigh, Kimberly (Max's grandmother) and Alexander (Max's grandfather.)

Draco moaned at the state of his hair, which was stuck together in odd, twisted clumps even though the beads and plaits were gone, his hair had gone wavy and it was so messy he looked like he had stuck his wet finger into a plug socket, every strand stood on end as if glued up straight, everyone laughed at the sight and even Harry grinned, though he couldn't see it for himself.

It happened so suddenly that he had absolutely no warning. A very sharp pain in his abdomen had him doubled over with a cry before he could stop himself, clutching his bump.

"Harry? Are you alright?"

"What's wrong?"

"What happened?"

"Did those girls hurt you?"

"Is it the baby? Was it the fall?"

Harry felt his eyes widen as a familiar pressure built between his legs. He was going to piss himself right here in front of everyone. He squeezed his legs tighter together.

"Is there a bathroom here?" He asked desperately. "The baby just kicked my bladder in half."

"It's right outside the main doors." Blaise told him.

"I can't move." Harry bit out tightly, using all of his will power and concentration on holding his wee in just a little longer.

Someone scooped him up and began half walking, half jogging with him. The chest against his side and the arms around him let him identify his carrier as Max.

A door opened and Harry was set on his feet and he happily half fell into a cubicle and relieved himself without even closing the door, which made Max chuckle.

"Feel better?" Max asked with a grin as Harry zipped up his black trousers after the longest wee on record.

"Much better." Harry replied with a happy grin as he washed and dried his hands.

He placed a hand over his belly and he could feel small movements against his hand. He excitedly grabbed Max's hand and placed it over his belly, slightly to the side of his bellybutton.

"Is that…?"

"Our baby moving. Yeah."

Max grinned and happily pulled him off of his feet into a long, very passionate kiss. A cough broke them apart to see a flushed dominant Dracken in the doorway, he was grinning in a knowing way and Harry went a deep red.

"I…it's…it's not what it looks like!" He stammered out, making himself sound guiltier.

The other Dracken just grinned wider. "Sure it's not."

Harry buried himself in Max's shoulders and wailed in mortification. Max hissed and stormed out of the bathroom, shoving the other dominant aside as he went past. Harry did not remove himself from Max's shoulder and instead snuggled up tighter and hid a yawn against Max's skin.

"Are you tired?"

"Just a bit. It's been a busy couple of hours."

"Just rest for a bit. No one will think anything of you, especially not my family, they'd be more horrified if you let yourself collapse due to exhaustion and I'd probably get another smack off of my Dad for letting it happen."

Harry hissed sleepily and Max chuckled at the cute sound. Harry heard gasps and demands for what was wrong with him from his mates and their families. He smiled; it felt nice to be loved by so many people, people that he could call a family.

"Harry's fine." Max assured. "He's just tired. The baby is being very active and it's taking it out of him."

"I can't believe I'm going to be a grandmother." Marianna stated, though her voice was soft and happy.

"My Caesar is giving me a granddaughter, now my Max is giving me another grandchild, I am so happy." Ashleigh sniffed, her voice conveying her immense pride, but also her sadness at not having any other children of her own. "Both of my boys are finally mated to wonderful people and are starting families, our family is expanding. We have two new arrivals, a new submissive son-in-law and three new dominant son-in-laws; I could cry I'm so happy."

Harry listened to the conversations going on around him as it happily went from pregnancy to what the new arrivals would look like, to guesses on if he would have a baby boy or a baby girl, how soon the baby would come into the world and plans to get him everything his baby needed.

At some point Harry really had fallen asleep because the next thing he knew someone was tucking him up in bed, duvet up to his chin. He blinked open his eyes and saw Draco leaning over him with a soft, adoring look on his face; he smiled when he saw Harry was partially awake.

"Go to sleep love, you need it." Draco coaxed.

Harry leant up as much as he could and kissed Draco full on the mouth, he fell back into the huge bed and snuggled into his pillows before he fell right back off to sleep. He was joined an hour later by Nasta and then by Blaise. Draco came half an hour after Blaise and finally Max's huge body dipped the bed as he enclosed all of them in his arms and held them as they slept peacefully.

* * *

A/N: My dear god that took some doing. Thirteen thousand words without the authors notes at the top and bottom! Jesus! I have never, ever written such a long chapter before! Not during such a hectic week either, but I think that little mini break I had did wonders for my creativity, I should take them more often.

I hope none of you are too confused about all the OC introductions, I tried to mention their names and who they were related to often so it might stick in your heads a bit better, but I fear it might still have been a bit much. Maybe I should have spaced the meetings out a bit more, but I got the idea for the yearly Dracken meeting and I couldn't get rid of it.

My favourite scenes in this chapter were definitely Harry in the crèche with the three little girls and when he threatened Max's biological Father Myron. I loved writing those two scenes.

Still waiting for it to snow, the weatherman has been promising it for two weeks now and still not even a flake. It is cold though, bitterly cold and it's currently raining hard enough that my back garden has flooded and my garden path has turned into a river, a very deep river that is currently floating my garden chairs up and down from the patio to the shed :/

Thank you to **Miss Edith **for being my **3,200****th**** reviewer**!

To **SnowTigerQueen: **Harry can have twin Drackens with adorable blue wings, but they'd have to be dominants and the wings only physically manifest at the child's sixteenth birthday when they go through their inheritance. If you remember a dominant is born with their wing colours, a submissive takes on their dominants wing colour. I have mentioned before that it is not possible for any blood relation to be mates. The Dracken side automatically rejects blood relatives as potential mates.

To **Dreamcatcher1229: **I think I have answered this before, but Remus believes that Harry is fine and happy and safe in Hogwarts and that he has no reason to visit as no one has informed him that Harry is pregnant or has four men that he is essentially married to. He'll pop up during the summer holidays though and he'll be in for the shock of his life.

To **HariSan712: **Blaise is not being any more or less emotional than he usually is. In the scene where he is crying in the demolished room it is because he feels fear and hopelessness, desperation and terror because he has lost Harry and his baby and can't find them. He searched the school with Draco and neither of them could find Harry. How do you think that made him feel? How would you feel in his place? I think he deserved a little cry over all his mixed up and confused emotions and it definitely wasn't because he is the most subordinate.

To **Millie**: I have always written it as some when instead of some time. I think it sounds better and makes the sentence structure flow more smoothly, so it's intentional. I don't like the way some time sounds either out loud or in my head, so I'll most likely never use it. As for your observation of Harry, Draco and Blaise's conversation in the earlier chapters, yeah they got the information wrong because they are still new to being Drackens. They didn't realise that it would take Harry up to five years to repair his body enough to get another baby, they thought that he would be able to get pregnant immediately after birth, during his next heat.

To **YoungDarkPegasus: **Harry is expected to give birth in early September, but he can start nesting as early as mid-August. He will never have to go back to the Dursleys seeing as both Max and Nasta have their own houses and what do you mean I haven't mentioned anything about the war? There is no war, Voldemort is dead. Harry explains how he defeated him in chapter 18 – Survival.

To **Quincy**: Drackens cannot be born with birth defects no, the Dracken blood irradiates all defects in their bodies, but Harry and his mates could have a human baby born with a defect if they are both carriers of the defect.

To **djaddict: **Draco did not bottom during the heat. Come on, I would have written the scene for you all! I'm not so cruel as to just tell you Draco lost his virginity to whoever in several blazing hot rounds of sex. As for the 'how do Max and Nasta get the time off work' they can say anything. My Granny is sick, my brother is in hospital, I need a holiday, I'll take next week off without pay, they could get someone to cover their shift for them, they could call in sick, they could say they went for a night out and tried Apparating home and splinched themselves. They can use any number of excuses and they have probably used them all over the years. Just in case you ask next about dominants who are too young to work and are therefore still in school, like Henley, their parents just tell their school that they're taking him out for a 'family emergency' or something else like that, it's easier for the younger dominants to get to the meetings.

**Siblings-Curse: **The boys are all bonded together, but they have already said that they want to get married once they have left school.

**xxMizzxPaigexx**: Female dominant's go onto heat the same as male submissives, because female dominants can get pregnant still, they need the heat to conceive a baby, so their bodies put them through a heat period. It doesn't matter than she's with a human, she still goes onto heat until she is past her fertile years, think of it as the menopause.

**Aryes:** The Drackens have been holding meetings like this for decades and have never been caught yet. The mate meetings are essential to a submissive Dracken, so they have to be conducted in utmost secrecy, but although the social gathering is not essential, it is still important for them to get together and hear news about what's going on in their lives. The meeting halls are hidden away on the estate of the Head of the counsel and are incredibly well protected and warded. Invitations are passed hand to hand to members that are close to the counsel and owls are sent to those who aren't, but the invitations aren't written in a way that could give them away and the Portkey doesn't work if a non-Dracken touches it, human lovers and children of Drackens have to be either Apparated to the meeting halls or flooed in.

**KyuubiChild717**: This I have answered already, Marianna's version is the truth, but she lied to Blaise to make him feel better about not having a Dad. She felt so guilty and wretched for killing her own mate that she lied to her son when he was older and asked why he never had a Father like all the other kids. She told Blaise that his Father loved him dearly, that he held him every night and kissed him every morning, that he thought Blaise was the most beautiful baby in the world, when the truth was Maximiliano never even knew his mate was having a son, let alone got to see or hold him. But the lie makes Blaise feel happier, to know that the Father he never knew loved him and once held him gives him comfort, even if it is a lie.

Maximiliano's family are right bastards I know, they blame Blaise when they should blame themselves and Marianna's family for pushing their children into the marriage contract to unify their family lines, when it did the very opposite and destroyed all contact the two families had with one another, but Blaise is an easy target to pin the blame on and that's what they're doing.

StarLight Massacre. X


	30. Revealing Poses

_Last Time_

_Harry leant up as much as he could and kissed Draco full on the mouth, he fell back into the huge bed and snuggled into his pillows before he fell right back off to sleep. He was joined an hour later by Nasta, then Blaise. Draco came half an hour after Blaise and finally Max's huge body dipped the bed as he enclosed all of them in his arms and held them as they slept peacefully._

Chapter Thirty – Revealing Poses

The end of school exams were a complete torture for Harry, who had to sit still for two hours at a time, fiddling with his bulging robes, he still hadn't gotten maternity clothes, which Hermione berated him for, but he pacified her by telling her stories of his 'boyfriends' families.

He was wearing one of Draco's shirts today, yesterday he had been able to fit into Blaise's, today he had popped off four buttons as he tried to squeeze his stomach into the fabric. Tomorrow he'd probably have to steal one of Nasta's shirts, if he ever had to borrow Max's clothes he wouldn't be getting out of bed anyway as his stomach would be bigger around than he was tall.

He was currently in his History of Magic exam and he had finished as much of the paper as he was ever going to, but he really, really needed a wee. He was bouncing his feet so vigorously his bulge was jiggling. He crossed his left leg over his right, before setting them both on the floor again and crossing his right leg over his left. Draco was one row over and three desks in front of him, he kept looking behind in concern as Harry let out soft whimpers that only he could hear. Blaise was all the way on the other side of the hall, right at the back; Harry couldn't see him even when he turned around to look.

"Mister Potter." A silky voice whispered in his ear so no one else could. "What is the problem?"

Harry looked into the deep, dark tunnels of Professor Snape's eyes and swallowed.

"I really, really, really have to go to the toilet." He answered his voice showing his strain.

"Can't you hold it in?" Snape sneered.

"No!" Harry hissed a bit louder than he had meant to, the surrounding students looked at them and Harry flushed. "The baby is lying on my bladder Professor; I've done as much of this exam as I possibly can. If I don't get to a bathroom soon I'm going to wet myself right here on this chair."

Snape sighed heavily and tugged him out of his chair and down the aisle to the doors of the Great Hall. Snape escorted him all the way to the nearest bathroom and made sure he got there intact and before he wet his trousers, before he left him to go back to the exam. It still had an hour left.

Harry released his bladder and washed his hands. He hated how much his bladder was affected by the pregnancy, sure he knew that as the baby grew inside of him it would put pressure upon all of his organs, but he needed a wee every hour, every half hour on some days, it couldn't be healthy.

Harry was on the first floor when he decided to go and visit Madam Pomfrey for a check-up. He was only four months pregnant. He couldn't believe it, it seemed like a year had gone past since he had first found out, but it was only just the end of May and he had gotten pregnant on the eighteenth of February. He'd be giving birth on the twenty-fifth of September if his dates worked out accurately and he carried to full term.

"Harry dear, are you well? Shouldn't you be in an exam?" Madam Pomfrey asked concernedly.

"Professor Snape escorted me out because I was about to wet myself…again." Harry added a bit bashfully.

"You have wet yourself before?" Madam Pomfrey asked as Harry hopped up onto an examination table without being asked to.

"Yeah, when I woke up off of my heat I wet the bed."

Madam Pomfrey nodded understandingly and waved her wand over him.

"Ah, your baby is in fact resting its head upon your bladder."

Harry sighed. "I had expected something like that, though I thought the baby might have been kicking it instead."

"You have a mild urinary tract infection as well Harry; I'm going to recommend that you drink cranberry juice until it clears up."

Harry groaned. "Just what I need. A bloody infection."

Madam Pomfrey smiled and patted his knee. "It'll clear up very soon, unfortunately there isn't a potion made to clear it up safely from a pregnant persons viewpoint, silly really as it's usually pregnant people who get them the most."

"So the baby is completely fine?"

"Of course dear, you haven't had a bump or a knock have you? I can do a scan if you wish."

"A scan?" Harry questioned puzzled.

"It pulls up a picture of the baby in your womb, dearie me I should have probably offered a month or so ago, but with the flu outbreak in the younger years it completely slipped my mind."

"I'll get to see my baby?"

"Yes, it'll be like seeing a photograph Harry."

"Can you do it please?" Harry asked, slightly breathless and a touch of excitement and nerves warring in his tone.

Madam Pomfrey pulled up his shirt and rested her wand flat on his belly, the cool wood was smooth, but unbalanced as his rounded stomach threatened to topple the thin piece of wood to the floor.

Madam Pomfrey chanted a short, Latin phrase under her breath and the wand immediately heated up, it felt like a very thin hot water bottle. Harry swallowed as a 3D picture of a mass of grey, black and white showed above his belly, emanating from the side of the wand.

"Well, this probably looks very confusing and not much like a baby at all, but I promise you, that is your baby. The black bits are your body, this mass of grey here is the placenta, the grey line is the umbilical cord and the white space is your baby."

Harry looked hard at the picture, but all the colours blended together until his eyes hurt and his head throbbed. He still couldn't see his baby.

"Don't look so hard Harry, sort of step back and look glancingly, almost squinting, but not quite." Madam Pomfrey instructed.

Harry did as he was told and as soon as he stopped looking for his baby, he saw his baby. Well the general outline at least. He could make out a head, a torso and even a tiny little foot.

"Oh dear god." He breathed reverently as he stared at the picture. He went to reach out and touch the picture, but it flickered as his hand went through the light beams.

"Would you like to try and see what the gender of the baby is Harry?"

"Yes, but maybe I should wait until my mates are here to see as well. Oh but I really want to know!"

"It'll be our little secret." Madam Pomfrey winked. "If you come back later today or tomorrow, we can act like we don't know."

Harry laughed. "Were you by any chance a Slytherin when you attended Hogwarts Madam Pomfrey?"

"I was a Hufflepuff dear, even at eleven I just cared so much about others and I had started trying to heal animals by that point, of course I didn't start using magic to heal witches and wizards until I was sixteen."

Harry smiled. "Okay, give me the gender."

Madam Pomfrey smiled at him and twisted the wand on his belly, moving it all over until she found the baby's legs, which were completely splayed giving Harry a good laugh.

"Looks like baby knows that Mummy wants to know if they're a boy or girl." Madam Pomfrey teased.

"Which is it Madam Pomfrey, you seem much more able to make sense of this picture than I can."

"Well Harry, it seems that you're having a baby…"

* * *

Mrs Petunia Dursley of number four, Privet Drive hummed lightly as she swept through her perfect home with a duster.

Something crinkled underfoot and she picked up her soft soled shoe and saw a broken crisp on her carpet, peeking out from under the settee. It must be the freak playing mind games with them, Duddy had been in school all year like a good boy and neither she nor her loving Husband, Vernon ate crisps.

She got the hoover out from under the stairs, trying not to look at the small nest of blankets that still remained there, nor the two broken plastic toy soldiers that the boy must have stolen from Dudley or the babyish drawing folded up and hidden on the end of the shelf that she had taken out and looked at almost every day for the past thirteen years. She would have dearly loved to rip it up, but she could never bring herself to do so. More of the freaks magic tricks. It was all rubbish, just reminders of the freak she loved to loathe, but she couldn't move a single thing out of place. She grew angry yet again at the situation that had been forced upon her.

How dare Albus Dumbledore try to make her and Vernon take in the little bastard! How dare he try to appeal to her sense of family when it was he who had refused her entrance to that blasted school! When it was he who split up her and Lily when they were just children. How dare he!

That boy could have gone to any number of people, he didn't have to come here and ruin her life! Wizards were always ruining her life! First that Snape boy, then Dumbledore and then Potter! How she wished she had gouged out those large green eyes when she had the chance, how she wished that when she found the little bastard on her doorstep fourteen years and seven months ago that she had put him straight in the wheelie bin for the rubbish men to take away.

It wasn't fair that she had been made to take in the brat, his Father had been rich, he had gloated enough at her and Vernon's wedding about how wealthy he was and how much he could provide for sweet, darling Lily. It was always about Lily! The woman was dead and she still couldn't get rid of her! She saw Lily in that little brat, the way he would glare at her from under those abnormally thick eyelashes just like Lily used to and with Lily's eyes no less, the way he fiddled with the buttons on his clothes, how he scuffed his trainers on the floor, even the way the little brat ate reminded her of Lily! She couldn't sit at the same table as him when she was eating; she couldn't look at him period! She hated him, she loathed him, she would kill him if she knew absolutely that she'd get away with it! She should have done it long ago, before he went into that freak world, before he got the protection from the freaks.

Petunia was in a foul mood as she cleaned her home and prepared dinner for when her Husband came home from work. She spied in the neighbours gardens as she pegged washing onto the line, noticing with a critical eye that the leaves on Mrs number six's potato plants had gone yellow.

She was still in a very bad mood when Vernon came home from work at five. Her Husband could tell immediately that there was something wrong and he held her at arm's length, looking her over for injury.

"Are you alright Petunia?" He asked, letting her go when he couldn't see any injuries and shrugging, with effort, out of his driving jacket.

"The freak has been playing his tricks again, he put crisps underneath our settee, it couldn't have been us and Dudley is away at school."

"I'll make a note to punish the boy when he gets home for the summer." Vernon assured her. "That abnormal freak won't get away with sullying our home."

Petunia smiled. She could always count on her Husband to back her up. They both hated the freak, they both just wanted to be normal and live a normal life with their normal son. That little abomination had put a stop to their visions and plans of normality when she opened her front door on that cold, November morning to find the bastard wrapped in a heated blanket on her doorstep. Oh why hadn't she just popped him in the wheelie bin? It had been a bin day; she could have been rid of him forever! No one would have known, no one in the neighbourhood had known she's had a sister, let alone a Nephew, she could have denied all knowledge of ever having the boy to those freaks, but she had hesitated a bit too long and she had had to dart into the house as quick as lightening when Mister number seven from over the road had come out to go to work. She had been stuck with Potter ever since.

Petunia served up dinner and sat at the table with her Husband, watching as he gratefully ate the food she had lovingly cooked for him whilst she picked and pushed most of her portion around her plate. She had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach that had nothing to do with the food she was eating.

Petunia had been right to worry, at ten o'clock Vernon sat down to watch the news and as she brought him a cup of tea and a plate of biscuits, an owl shot through the partially open living room window. It had a letter clamped in its beak that it dropped on top of Vernon's head before it swooped back out again.

Petunia looked at the letter in disgust, the boy wasn't here! What were those freaks doing writing to her and her family! They wanted nothing to do with them!

"Burn it Vernon!" She snapped, it was one of the only times she had ever ordered her Husband to do anything.

Her Husband bent to pick up the letter, but as his hand brushed the antique paper that those freaks used to write on, it shot up into the air and started speaking, loudly.

Dear Dursley residence,

On behalf of the staff at Wizardry Genetics and at the Ministry of Magic, it has fallen to my duty to inform you that your Nephew, Mister Harry James Potter, of number four Privet Drive, Surrey, is currently four months pregnant with a magical baby. I would like to express my congratulations to you for this happy, momentous occasion and hope you have many happier times with your new expanding family.

Yours Sincerely,

Brenda Larking, Wizardry Genetics, Great Britain branch.

The letter floated down to lay peacefully on the side table, but Petunia's ears were still ringing from what she had heard. The brat was pregnant? As in he had a baby growing inside of him? He was such a _FREAK_! He was _never_ coming into her home again, she didn't want Dudley exposed to such a heinous thing as a pregnant man, what would the neighbours think when they saw the brat? They would be the talk of Surrey let alone Little Whinging!

The brat could stay at Kings Cross station all on his own, they were not going to pick him up, she didn't care if he was pregnant, he was a freak and he carried a parasitic abomination. With any luck the rough crowd in London would find him and beat the freakishness out of him. It would be nothing he didn't deserve, but he was never, _ever_ coming back into her home. Never.

* * *

Harry grinned all the way to his private rooms and he couldn't stop. He knew Max was home, Nasta was in work and Blaise and Draco were still in the History of Magic exam.

He placed a hand over his stomach where his baby was growing, his beautiful, amazing baby. He smiled lovingly down at his bump as he tapped the keyhole on the portrait door with his wand and walked through to see Max asleep on the settee.

Harry smiled at his biggest mate and kicked his shoes off and padded towards him in his socks. Max was deeply asleep and his wand was lying on the coffee table. He had likely used a spell to set it to wake him up in an hour when the exam finished.

Harry kissed those sleep slack lips and watched as Max mumbled a bit and pressed his lips together before they went slack again. Harry smiled happily and took the thick blanket from off the back of the settee and threw it over Max to keep him warm, he took his wand into the bedroom and placed it on the bedside table to keep it from waking Max up, his biggest mate hadn't been sleeping well lately, he had a chest infection and found it difficult to sleep, Madam Pomfrey had given him potions, but even with their help it would take another day or two to shift the mucus from his lungs.

Harry instead picked up the photo album he had of his mates and sat on the other settee and flipped quietly through them. Looking at the pictures of him and Blaise on Christmas Morning, pictures of him and Blaise rolling around the floor, Draco sitting elegantly on the floor, looking as regal as if he had been sitting on a solid gold throne. Henley was in there as well, waving energetically from the photo, brushing his floppy hair from his eye with a small scowl before he went back to waving and smiling. Nasta sitting moodily on the rock by the lake, though he only looked moody to an outsider, Harry saw the thoughtful look on Nasta's face, Harry knew that Nasta pulled that face when he was thinking deeply, Nasta wasn't moody at all, he was just quiet and thoughtful.

Max's huge body took up most of the next photo, his wide grin showing off his bright white teeth as he laughed uproariously at something someone had said. The next photo showed a sleeping Harry and Draco cuddled up on the rug in front of the fire together. Harry touched his sleeping face and smiled, he looked so happy in these photos, he hadn't really had a reason to be so happy before.

Arsenio and Jensen were in the next photo, standing side by side, Jensen was shirtless, as he usually was, showing off his solidly muscled chest and tight cobblestone abs. Harry remembered how much Jensen had cared for his body, it reminded him of Nasta a bit, only Nasta didn't work out for eight hours a day and count every calorie he ate. Where Nasta's healthiness came from his Father's fear that he would lose his children, Jensen's obsessive healthiness came from his very real childhood fear of becoming overweight like his own parents.

Arsenio was just as Harry remembered him, scarred, greying, harsh looking and severe, but he had been one of the kindest men Harry had met at the hell hotel. Harry hoped that he found a submissive to call his own, one that would treat him with all the love and respect that Arsenio deserved.

Harry flipped the page and came face to face with Elder Trintus, Harry smiled. The man had written to him twice since the mate meetings had ended, asking how he was and how the baby was doing. He hadn't gone to New Zealand; he couldn't have because he was still chaperoning Harry's meetings at the same time, one of the man's friends, Elder Midate, was the one helping the new submissive, Annabelle, find her dominant.

Harry continued looking through the album, encountering pictures here or there of Hermione, or Ginny, or Neville, even one of Luna Lovegood had found its way into his photo album. He stopped on one particular picture and went red. It was the picture of him and Max standing naked in front of the mirror; Max's hands were caressing his bump, looking at it avidly with love and adoration. His own face started off looking at the bump, love written all over his face, before he looked up into the mirror and looked at the sight the two of them made, he went wide eyed as he looked to the expression on Max's face before tilting his head back and kissing the underside of Max's jaw. The picture then went back to the beginning and Harry turned the page reluctantly, no matter how mad he had been when Draco had first snapped that photo, he loved it now.

The next picture was of Harry rolling around the floor with Blaise again, being tickled mercilessly. Harry had had no idea that this picture had been taken, which was why his face was screwed up in happy giggles as he squirmed helplessly against Blaise's fingers.

The last picture in the book was of all four of his mates sleeping, cuddled up together in bed. Harry had woken up early the other day, squirmed out from between Blaise and Draco, had gone to the bathroom and had come back up ready to climb back into bed with them, only to find that his warm spot in the middle of the bed had been filled in and that Nasta and Max, who were on the outside holding Blaise and Draco tightly, had scooted closer together so that there was no gap between any of them, probably to preserve heat as the duvet had disappeared onto the floor some when during the night.

Harry had sleepily picked up the camera from the bedside table and snapped a couple of pictures, before he tugged the duvet from the floor and covered all of his mates up before he crawled under the duvet and huddled up against Nasta's back, slipping his legs between Nasta's to keep them warm and curling his own body around the baby bump to keep his belly warm.

Harry put the book down and smiled, he couldn't wait until he had pictures of his baby to put into the album. Fred and George had even sent him a baby book. It was one of the only presents Harry had ever gotten off of them that wasn't a prank item, not that he didn't love their prank items, he did, but this present was just so amazing and thoughtful that he had sent them an embarrassing, gushy letter in one of his more emotional days.

The door to their rooms burst open with a loud bang, startling Max from his sleep so violently he started coughing roughly and startling a small scream from Harry, whose wings had burst from his back in a shower of blood and stayed stiff and flared.

Blaise and Draco were in the door and Harry was so thankful that it wasn't anyone else and that his secret was still safe. He held one hand to his bump and the other to his heart.

"What the hell are you two playing at?" Max demanded as he stood up, looking large, threatening and intimidating.

Max went to Harry and picked him up cooing and crooning softly, stroking the soft, leathery skin of his wings until they drooped and relaxed and he was able to tuck them back into his body.

"You could have put him into premature labour!" Max hissed angrily, his voice rougher and hoarser than usual due to his chest infection.

"We were worried about him!" Draco hissed back. "He was taken out of the History exam and we couldn't follow."

Max turned to look at him before he started the age old process of licking and sniffing every inch of him. Harry tried to stop him, but Max gripped his hair tightly as a warning not to do anything else, but Harry was worried that breathing in deeply would delay Max's lungs from healing.

"I'm fine!" He protested, standing completely still. "I just needed a wee before my bladder burst in the Great Hall! Professor Snape took me to the nearest bathroom, that's all."

"Then you came here?" Max asked and snarled when Harry looked shifty.

"I went to see Madam Pomfrey okay?"

"So there was something else wrong?"

"No! I just didn't think it was normal to be almost wetting myself every other hour!"

"Did she tell you if anything was wrong Prezioso?" Blaise asked softly, calmly, trying to keep the peace.

"I have a mild urinary tract infection. It'll clear up in a few days of me drinking cranberry juice."

Max petted his hair lovingly and pulled him into a hug, collapsing his big body down onto the settee and breathing deeply, his chest rattling as he did so. Harry was very worried and he rested his head over Max's chest, listening as every breath was a struggle.

"Please be okay soon Max. I don't know what I'd do without you."

Max snorted in amusement and cupped his cheek in the palm of one hand. One of Max's hands could palm the entire of his face and the tips of his fingers could almost reach the top of his head if the heel of his hand was placed at his chin, Max had huge hands.

"I'm going to be fine, you sound like my Mother, she wants to visit soon with my Dads, she wants to make sure that I'm well. It's not like I'm thirty-one or anything." Max rolled his eyes.

Harry smiled and pushed Max until he was lying down again and lovingly covered him up again. Max grinned, albeit a bit weakly, but still a semblance of his normal mischievous grin.

"I could get used to this." He laughed.

Harry smiled and tucked the blanket around him more firmly, kissing his brow and going to the kitchenette to make a cup of tea.

"Harry, Draco and I have to go; we have an Ancient Runes exam." Blaise told him seriously as Draco anxiously looked at the clock.

Harry rushed to kiss them both goodbye, wishing them good luck and even Max shouted a 'good luck' after them, coughing as he did so, he had shouted too loud.

Harry made the tea and gave a cup to Max as he knelt down in front of the settee, sipping on his own ginger tea, he was feeling slightly nauseous and ginger seemed to help a lot.

Max finished his tea and Harry gave him a tablespoon of his potion before tucking him back up.

"I'm a grown man!" Max complained even as he obediently held the blanket up to his chin.

"I'm going to baby you until you're better." Harry informed him seriously. "You had better not move."

Max chuckled. "Healer Potter, now all you need is the uniform, perhaps the sexier version that the Naughty Wizard magazine offer to owl order."

Harry's cheeks went pink and he lightly bopped Max on the head. "You're lucky you're sick or I would have kicked your arse."

Max pulled Harry onto his chest and pulled the blanket from under him and tucked them both in on the settee.

"Hey! I'm not sick!"

"You have a urinary tract infection. I have a chest infection, we both have infections, we're both sick."

"I'm not sick! You are, you have potion to take and I don't, I just have to drink cranberry stuff."

Max smiled and kissed him softly. "Then come be my teddy bear so I'll feel better."

Harry rolled his eyes but cuddled up to Max. He was quite sleepy; he had been up with Draco and Blaise early this morning to get to the exams on time. He was glad they were almost over.

* * *

Albus Dumbledore smiled charmingly at the woman and two men in front of him. Harry had told him that one of his mates was sick and that his family wished to come and see how he was doing. He didn't stand in their way, he just led them down to Harry's rooms, he knew exactly how protective Drackens were of their children.

He tapped the keyhole of the portrait with his wand and met a sight that made him chuckle. Wrapped up and peacefully sleeping on the settee were Harry and Maximilius, Harry snuffling quietly as he slept and Maximilius' laboured breathing were the only sounds in the room besides the merry crackling of the fire.

"This is where I leave you gentlemen, lovely lady." Dumbledore turned and strode back to his office leaving Ashleigh, Myron and Richard to sit on the only free settee and watch as their son and their new son-in-law slept together.

"He looks so peaceful." Ashleigh whispered.

Max grunted in his sleep and Harry took in a deeper than usual breath, using his legs to push himself closer to Max, who subconsciously wrapped his arm around Harry tighter.

"Well at least Maximilius knows we are here now, even if it is subconsciously." Myron stated a small smile touching his devastatingly handsome face as he watched his only son snuggle with his pregnant son-in-law.

"They had better both have clothes on under that blanket." Richard croaked, eyeing the blanket distastefully.

"I really don't think they would have sex when Max has a chest infection love." Ashleigh told her younger Husband.

"I doubt Harry would feel much like sexual contact either with that baby coming up to five months." Myron grunted thoughtfully.

Ashleigh smiled and carefully knelt down beside her son and his youngest lover. She pulled the blanket tighter around their necks and tucked them in properly. Harry made a small noise and one beautiful, bright green eye opened to look at her.

Harry sat up on Max's stomach, rubbing the sleep from his eyes, the blanket had moved showing that the both of them were fully dressed, Max in pyjamas and Harry in a school shirt and trousers, he even had his tie still neatly knotted at his throat. Or he did have until he noticed it and carelessly tugged it loose until the knot came undone and then he discarded it over the back of the settee.

Myron frowned at his actions, but Richard let out a quiet, but harsh chuckle. Ashleigh just smiled. Harry climbed off of Max and covered him back up carefully, watched critically by Max's parents. Harry didn't even spare them a glance until after Max was tucked in and had been kissed twice.

"You truly love him." Ashleigh breathed reverently.

Harry gave her a sharp look. "Of course I do."

"I didn't mean any offence Harry." She told him, well aware of his pregnant state and a remembered conversation the other day with Max about how volatile Harry's temper had become. "I just think that it is starting to sink in that my son has finally found someone to love who loves him in return."

Harry smiled and gave a look over his shoulder to Max, who made a deep noise in his chest, like a rumble only rougher because of his chest infection. Max's Dad, Myron, rumbled back soothingly and the crease between Max's eyebrows eased, leaving his face smooth and unlined again.

"I keep telling him that he'll get wrinkles if he keeps scrunching his face up like a disapproving granny, he never listens." Harry said sadly, shaking his head.

Max's other Dad, Richard, let out a startled laugh and grinned happily. Harry noticed that it was almost the same grin that Max had and that made him like Richard all the more.

"I…Harry, please feel free to say no if I'm being too personal, but may I touch your belly?" Ashleigh asked, she could barely take her eyes off of his baby belly and it made him want to wrap his arms around himself and hide his baby away, but this was Max's Mother. She was going to be family. She had already started to become family, Max and he were practically married, all they needed was the official ceremony.

"It's alright if you don't want to let me Harry dear, Amelle never let anyone other than Caesar touch her."

Harry sighed and went and sat on the woman's lap, trusting that his very light frame wouldn't crush the legs of a Dracken and wrapped her arms around his belly. Ashleigh looked so happy, so delighted as she cooed at, touched, caressed, hugged and swayed with his belly, it was as if he wasn't there, like the baby wasn't attached to him and had already been born.

He yawned and rested his head in the crook of Ashleigh's neck and shoulder; he fell asleep with Ashleigh still stroking him.

"He's a trusting little thing isn't he?" Richard spoke up after Harry snuffled lightly and tried to curl around Ashleigh tighter.

"Makes him the perfect target." Myron said with a hint of worry in his voice as he looked at the miniscule boy in his Wife's arms. Harry had met them twice and yet he fell asleep within moments in their presence.

"He trusts you because I do." A sleep slurred voice broke through their conversation.

Max pushed the blanket off of himself and swung his large body into an upright position and rubbed his face vigorously.

"How are you feeling Max honey? On your last floo call you sounded terrible."

"I feel better, the Healer thinks that it'll take another day to clear up, Harry's been making sure I'm well rested and up to date with my potion."

"He does rather like being the little Mother hen doesn't he?" Richard asked with a smile towards his oldest son, because by blood or not, he had raised Maximilius along with Myron and Max was as much of his son as Caesar and the same went for Myron and their three daughters.

Max rolled his eyes and went to make tea for everyone.

"Tell me about it, this is the first time I've gotten up in two days. I can feel my muscles melting away under tender love and care."

Myron smirked at his son as he yawned and made tea for everyone; he handed out the cups and carefully placed two teacups on the coffee table in front of his Mother.

"Your cup is the yellow one Mum, the blue one is Harry's. He won't let anyone touch his favourite cup; it's the only odd cup I've allowed in my kitchen."

"Did you allow it or were you bullied into it?" Myron asked with a knowing look.

Max grinned unashamedly. "I'd do anything for Harry, even put up with an odd cup."

"It is a very pretty cup." Ashleigh commented at the very delicate royal blue designs on the bone china cup.

"It was his Mother's favourite cup given to him by a friend of hers; I think he takes comfort from touching something that she had."

"Poor thing, no wonder he clings to maternal figures, he's still just a boy himself. He needs a maternal figure or two in his life."

"I'm sure his Aunt was enough of a maternal figure towards him." Max told his Mother soothingly.

"I was surprised to hear that you had actually bonded with Harry Potter of all people." Myron told his son. "Though it is a very huge honour to our family to be joined with the defeater of the Dark Lord Voldemort."

"I didn't even think that Harry Potter would become a Dracken." Richard added. "The blood was within his family lines, but it was very diluted, after three generations and no Dracken manifestation, I think the Elders ruled the Potters out of ever having Dracken blood, it just goes to show that it doesn't matter how far back the blood goes, if the Dracken genes chose you, you are going to be a Dracken."

"Well said love." Myron said, pulling Richard into a kiss.

"So Max honey, have you found out what sex the baby is yet?" Ashleigh asked excitedly.

"No Mum, not yet."

Ashleigh sighed and stroked Harry's hair. He was so young; it had been years since she had even been near a Dracken his age. She had missed it. She couldn't wait until Amelle gave birth, but the woman didn't like her, Amelle thought she was unstable and unfit to be near Dracken chicks. She hoped that Caesar would rein in his submissive, but he had said that he didn't want to hurt Amelle whilst she was pregnant, that he would try after the birth.

She desperately hoped that Harry would let her see and hold his chick. She wasn't dangerous, what had happened to her was a travesty, a tragic incident that she hated remembering, she loathed the beasts that had taken her baby son from her, had taken Myron's second son from him. She hated herself for letting it happen, but after months of therapy and years of support from her family, she had come to realise that there had been nothing she could have done, she had been snatched by a trusted family friend when she had been sleeping, she wouldn't have been able to move or defend herself anyway, she had been only a week away from birth. Myron and Richard had been too late to save their baby son, but they had saved her, her Husbands regretted not getting to her in time to save their littlest boy, but they would have been destroyed if they had lost her as well.

Harry squirmed in her arms and once again a big, beautiful emerald green eye opened and spied the blue teacup. He leant forward and Ashleigh made sure to support his weight as he snatched up his cup and drained almost half of it in one swallow.

"There's more over on the counter Harry." Max told him with such a look of love on his face.

Ashleigh had never seen Max wear that look before and it clenched her heartstrings, her boy was finally completely happy and content.

"You should still be asleep!" Harry told his older mate bringing smiles to the elder Drackens.

"If I sleep anymore you might as well just put me into a coma." Max complained.

"If it'll keep you from moving I will!"

Richard let out a wheezing laugh and coughed lightly, which seemed to agitate his scar as he touched it with an annoyed frown.

"It's alright love, just breathe." Myron soothed, taking out a small bottle of potion from his pocket and handing it to the other man. Richard un-stoppered the bottle and took a gulp of whatever was inside.

Harry didn't ask. It was obviously a very private thing between Max's family, but he was dying to know how Richard had gotten the scar on his neck, he was burning to know how the man had survived.

Harry looked at the clock on the wall and noticed that Draco and Blaise would be finished with their Ancient Runes exam within the hour.

"Please don't tell me it's time for my potion as well." Max begged.

Harry realised with a thump that Max should have taken it five minutes ago and he jumped up and fetched the bottle and a tablespoon from the counter. He handed them both to Max who pouted.

"I have to do it myself now?" He whined.

"You're thirty-one!" Harry pointed out incredulously. Max just blinked up at him and Harry huffed and took the bottle and spoon back from Max, poured him a spoonful and fed it to his biggest mate all the while his family laughed at them from the settee beside them. "You're like a big baby."

"We're going to have one of those as well." Max grinned happily, pushing up his shirt to press a kiss to his swollen stomach. "Think of it as practise for when the real baby arrives."

Harry rolled his eyes but couldn't keep the smile from his face as he put the bottle back on the counter and placed the spoon in the sink.

"When are Draco and Blaise getting back from their exam?" Max asked as he stretched his body.

"In about forty minutes." Harry answered.

"Why aren't you in the exams honey?" Ashleigh asked.

"I never took Ancient Runes. Had a History exam this morning, that almost killed me, I wouldn't have made it through a second exam today without falling asleep."

"Are you well?" Myron asked looking him up and down and getting that look in his eyes that his mates did when they were trying to restrain themselves from licking and sniffing him.

"I have a small infection, nothing to worry about." He added quickly as the elder three gasped. "It isn't anything that will harm the baby and it'll be gone in a few days."

"Do you have any instincts towards the baby Harry?" Ashleigh asked and Harry cocked his head in puzzlement. "As in any inclinations towards the baby's gender."

Max rolled his eyes. "Mother is desperate to know the gender of our baby; she wants to know if she's getting two granddaughters or a granddaughter and a grandson."

"Well I found out the gender this afternoon as well."

"What?" Max asked with a frown. "You found out the gender without any of us present?"

"It was a spur of the moment thing. I went to the hospital wing about the infection thingy and Madam Pomfrey told me she could give me a scan of the baby, then she said she could tell me the gender, I wanted to wait for all of you, but that meant waiting until tomorrow and I was just itching to know! I was so excited. I got pictures, look."

Harry dived on his book satchel and pulled out a large pile of scan photos that Madam Pomfrey had given to him. He handed them to Max whose grin had come back tenfold as he looked at the pictures.

"This is so amazing." He said. "I can't believe it, this is my baby. _My _baby."

"Please tell us Harry!" Ashleigh burst out. "Please tell us what the gender is?"

Harry grinned and pulled a photo to the top and pointed something out to Max, who started laughing and hugged Harry tightly.

"I can't believe it." He said again.

"Please, please, please?" Ashleigh was practically vibrating between her two mates and they gave her looks of amusement, but they also had hints of curiosity in their eyes, of course they wanted to know the gender of their second grandchild.

"You're getting a grandson, the baby's a boy." Harry revealed with a grin.

Ashleigh actually squealed as she dropped to her knees and nuzzled Harry's baby bump.

"And what a boy he's going to be." Max chuckled as he looked at the picture of his son with his legs spread, his genitals clearly on show.

Still chuckling Max handed the photos to his Fathers, Richard started chuckling at the photo and Myron grinned happily.

"Oh I didn't want to say anything, but I had really hoped you would have a boy. I'll have a granddaughter and a grandson now."

"I wonder who will give birth first." Myron mused aloud.

"I thought Amelle had already started nesting." Harry asked confused. "I've still got three months to go."

"Amelle has built her nest and is currently preening in it. She hasn't gone into labour yet." Max told him. "It could be weeks still before she goes into labour."

"But she's still six months pregnant and I'm only four."

"Blaise's Mother, Marianna, went into labour at five months." Max reminded him. "True there were very extreme circumstances, but I wasn't kidding when I said Draco and Blaise could have caused you premature labour this afternoon."

"What happened?" Myron asked harshly.

"They burst into the room when I was sleeping and Harry was lost in thought, they startled him pretty badly, I reprimanded them for it."

"I thought you weren't the top dominant?" Richard asked softly. "Where is Nasta?"

"I'm standing in for him as the top dominant as he's currently at work, he'll be home around sixish."

"You make a good top dominant." Harry assured Max with a grin. "If only Nasta knew flower arrangement or sewing."

Max burst out laughing and Harry giggled lightly, trying and failing to turn it into a chuckle as he was too amused.

"I feel I am missing something." Myron stated.

"Nasta's Dracken side automatically saw me as subordinate to him through instinct." Max told his Dad with a sigh. "Our Drackens had already worked out the dominant order before we even knew it. Though I knew immediately when I just started eating before everyone else that I wasn't going to be the top dominant, Nasta was the one who was forced to wait until everyone had started eating until he could, all because I know how to bloody cook!"

"The dominant order was made over you being able to cook?" Richard asked.

"Yeah, stupid isn't it? I could have had that Delericey in a fight, but the order was sorted before I even had a chance to fight him."

Harry snorted. "Seemed like he was kicking your arse from where I was sat when you tried to force yourselves to fight."

Max picked Harry up and started tickling him and Harry burst out laughing.

"No! No! Stop it!" Harry cried as tears of laughter rapidly filled his eyes before they fell down his face. "I'm sorry, you were winning!"

Max stopped tickling him and sat back on the settee, holding Harry tightly.

"Between you and Blaise the baby is going to have a squirming fetish."

Max and Richard both started laughing, Myron scowled and Ashleigh let out a tinkling laugh. Max started coughing violently and immediately Harry and Max were surrounded by three protective parents, all clamouring to help Max through his coughing fit.

"I'm fine, I'm fine!" Max assured once he had stopped coughing and had gotten his breath back. "Bloody infection. Hell I can't get any of the big diseases but I can get a poxy infection? How is that fair?"

"If you were taking care of yourself you wouldn't have gotten it in the first place." Myron lectured as he rubbed Max's back firmly to ease the spasaming.

"I am taking care of myself! I swear it was that potion I had to brew, I couldn't breathe properly when I was making it, I never can when I have to make that bloody potion."

"Then stop making it!" Ashleigh berated sternly.

"I have to make it Mum, it's my job."

"But it affects you so badly sweet heart."

"I'll be fine in a day or so."

"You make sure you floo call us and tell us if you're better or not or we'll be coming back to check on you."

"Mum I'm thirty-one!"

"And I'm forty-eight and your Grandparents still come and check on me when I'm sick."

Ashleigh pulled Harry into another hug, petting his hair and rubbing his stomach gently, kissing his cheek with a goodbye and a promise to come back to see him later on in the week.

"I have to go out and buy all little outfits for my new grandson."

"Mum, Harry has enough baby clothes; we have three boxes of the things."

"Not little boy things!" Ashleigh stated viciously as she latched onto her mates and began dragging them out to a shopping district.

Max laughed at the expressions of horror on his Fathers faces. He held Harry tightly as the portrait door shut behind his parents. He had never understood the whole excitement thing women had over shopping and sales, he kissed the top of Harry's head lingeringly before going to make them some more tea. He would be thankful for the fact that he was mated to a man and not a woman every time his Mother and sisters dragged their Husbands to go shopping, he would laugh it up as he got to sit at home and lounge around with Harry, who hated shopping and made up any excuse to avoid it, even if he had to get the necessities. It was Draco they had to watch when it came to clothes shopping, the blonde dominant could shop any woman's feet off and still have energy to spare.

* * *

To **cottoncandy**: Harry has not mentioned his life at the Dursleys to anyone, let alone his very overprotective mates. They will find out soon though. There is no love lost between Harry and the Dursleys and he does not have any need to go near them again as both Max and Nasta have their own houses, Harry has a new family now, he has four mates and a baby on the way, he never really considered the Dursleys his family anyway so he has very little reason to go and see them. As for Voldemort's followers, most are in Azkaban, some are on the loose, just in hiding and a couple will aim to attack Harry in the future for revenge, they're just obviously not suicidal enough to try anything whilst he's at Hogwarts. On the subject of the prophecy, Harry will discuss it when the topic comes up and he will rant and rave and what not about being destined to kill Voldemort or be killed himself with his mates and I will be sure to include what Max and Nasta thought of Harry as The-Boy-Who-Lived, before he became their mate.

To **Nikari87**: No, it hasn't really sunk in yet that he doesn't have to go back to the Dursleys, at the moment he's assuming he is because he hasn't heard anything else and he is still underage until July, but be assured that Max or Nasta won't let their heavily pregnant mate out of their sight for even a moment. As for why he won't have to go back even though he is underage is because even though the rest of the wizarding world don't know it the bond Harry has with his mates is practically marriage as they are bonded for life, there can be no severing of the bonds, no divorce, they are together for life, so even if he did have to go back, the others would go with him. Besides it isn't up to the wizarding world where he stays, he could sleep in a bin in Holland for all they knew.

**alice the noble**: It was a potion that blocked Harry's pheromones. His heat was still there, but Harry couldn't sink into it like his other heats and his mates didn't get the urge to have sex with him. They have the urge to have sex, but it's not overwhelming, they can still think.

**Sakura Ichigo Morihiko: **The Order are disbanded, they have no need to be together anymore, though some do keep in touch with one another, but what Harry does isn't any of their business.

**Evening12**: Nasta's grandparents on his Father's side are dead. His Mother's parents live happily in Rhyl, but as they are in their eighties and they are human, they can't get around much anymore. Their son-in-law and Grandsons visit them when they can and Harry will meet them in due time.

**Help with the relatives!**

The Maddison's + The Seppen's

Myron Maddison – 54 – Max's biological Dad

Richard Seppen – 48 – Max's second Dad

Ashleigh Maddison-Seppen – 48 – Max's Mother

Alexander Maddison – Max's grandfather – Myron's Father

Kimberly Maddison – Max's grandmother – Myron's Mother

Caesar Seppen - 29 – Max's brother – Richard's son

Julinda Kyle – 27 -Max's sister – Richard's daughter – married to Laurel Kyle

Talia Maddison-Seppen – 26 – Max's sister – Myron's daughter

Alayla Maddison-Seppen – 23 – Max's sister – Myron's daughter

Amelle Seppen – 26 - Caesar's Wife

Eleonora Dahlia Seppen - unborn – Caesar and Amelle's daughter – Max's niece.

The Delericey's 

Aneirin Delericey – 59 - Nasta's Dad

Lowri Delericey – Nasta's Mum (Deceased)

Angharad Delericey – Nasta's sister (Deceased)

Sanex Delericey – 39 - Nasta's brother.

The Zabini's + The Lychorinda's 

Marianna Lychorinda – Blaise's Mum

Maximiliano Enzo Zabini – Blaise's Dad (Deceased)

Josiah Lychorinda – Marianna's current Husband – Blaise's current step-dad.

Does this help or make everything more confusing?

StarLight Massacre.


	31. Nesting Instinct Disasters

_Last Time_

_Max laughed at the expressions of horror on his Fathers faces. He held Harry tightly as the portrait door shut behind his parents. He had never understood the whole excitement thing women had over shopping and sales, he kissed the top of Harry's head lingeringly before going to make them some more tea. He would be thankful for the fact that he was mated to a man and not a woman every time his Mother and sisters dragged their Husbands to go shopping, he would laugh it up as he got to sit at home and lounge around with Harry, who hated shopping and made up any excuse to avoid it, even if he had to get the necessities. It was Draco they had to watch when it came to clothes shopping, the blonde dominant could shop any woman's feet off and still have energy to spare._

Chapter Thirty-One – Nesting Instinct Disasters.

Harry and Max shared secret little smiles with each other when Draco and Blaise finally showed up after their exhausting exam. They were both too tired to notice and as Blaise had fallen asleep on the settee that Max wasn't occupying and Draco had immediately buried himself in his Transfiguration notes neither Harry nor Max saw this as much of an accomplishment, not that they wanted the other two to see them anyway, they wanted to wait for Nasta before spilling the news.

They had decided only just to tell the other three together that they were expecting a baby boy before Draco and Blaise had come back from the exam; they were still waiting on Nasta, who had yet to return home from work, he was an hour late.

"What if something happened to him?" Harry demanded worriedly as his three other mates ignored his worries which had been getting worse over the past hour.

"I'm sure the Dragon Reserve would have let us know by now if he had been eaten by a dragon Harry." Draco deadpanned.

"You think he was eaten by a dragon?" Harry asked a touch of panic in his voice. "How many dragon keepers a year are eaten by the dragons?"

Max sighed and picked him up from where he had been pacing a hole in the carpet and sat him on his lap, holding him gently, but tightly enough to prevent him from getting up again.

"Nasta has not been eaten by a dragon Harry."

"You thought I had been eaten by a dragon?" An amused voice asked.

Harry ripped himself from Max's hold and flung himself at Nasta, holding him tightly even as his oldest lover sniffed and licked his belly.

"Thank Merlin you're back, he hasn't stopped with the worst case scenarios since five past six."

"One of the pregnant Welsh Greens laid her eggs, the guys needed an extra pair of hands to safely count how many eggs were laid." Nasta explained with a note of confusion. "You've never worried so much before Harry, this isn't the first time I've been late home, what's wrong?"

"Do submissives feel more clingy the closer they get to birth?" Blaise asked curiously. "It seems the closer he comes to giving birth the closer he wants to be to us."

"I am not clingy!" Harry refuted even as he clung tightly to Nasta's neck.

"I think he just missed Nasta a lot." Max said in amusement. "He's been dying to tell us all something since this afternoon, but when I asked he said all of us had to be together before he could tell us."

Harry and Max had had a heated discussion before Blaise and Draco had come back from their exam that it would be better for Harry to tell the truth about the visit with Madam Pomfrey and about the scan, but leave out that he had told Max first. Max knew that Harry had only told him because he had wanted his Mother to know, that if his parents hadn't come to check on him then he would have been told with the other three.

"Oh?" Nasta questioned, raising an eyebrow at Harry.

"Yeah. I went to the hospital wing earlier…"

Harry didn't get any further before he was being sniffed and licked. Harry batted at Nasta, but for all the good it did he was tickling the man with a feather.

"Nasta! I'm fine! Hell you'd think I was dying or something."

"You're not are you?" Draco asked worriedly.

"Of course I'm bloody well not! I have a small infection…." Harry raised his voice as three out of his four mates started speaking at once. "That has not brought any complications to the pregnancy, is not harming the baby and is not harming me! It's a small urinary tract infection and will disappear in a few days."

"Is that what you had to tell us?" Nasta asked softly.

"No. I had a scan of the baby."

"Really? Did you get pictures?" Max asked in faked, but realistic enthusiasm.

Harry grinned and took out a pile of photos from inside his pocket, he had removed all photos that showed the baby's gender and had put them in his other pocket and he grinned as he happily made his mates sit on the settee and flipped through the pictures one at a time.

"Merlin, the baby is beautiful." Blaise breathed reverently.

"It's a shame that you didn't find out the gender." Nasta sighed, taking one of the smaller photos and happily slotting it into his wallet, right next to the photo of Harry.

"I did." Harry said with a grin and he immediately held the attention of three of his mates.

"Well?" Draco demanded a glint of pride and eagerness in his eyes.

Harry grinned wider and pulled out his favourite photo. He flipped it right side up and watched with Max as the other three took in the picture of their little boy, his legs spread, his arms flung wide, his genitals on happy display.

Nasta was the first to chuckle as he took in what was being shown. Blaise managed a smirk and Draco just stared.

"Is that our son being an exhibitionist?" Draco asked.

"Yes, yes it is. Isn't he amazing?" Harry breathed.

"As long as he doesn't act like that in public." Draco groused.

Harry chuckled. "He's a baby Draco, when he's born he won't have enough strength to push open his swaddling blankets let alone remove his sleepsuit, bodysuit and nappy."

Nasta snorted in amusement and pulled Harry into a kiss. "Our son is adorable and I'm sure when he's a toddler and running around our rooms naked refusing to put his nappy back on that we will remember this picture fondly."

"I can't wait until he does that." Max confessed. "Imagine the pictures we could embarrass him with in front of his mate?"

Harry rolled his eyes at Max's enthusiasm. "No one is going to embarrass my babies."

"Come on Harry! He might be the only baby to act like this, we have to make it last."

Harry smiled softly and looked at the picture of his baby displaying himself. He took out the photo frame that he had dug out to fit it and placed the picture inside the frame and proudly placed it on the mantel piece above the roaring fire. Now his mates knew that he was having a baby boy, everyone could know, starting with friends and family members.

"At least you have something to write home about." Harry told them.

"Dad'll be ecstatic." Nasta told him. "Just watch him because he has a tendency to become a mother bear when he's around newborns."

Harry smiled happily. "Alright. Hop to it then, I want friends and family to know before everyone else."

"Are you going to tell your family?" Max asked curiously as he called Esmeralda to him and made a show of copying some of the scan photos to send to his 'unknowing' family.

Harry blinked. "Why would I do that?" He asked curiously.

His mates just looked at him and Harry felt a strange pulling sensation take over his stomach. He had said the wrong thing.

"Because they're your family Harry, surely you've told them that you're pregnant?" Nasta exclaimed.

"They're Muggles, _I _didn't even know wizards could get pregnant, how do you think they'll react?"

"Just tell them that you're a magical creature capable of giving birth or you could send them a pamphlet about male pregnancy."

Harry could imagine the reaction _that_ would get. A magical pamphlet on male pregnancies in the Dursleys household? Harry wondered if they had moving pictures of men giving birth. "Yeah that'll work. Hello Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia, just so you know I'm a humanoid dragon now and you know what else, I'm pregnant and I'm going to have a baby this September, just so you know. Aunt Petunia would likely faint."

"After all the lectures you gave me on telling my family about my inheritance and you haven't done the same?" Draco demanded.

"My family are Muggles Draco." Harry sighed. "If I just told them that I was a Dracken, they wouldn't understand like your family would. Muggle men can't get pregnant, they'd freak out."

"But you have to tell them." Max insisted. "They're your family."

"We'll go and visit them this summer." Blaise assured, trying to sooth the panic in Harry's eyes but it increased tenfold.

"No we won't." Harry stated stubbornly.

"I know it'll be difficult for them to understand at first Harry but they do deserve to know that their Nephew is going to give birth to a baby boy." Max stated assertively

"I said no!" Harry screeched, turning on his heel and stalking to the bedroom.

He could only imagine how Uncle Vernon would react when Harry and four men turned up on his nice, normal doorstep to tell him that he was expecting a baby boy in September. His Uncle was more likely to try and hit the 'freakishness' out of his stomach with a baseball bat than accept the baby with open arms.

Hell why was his life so complicated? What had he ever done to deserve everything he went through? He hadn't asked to be related to the Dursleys, it wasn't his fault they didn't like him or his magic. He had tried to get on with them, had tried to do everything they asked, but it was an impossible task. The list that planned his entire day just got longer and longer the older he got.

He exhausted himself to the point of collapse trying to finish the list because he knew he would go hungry if he didn't finish it, but if he did actually manage to finish the list and gulp down his meagre dinner that was usually a thin slice of bread or the over boiled and soggy vegetables from the Dursleys dinner that Dudley hadn't touched, the next day there were several more things to do on the list and he went hungry when he found it impossible to finish it.

He had only really been hit a handful of times by his Uncle and a few times by his Aunt. But each one stood out vividly in his mind because of the circumstances leading to him being hit and how long it took him to recover from each one. Aunt Marge had only hit him twice, once with her walking stick when he was five and once when he was nine. Dudley had always hit him and it would probably always be his first reaction when seeing him, it was all his cousin knew.

Harry was adamant that he would not be going to the Dursleys whilst pregnant, nor would he ever endanger his baby son by taking him to the Dursley residence after his birth. He didn't care what his mates said, what measures they used to get his son or himself to go and 'visit' his so called relatives, he would never go back there now that he didn't have to.

Draco came into the bedroom and sat next to him on the settee underneath the platform that held their bed. The blonde sat close to him and wrapped an arm around his shoulders, pulling Harry to lean against his body. A light kiss was pressed to his temple and Harry sighed.

"There's a reason you don't want to see them isn't there?" Draco asked softly.

"We've never gotten on Draco. They just never understood magic or me. Anything different in their nice normal world was very unwelcome to them. I still remember when Mr Weasley blasted their fireplace across the living room."

Harry sighed as he remembered the summer after when he had seen them again. Uncle Vernon was still banging on about it, making up some story about the fireplace not working properly since the 'freaks' had destroyed it and had demanded an address so he could send a bill to Mr Weasley for the nice, new fireplace he had had to buy and have installed before Harry had come home from Hogwarts.

"I'm afraid of what they would do if I turned up heavily pregnant with four men. Uncle Vernon doesn't think very kindly of same sex relationships."

"Well surely they can be reasonable." Draco tried to sooth. "They wouldn't hit you or anything just because you're in a relationship with four men and certainly not when you're pregnant even if they don't approve."

Draco would never know how close to the nail head he had hit and Harry sighed tiredly.

"I don't know Draco. I don't know what they'd do and it's that that is keeping me from going. I will not endanger my son in any way just to appease my mates."

"We would never ask you to Harry, but they're your family, you've grown up with them. It…it escapes me that they would turn on you just for your choice in sexual partners."

"How can you say that when you had a Wife already lined up for marriage?"

"That's different. I'm a Pureblood; I have an obligation to my family, to my blood, to my line to provide a healthy male Heir to carry on the family name. Your family are Muggles, you have different last names, they already have a son to carry on their name, why would they care about your sexual orientation?"

"Because same sex relationships don't fall into their views of normal Draco, they're homophobic and they wouldn't accept it, family member or not, it's an irrational hatred, it has no logic."

Not to mention that they already hated him because of his magic. Harry sighed, why was his life so complicated?

Draco sighed and pulled Harry in tighter, wrapping his other arm around him and kissing Harry's cheek.

"I'll talk to the others love. You don't have to go, not when you're pregnant at least, we'll leave our son with someone and then go and speak to your relatives if you are so unsure of how they'll react, but you should know that not one of us would let them hurt you, pregnant or not."

"I don't want to see them Draco. I was ecstatic when Dumbledore told me that I didn't have to go back, that I'd be spending the summer with my mates and with my child. I'm happy knowing I don't have to go near them. We tolerated each other at best, we don't like each other, we're too different to ever see eye to eye."

"I don't understand your reasoning, but I'll respect it Harry. But I'm not sure the others will understand, especially not Max. He's very big into family and he won't understand at all why you wouldn't want to go and see them to tell them the amazing news."

"I know, but what can he do? Drag me kicking and screaming whilst I'm heavily pregnant?"

Draco smiled and stood up, pulling Harry to his feet and into a searing kiss.

"I think the rest of us would have something to say if he did try that love."

Harry smiled. He felt better with Draco's support. At least it wouldn't be just him against his mates whilst pregnant, he still had Draco and possibly Nasta and Blaise as well, but Harry already knew that Max wouldn't understand. His entire family adored him and he loved them right back. His Father, Myron, cuffed the back of his head now and then, but Max had assured them that his Father had never actually hurt him and had never made him bleed. A distinct difference between Myron and Uncle Vernon, Harry thought dispassionately, remembering all the times he had bled and been ignored or been hit and made to bleed.

* * *

The next week flew by, with the exams over for the sixth years and the Professors busy with the younger years Harry, Draco and Blaise were often left to their own devices as Max and Nasta went off to work.

Their days were spent mainly lounging around their rooms, talking, joking, playing and doing their own thing. Harry was often joined by Ginny and Hermione, much to Draco's displeasure.

Ginny and Hermione would gush over his expanding belly, Hermione giving him more knitted items and it was just as the school was about to give out for the summer that Harry felt the urge to organise his collection of baby clothes.

It happened quite suddenly as well, he had gone to the bathroom and on his way back to his mates in the living room, he had seen the several large boxes filled with baby clothes and things and had the urge to sort them out.

He had folded himself down onto the carpet and tipped out the first box, beginning to make piles for shirts, trousers, bodysuits, sleepsuits and socks, measuring them against each other to see if any were larger or smaller and putting them in their own separate piles if they were.

It had taken fifteen minutes for his mates to get worried and come looking for him. Surely he couldn't still be in the bathroom after nearly half an hour? They had found him on the floor surrounded by baby clothes.

"Harry, what are you doing Cariad?" Nasta asked softly, kneeling down to look him in the eye.

"I realised that none of the clothes are sorted out. I don't know what I have and what I don't have, what if I don't have enough bodysuits or enough shawls?"

"Nesting instincts." Max had stated with such a wide grin on his face that it made Harry pause for a moment.

Harry tipped out the third big box and smiled as he saw the cosy toes Hermione had knitted. He placed it in its own pile, it was the only one he had and the only one he would ever have. He loved it.

Harry looked at the piles he had and noticed that the majority of it was blinding white, there were a few pale lemon pieces and a few in sage green, but he had hardly any blue.

"I want blue things." He stated suddenly. "It's all too white. I want more things in blue."

"Mrs Weasley is knitting as fast as she can in blue Harry love." Max told him.

Harry just looked up from the pile of bibs he was holding and lowered an eyebrow in puzzlement.

"I want them now." Harry insisted. "Everything has to be ready, everything needs to be perfect."

"I'll get you some on my way home from work tomorrow cariad, is that soon enough?" Nasta asked gently.

Harry wanted to snap that no it wasn't soon enough, he wanted them now damn it! But he took a deep breath and nodded his head. He wasn't going to be unreasonable, he still had several large boxes to sort through and he still needed to sleep, tomorrow wasn't that far away after all.

* * *

Harry happily spent the next day writing out little recipe cards with Max's delighted help. He didn't even look at the clothes once. He had decided that when his baby was weaned, he was not going to feed his baby mass produced sludge in a jar. His baby would have completely organic, homemade food.

He enjoyed spending the day with Max debating on the best food to give their baby, the best way to cook it and in what quantities the baby needed the food. Harry sent Draco and Blaise out to buy a food processor from a Muggle shop. Neither were happy at all, but when Harry had started crying they had rushed to go and buy it.

Nasta brought home two carrier bags full of baby clothes and Harry happily snatched them from his mate and went digging through them. Nasta had brilliant taste in clothes, Harry observed with an approving smile at what Nasta had bought.

It was when Harry pulled on his oldest pair of jeans and his baggiest jumper that the four others began to really worry as Harry got down on his hands a knees with a bucket of soapy water and a sponge and started manually scrubbing the skirting boards.

Max and Nasta wrote to their parents and the very next day Ashleigh, Richard and Myron were back in their son's living quarters along with their youngest daughter Alayla, watching as Harry happily and vigorously scrubbed the inside of the kitchen cupboards having turfed all the food out onto the floor, much to Max's dismay.

"He…he just won't stop!" Max breathed in horror. "It was a civil war just getting him into bed last night. He starts the minute he wakes up and we have to wrestle him to bed at night, he has had an extra room tacked onto our bedroom, he says it's going to be the baby's nursery, he's repainted it twice already and there isn't even any furniture in there yet."

"He's just nesting Maximilius honey." Ashleigh told him as she watched Harry indulgently, remembering her own instincts.

"Caesar never had this trouble!"

"Amelle never had the urge to clean." Ashleigh answered. "Some women, or men in this case, feel the urge more strongly than others. I had it quite mildly on you, Caesar and Julinda, just a bit of sprucing up and making sure everything was where it was meant to be, but with Talia and Alayla, your Fathers weren't even allowed to wear shoes in their own home."

"Does this mean he'll be building a nest soon?" Alayla asked as she watched her oldest brother's partner use both hands to get a particularly stubborn spot of grime that only he could see.

"Possibly, but some pregnant people feel the urge to nest as early as their fourth month, it doesn't necessarily mean he's going into labour or that he's anywhere near giving birth."

"I would get him to where he is going to be giving birth soon though." Richard suggested his voice cracking and changing pitch halfway through his sentence, but the others were so used to it that they ignored it, Richard got upset when it was mentioned.

"He's due in September, he'll be here when he gives birth if he carries to term."

"I don't think he will carry to term." Myron observed as he watched his little son-in-law pitch out all of Max's carefully organised jars and tins with a swipe of his arm so he could start on the next cupboard.

"Why not?" Blaise asked curiously from his spot on the floor trying to decipher a particularly hard translation in the book he was reading, Nasta was over his shoulder an equally puzzled frown on his face, his lips moving silently as he tried to figure out the words written.

"Harry is very slender and the size of his waistband seems to indicate that he is reaching the point where he is going to be too big for his frame to support him." Myron explained as everyone looked to Harry's belly, which was pulling tight against the jumper he was wearing, which was also gaping at the neckline, showing a thin, pale shoulder and a lot of neck and chest and had had to be rolled back several times so his hands were free to do his cleaning.

Harry had ballooned in the last few weeks until he found it difficult to sit down and stand up without help and stairs were a serious problem as he could no longer see his own feet.

"So you think he'll have a summer baby?" Draco asked as he sipped his tea, his current novel closed and resting on the arm of the settee as he gave his attention politely to their guests.

"Almost definitely." Myron answered. "If he hasn't given birth by August I'll eat my own wings."

"Harry's birthday is the thirty-first of July. I hope we can celebrate it before he goes into his nest."

"Talia and I have a bet going on who will give birth first, Harry or the bitch."

"Alayla? Language young lady!" Ashleigh chastised.

"Sorry Mum, I meant to say Harry or Amelle, but the truth will always come out."

Richard started laughing and sent a secret wink at his youngest daughter, whilst Myron frowned at the both of them disapprovingly.

"You were brought up better Alayla." He said sternly. "We didn't teach you this sort of language and Richard you should know better than to encourage her."

"I'm with family aren't I? It's not like I'm in public saying it and Amelle is a bitch. I don't know what Caesar saw in her." Alayla defended.

Richard just shrugged and grinned cheekily at his lover, who gave out a long suffering sigh and quickly looked at Harry when glass smashed. Harry had started on a new cupboard.

"Harry! That was my only bottle of vinegar!" Max complained half-heartedly as he leapt up to see what Harry had broken this time.

"Sorry! I accidentally kicked it." Harry called back from deep within the cupboard.

Max unhappily waved his wand to vanish the glass shards lest Harry injure himself on them and waved it again to clean up the spill of acrid smelling vinegar before it made Harry feel sick.

"Why do you have to clean my cupboards?" Max asked for the fourth time that day. "I keep them very clean and well organised. I'm going to have to start all over again."

"Keep the top cupboard free." Harry called out as Max went about filling the cupboard Harry had finished with.

"Dare I ask why?" Max groused.

"For the baby bottles and food jars." Harry replied.

Max sighed and conceded that it was a good idea and unhappily moved his herbs and spices into the cupboard that housed the tins.

"I never thought I'd see my big brother Max so whipped he'd rearrange his kitchen." Alayla grinned.

"I'd rearrange everything if Harry wanted me to." Max stated, but it wasn't a happy statement, it would kill him to put everything in a different place than what he was used to, but he would do it none the less.

Harry crawled out of his current cupboard and over to Max to give him a long, lingering kiss.

"I'm sorry I'm messing everything up, but the cupboards need to be clean and I need the top cupboard for the bottles and things. I don't mean to be a pain in the arse, but I won't have any part of this place dirty."

Max sighed and cuddled Harry tightly, kissing that tiny nose making Harry giggle. Max let out an amused snort.

"You're too cute sometimes."

"I am not cute!" Harry defied venomously.

Max grinned wider and kissed Harry's cheek softly. "Get back in your cupboard."

Those words had an effect than none of them could have possibly imagined as all at once Harry's face drained of blood and went paler than a sheet, his eyes wide and horrified and he didn't seem to be breathing.

"Harry love?" Max questioned, placing a hand over Harry's forehead. "Has the nausea come back? Speak to me Harry!"

Nasta was there then picking Harry up, who flinched violently, his muscles tensed and quivering as Harry took in a harsh, rasping gasp of air, letting it out shakily before stopping breathing again.

"Harry?" Nasta asked, trying to get Harry's green, green eyes to focus on him. They didn't.

"Get Madam Pomfrey!" Max ordered Draco and Blaise, who were gone in seconds.

Harry was caught in a flashback of remembered pain and neglect. How many times in his life had he heard the phrase 'get back in your cupboard' or 'go to your cupboard!' The lonely days and longer nights that he had spent alone in isolation, listening to the happy family beyond the door, watching TV together, playing games, eating a family meal whilst he had been locked in a tiny cupboard, his stomach aching in hunger, his arms throbbing from cleaning every inch of the house and his little heart breaking as he begged yet again for someone to love him.

Madam Pomfrey was yelling as Draco carried her into the room. Max would have broken down crying in laughter as it looked like Draco had just picked her up and ran through the school with her with no explanation at all, except Harry was still pale, still trapped in whatever was happening to him, still not responding, the situation was too serious for laughter or jokes.

"What is the meaning of this?"

"It's Harry. He isn't responding."

Madam Pomfrey immediately turned into the medical professional she was, she cast a spell on Harry to see if he was being influenced by outside sources and her test came back negative. She cast a number of other tests and sighed.

"From what I can tell Harry is having a memory flashback. Can you remember what was said or what happened?"

"He was cleaning the cupboards; he's been having nesting instincts for the last week." Nasta informed as he cradled Harry's quivering form.

"I was joking around and I told him to get back in his cupboard, he went like this just after." Max added.

"It is likely that that comment had some effect on Harry's delicate mental state, he is caught in a memory that possibly links to that sentence."

"Will he be alright?"

"I believe he'll be fine once he snaps out of the memory. Just lay him down and let him sort through what he needs to, it could be completely unrelated or something similar but not the same, he could be remembering a childhood punishment of being sent to his bedroom that he hasn't thought about in years."

"But why would this happen?" Ashleigh asked, indicating to Harry.

"It could be a side effect to his pregnancy, it could be a surprising link that Harry wasn't expecting, it could be anything."

"Is there anything we can do?"

"He should snap out of it on his own, but if he doesn't within ten minutes, put him under a sleeping spell."

"He hasn't eaten." Blaise fretted.

"He should be fine overnight, just give him a big breakfast if he isn't feeling sick."

"Thank you Madam Pomfrey." Blaise said softly as he watched Harry sadly.

It took only three, very tense, minutes for Harry to take in a huge, gasping breath and to shake his head. He blinked languidly as he peered about, being faintly shocked as all of his mates clamoured him and began asking him how he felt.

"I…fine. What's wrong?" He asked confusedly.

"You had a memory flashback." Draco explained cautiously, as if the mere mention of it would send Harry back into the flashback.

"Oh." Harry frowned as he realised what had happened. He swallowed and hoped he could play it off as something other than a fear of being locked in a cupboard.

"I don't think you should go back near the cupboard Harry." Max said seriously.

"No, I was done anyway. I need to wash the walls next."

"How are you going to wash the walls? You don't reach halfway up them."

"I'm a wizard." Harry told them slowly. "I'll just levitate the sponge."

"Not today you won't." Nasta exclaimed strongly. "You can start cleaning again tomorrow, but for the rest of today you rest."

"I was only caught in a memory Nas. It's not like I fell over or hurt myself." Harry complained even as he made himself comfortable on the settee, he didn't want to be punished, least of all in front of Max's family.

"Just to be sure." Nasta told him as he picked up the blanket from the back of the settee and covered Harry with it, tucking him in and laying a loving kiss to his brow.

Harry sighed, but snuggled down in his little bed and let his body relax. His mates had no idea why he had had his little memory meltdown, they weren't asking questions…yet and they seemed to be more worried as to how he was now than to what had caused his little meltdown in the first place. He just hoped it stayed that way, he had hidden too much from them, had hidden everything away, he had kept it all a secret for too long to have them find out now. He couldn't let them find out about what the Dursleys were _really_ like.

* * *

Thanks to **Zept** for being my **3,300th reviewer**.

To** TwilightForever**: The first two males born to each mate will keep their biological Father's last name to carry on that bloodline. The females are going to be married to another male, so they have the family's married hyphenated name until they are married themselves. The little boy that Ashleigh had lost would also have been Maddison-Seppen even though his Father was Myron, because Myron's Heir is Maximilius who already has his name and will carry on the family line, they only need one Heir to each line.

To **Cthullu**:Excuse me? Who the HELL do you think you are? What, did it take you thirty chapters until you decided that you didn't like it? Or are you one of those disgustingly single minded nut jobs that see the words 'slash' and 'Mpreg' in a summary and decide to leave such an appalling review? People like you are disgraces to this website, all others like it and to writers in general you closed minded, unimaginative spoon.

To **Sable Scribe:** Blaise, Draco or Max will not be able to get pregnant. They don't have the child bearing gene that Harry was born with. If Harry had been born without this gene then he would have been a dominant Dracken because he wouldn't be able to bear children. It is speculated in the Dracken world that all submissive male Drackens are baby boys who would have been wizards capable of male pregnancy if they hadn't become Drackens.

To **RaeNSesshy4life**: Regulus didn't have a normal meeting and because he already liked Severus before he came into his inheritance, his mate meeting was a bit like Harry's first meeting, only he didn't have to pretend about anything. His meeting lasted a few hours, in which only very few dominants managed to get to him. It's not that he's not remembered as a submissive, just that he's dead and forgotten as he was never introduced to the Dracken circles like Harry.

To **Aryes**: Max is thirty-one and is considered 'old' by submissive Dracken standards because a submissive choosing for themselves is only sixteen and as Dumbledore explained in chapter seven, a young, pretty submissive would rather chose a young, handsome, but cruel dominant over an older, kinder dominant because of vanity. The parents of said child will understand a bit more that younger doesn't mean better so Gertrude was pushing her daughter onto Max because she knows Max will be a good dominant regardless of age. Gertrude doesn't care how old her daughter's mate will be, she just wants her youngest child to be happily mated to a kind, loving man.

To **DefineNightmare**: Drackens can live to be about three hundred and fifty. Drackens who have lost their mates tend to commit suicide unless they have children, then they'll carry on to protect their children, of course there are the rare selfish ones who would commit suicide regardless of any children, who would then be brought up by family members. Otherwise their lifespans are not affected by mate's deaths, though unmated dominants tend to go crazy and again will end up killing themselves or being executed for dangerously unstable behaviour that threatens the lives of other Drackens.

Sanex is a magical human.

If the child is a Dracken then Dracken blood will help them heal, but most parents won't bother as really the only injuries a child will get with such overprotective parents are skinned knees and Dracken blood won't help much there. If the child is human, whether magical or not, then Dracken blood will have no effect whatsoever.

Dominant male Drackens can get females and males pregnant, but they are the only ones of the Dracken species that can get humans pregnant. Dominant females can't get non-Dracken females pregnant nor can they be impregnated by human males, male submissives can't be impregnated by human males and submissive females can't be impregnated by human males.

I haven't really thought about posting the Dracken book up because really it started as a guide for myself so I didn't forget anything. I think when the story is done I'll post it so I don't inadvertently give anything away.

To **Deirdre Mayfair**: All-female mates can't get pregnant on a heat because the heat is an instinct based time period and getting a female pregnant by another female needs time, practise and logical thought. Something which can't be garnered from a heat. When Blaise was speaking about Dracken conception all he said was that their body temperatures had to be raised to one hundred and ten degrees, this is easily achievable for the female couples through warming charms or even a soak in a bath or hot tub as Drackens absorb heat easier than humans and find it more comfortable. Yes Harry can get pregnant without the heat period, but it will still take heat to get him pregnant so most couples wouldn't bother as Harry finds it uncomfortable enough during his heat period, let alone putting his body through something similar to the heat when he still needs to have a heat, if that makes sense. Harry has a heat every two months, that won't change unless he's pregnant. So imagine he has his heat, he feels like he's burning, melting, being boiled, why would he put himself through something similar again outside of his heat? Harry will have no problem getting pregnant on a heat, so he wouldn't bother, a female couple will have no choice if they want children so they'd suffer through it.

I don't think Max sees it like that. Max has had sex with Harry enough that he is sated; it doesn't matter to him whether it is on or off heat, none of them are having sex with Harry at the moment because he is heavily pregnant and Harry isn't feeling like sex, he's more interested in the baby, when the baby is born then the subject of sex will be broached again.

To **xXCherryLicorice Xx**: Harry threatened to kill the next person who slapped his bum, so everyone but Seamus stopped, but then Harry was never going to kill Seamus and Seamus probably knew that.

To **WyrdSmith**: Madam Pomfrey hasn't mentioned Harry's malnutrition because she doesn't know. All the times Harry has been to the infirmary he has been for specific things that she sees and heals. She hasn't actively looked for malnutrition so she hasn't found it. She has a school full of children to attend to, she doesn't just look at one and say, oh, he/she looks malnourished and as Harry is now eating properly courtesy of Max, he probably isn't that malnourished anymore and any abnormalities could be passed off as his pregnancy.

To **hope**: This story is set in Britain, Harry Potter is British and J. K. Rowling is British, so therefore the age of sexual consent is sixteen and no it isn't illegal here so Harry's mates couldn't go to jail as they aren't doing anything illegal.

Draco did not commit first degree murder. He killed a Dracken which is within his rights as a Dracken to protect himself, his children and his mate.

This is a fictional story and it isn't real and still only Blaise and Draco would go to a juvenile detention facility for murder as they are both under the age of eighteen and can't be tried as adults, so therefore can't go to jail, because if it was real once again they are in Britain and the age of sexual consent here is sixteen so Max and Nasta are doing nothing wrong. But thankfully it _isn't _real and is just a story about a magical species which follow different laws to humans, so the laws haven't gone out of the window; they are just following different laws, like Britain has different laws to America. So once again you have been proven wrong, please stop harping on at this line of thought because it has absolutely no basis in my Fanfiction and Ron has no place in this story except to be the jackass he always has been.

To **Andrea Readwolf**: The Ministry notified the Dursleys simply because Harry is the defeater of Voldemort and they can't imagine anyone not being happy about their saviour having a child. They wanted to send their own personal congratulations to keep on the 'good side' of their saviour, not knowing what his home life is like or his childhood. They don't realise what a mistake they made by contacting the Dursleys and telling them about his child.

The younger mates still have a year left in school, so they probably won't get their own home until the year after, until then they'll be staying in Max's house as it's bigger than Nasta's apartment. They haven't discussed it yet, but they will soon enough.

To **Poppy2121**: Regulus didn't have a normal meeting and because he already liked Severus before he came into his inheritance, his mate meeting was a bit like Harry's first meeting, only he didn't have to pretend about anything. His meeting lasted a few hours, in which only very few dominants managed to get to him. It's not that he's not remembered as a submissive; just that he didn't meet very many dominants and was forgotten as he was never introduced to the Dracken circles like Harry.

To **Jessi: **Yes the dominants can have sex outside of heat if they want to. It hasn't been in the story yet, but it will be.

To** alwayslove: **Harry will never willingly tell his mates about his childhood, but they do find out and quite soon.

**alinemcb54**: The Dursleys come to Kings Cross station after saying that they wouldn't for the same reason they turned up every year to pick Harry up and why Petunia can't bring herself to rip up Harry's toddler drawings, the compulsion charm Harry accidentally weaved around them when he was a baby. They don't want to pick him up, but they find themselves doing it anyway, Petunia wants to rip up Harry's drawings, but she can't, they want to dismantle the little nest bed they gave to Harry for the first ten years of his life, but they can't, because they were Harry's, Harry's cupboard, Harry's drawings, Harry's little broken soldiers and they could beat him senseless and starve him and hate him, but they couldn't get rid of him.

If I have missed any of you I'm sorry, just send me a message and I'll get back to you.

StarLight Massacre. X


	32. Teaching Techniques

A/N: The explicit scene in this chapter will seem strange and choppy because it's been edited and the scenes deleted, you can find links for the missing scenes in my profile.

_Last Time_

_Harry sighed, but snuggled down in his little bed and let his body relax. His mates had no idea why he had had his little memory meltdown, they weren't asking questions…yet and they seemed to be more worried as to how he was now than to what had caused his little meltdown in the first place. He just hoped it stayed that way, he had hidden too much from them, had hidden everything away, he had kept it all a secret for too long to have them find out now. He couldn't let them find out about what the Dursleys were __**really**__ like._

Chapter Thirty-Two – Teaching Techniques

Harry was nervously sitting on the settee that he so loved, a cup of ginger tea in his hands. He had had a bout of sickness that morning and he was hoping the ginger would calm his stomach some.

His nausea was more of a nervous thing than a pregnancy thing. It was the fifth of June, Draco's seventeenth birthday, the elder Malfoys had held off their visit until now so that they could see their son on his coming of age birthday whilst Lucius Malfoy tied up some loose ends in work.

Max was sitting with him, Nasta opposite, they had both taken the day off of work for Draco's birthday, something which had touched the blonde as he had woken up to a pile of presents and breakfast in bed courtesy of Max.

When Draco had gotten a note with a solid gold and diamond wristwatch that his parents would be coming to see him and his chosen partners in person that afternoon he had looked at all four of them with dread. They had naturally asked what was wrong and Draco had told them. It was only Harry that was worried. Blaise didn't need to worry about a thing, he was Pureblooded and had known the elder Malfoys for years, Max's Father, Myron was a very big political figure in the wizarding world and had met Lucius Malfoy on several occasions, along with Max, whom the blonde seemed to at least tolerate if not like and Nasta was a Full-blooded Dracken, though his family claimed Fae and Valkyrie blood over Dracken as Faes and Valkyries were still legal in Britain, but he was still a Pureblooded magical creature that could stretch back generations, it was only Harry who was a Half-blood and the elder Malfoys didn't know that he had been invited back into the Pureblood circles…not yet.

Harry swallowed and took a shaky sip of his cooling tea, laying a steadying hand on his baby bump. He was now very, very big and walking had become a slight problem. Max was teasing the others by saying that the baby couldn't be anyone else's but his from the sheer size of the bump Harry carried; Harry knew that most of the bump was water weight and that the baby would be lucky if he was five pounds in weight. Not that Harry was complaining about having a baby that was five pounds, it was better than having a baby so small he wouldn't survive, but he had hoped for a seven pound baby, which with his body size had probably been too much to ask for.

A smart, curt knock on the portrait door had Harry letting out a small 'eep' and crawling, with difficulty, over Max and huddling into his other side, the one farthest from the door, as Draco strode purposefully to the portrait door and swung it open.

Harry caught a glimpse of two people with long blonde hair and ducked behind Max again. Max chuckled and threw a casual arm around Harry's neck and held him closely, protectively as Draco greeted his parents, who remarked on how well he looked.

"I have been very happy these past few months." Draco told them with a genuine smile which seemed to surprise them.

"I…I don't think I have seen you smile that way since you were six years old." Narcissa Malfoy exclaimed in slight shock.

"I have reason to smile Mother." Draco bowed his parents into the room and the elder Malfoys stopped as they surveyed the three other men in the room. None of them looked pregnant at all.

"If you would like to introduce us, Draco." Lucius Malfoy drawled slowly as he surveyed the room with narrowed eyes. If any one of these men were tricking his son into a relationship he would hold no reservations over teaching them a lesson with a few select curses. No one messed with a Malfoy and absolutely no one messed around with his only son.

"Of course Father, Mother. You no doubt remember Blaise?" Draco indicated the tall, slender man.

Lucius Malfoy nodded in polite acknowledgement whilst Narcissa offered a pale hand, which Blaise took, bowed over and kissed the back off like an old English gentleman as Harry watched. Oh shit if there was a certain protocol to this then he'd be completely stumped.

"This is Nasta Tabrien Delericey." Draco indicated next to Blaise, where Nasta rolled to his feet in such an elegant, graceful move it caught Harry's breath in his throat.

"Delericey?" Lucius Malfoy questioned in calculated surprise. "Your bloodline has creature blood in it."

"Yes it does." Nasta answered shortly, but politely, not elaborating.

Nasta stuck his hand out to Mister Malfoy and the older man stared at the appendage for a fraction of a second, before his own hand inched forward and curled around Nasta's larger one. They shook hands before Nasta turned and took Mrs Malfoy's hand and kissed it briefly.

"Draco dear, you said that one of your…partners was expecting a baby." Narcissa coaxed as she looked at the three men before her, trying to find one of them which could possibly be pregnant, they all looked so big, so muscled and from Draco's letter his partner should be at least five, six months pregnant by now. None in this room looked the type to be a male carrier.

"Yes, five months pregnant with a baby boy." Draco's voice was so proud, so happy.

"Where is this five month pregnant partner, Draco?" Lucius asked.

Draco indicated the third and final man, he was the biggest, most muscled and his perfectly flat stomach was crunched by his posture as he sat curled in the settee. He was not five months pregnant.

"Just what is going on here?" Lucius hissed in icy fury. Whichever one of these men had cursed his son into believing he was going to be a Father to a non-existent baby was going to pay.

"This is Max and Harry." Draco introduced.

"You have named the child Harry?" Narcissa asked warily.

"What?" Draco asked confusedly. "No, we have yet to name the baby. Harry wishes to wait for the birth before we name him."

"I believe Mister Malfoy, Mrs Malfoy, that my position has caused some confusion." Max explained deeply as he stood to his feet. "I am Maximilius Diadesen Madison."

"Myron Madison's oldest son." Lucius nodded stiffly. "I recognised you from the last time we met."

Max smiled a bit forcedly as he turned and indicated the heavily pregnant boy-man behind him. "This is Harry."

"Draco, you said you only had three partners." Narcissa pointed out as she tried to come to terms with having four son-in-laws, no daughter-in-law, not even three son-in-laws anymore, but four.

"When I wrote that letter to you and Father Mother, there were only three; Nasta joined us not too long after I sent the letter."

"Is that Potter?" Lucius demanded through partially gritted teeth, his hands flexing as more and more twists confused him and angered him.

Draco swallowed as he realised things weren't exactly going to plan. He knew that his parents would be shocked and probably angry over him having Harry Potter as a sexual partner, but he had hoped that said Harry Potter being pregnant, possibly with the Malfoy Heir, would be enough to at least make them think about the idea first.

"That is my pregnant partner." Draco answered coolly. "Harry may be carrying the Malfoy Heir and even if he isn't this time, he's the only one who could possibly do so as I refuse to be with another. I'm happy with Harry; happy with all of them Father and you won't take that away from me."

"I think your Father is just shocked dear." Narcissa Malfoy cut in delicately as she laid a hand on her Husband's shoulder. "We were terribly shocked to hear you were in a relationship with three other men, to find out that three has now become four and that the last person we would have thought you would be in a relationship with is Harry Potter." Narcissa shook her blonde hair. "I think we may need some time and perhaps some Earl Grey tea to get our heads around the idea."

Narcissa sat herself primly on the settee adjacent to the one Harry was sitting on with Max and Lucius regally sat next to her, diligently avoiding even so much as looking in Harry's direction. He talked politely with Max about his Father, whilst Blaise and Narcissa talked about how his Mother was doing with Josiah, her new Husband, it seemed that he was the longest running Husband to date, except for Maximiliano.

Draco served the tea, making sure to give Harry his in person and give him a loving kiss to the lips as his parents watched, though nothing obscene or too lingering. Draco's hands did however linger on his large stomach, caressing and stroking it.

Harry smiled and indicated with his eyes the photos on the mantel piece. Every one of his mates had had a photo taken with Harry and his pregnant belly and in the opposite side of the photo frame was the most clear of the scan photos. Max had thought it a brilliant idea to take his to work to show off, he had come home laden down with so many presents from his work colleagues that he had fallen over the rug and split open his chin. Nasta had mended the split in minutes and had decided, with a small smile, that his would remain on the work desk in the corner of the room that he had taken over. Blaise's was on the bedside table and Draco's was on the mantel piece, Harry had gifted his picture of his pregnant self and the scan photo to Mrs Weasley, who had written back a tearstained letter thanking him profusely.

Draco took the photo down and handed it to his parents, Lucius Malfoy stared at the happiness he could see in both boys as his son held Potter in his arms and hugged that large stomach to himself. He tried not to think that that belly could be carrying the future of his line.

"The baby looks adorable Draco." Narcissa commented as the silence stretched for longer than socially acceptable. "Are you having a hard pregnancy Pot…Harry?"

"I don't know. This is my first pregnancy." Harry replied snidely.

Draco sighed as if he had known it was coming. But really what had he expected? Harry thought. Narcissa was making more of an effort than her Husband, who had yet to look at him, but it wasn't much more effort, it was clear to him that she would prefer all of the other three to be with Draco than just him on his own.

"Harry is having a relatively easy time of his pregnancy Mother." Draco told her, sipping his own tea, trying to salvage the situation. Too bad Harry was now in a vile mood.

"You try sticking your head down the toilet every morning and see what an easy time you have of it! Not to mention the miscarriage scare, yeah I'm having a breeze with it!" Harry hissed. Max placed a hand on the top of his head, his fingers spread, not yet clenching into a fist, a warning to watch his mouth.

"I am sorry to hear you are still suffering from morning nausea." Lucius told him smoothly, looking into the depths of his tea cup. Harry's hands clenched in anger.

"I'll just bet you are."

Max's hand closed into a tight fist, pulling his hair tight to his scalp and Harry's fingertips ached to reform into claws, to swipe at his mate until he let go. He was however still considerate of Draco, who had yet to tell his parents that he and his…_partners_ were magical creatures, though Nasta was already out as a magical creature, just the wrong one.

Max picked him up and he was carried through to the bedroom, Harry remained silent as he glared sullenly at Max's shirt. There was a triangle wedge of flesh showing at the top of the shirt where the top two buttons were undone. Max had an amazing chest.

Max sat on the bed and cradled Harry like a baby so they were looking at each other.

"What's wrong Harry? Why are you ruining Draco's chance at getting his parents to accept all of us?"

"Because I don't think they will accept me. You, Nasta and Blaise have no problems; the baby has a better chance at being accepted than I do."

"And that makes you jealous?"

"It makes me sad and upset, so I hide behind anger."

Max sighed and held him closer.

"I don't like being rejected Max, I hate not being accepted, it makes me think back to…"

Harry cut himself off abruptly as he realised what he was about to say, what he had been about to admit. He took in as deep a breath as he could, held the almost painful amount of air in his lungs, before blowing it out in a harsh sigh.

"Back to when Harry?" Max asked him, looking at him with a piercing gaze from those gorgeous blue eyes. Harry hoped that when he and Max had a baby, that that baby would take Max's eyes.

"To primary school." Harry partially lied quickly. It hadn't been what he had been about to say, but it was still true, he hadn't been accepted in primary school.

"What happened?" Max asked softly, coaxingly.

All of his mates had been trying to pry information from him since his major mess up with the cupboard incident. It had made them realise that they knew next to nothing about his home life and they began asking questions, hard, awkward questions that were difficult to answer without downright lying to them, something which Harry had vehemently decided not to do.

"I was the little odd kid." Harry answered eventually. "Small, shy, a bit of a geek really. I liked reading and often spent a lot of time in the library. I only went there in the first place because they poked fun at me because of my hair and my glasses."

Max smiled softly, he loved the photo that Harry had shown them of an eleven year old Harry arm in arm with the traitor Ron and the girl Hermione, who was growing on him slightly. She was a bit like a fungus, always there, always noticeable, but not always appreciated. But he had gone on a tangent, Harry had looked so sweet, so shyly endearing in his large, baggy jumper, round framed glasses and cheeky grin. He would have loved to see Harry in those glasses, but Harry had told them that he had happily snapped them in two when he had come into his inheritance. He supposed that fourteen years practically blind and dependant on them had empowered Harry when he no longer needed them to see.

"Children can be very cruel without really meaning it." Max told him gently. "Blunt to the bone and as unforgiving as a scorned woman."

Harry huffed out a breath and smiled. Max was relieved to see that smile. He hated seeing Harry upset, and hearing that his tiny mate had been bullied in primary school pulled at every protective tendon in his body. Though it was long past and he knew he couldn't really attack a bunch of kids for past mistakes, he still longed to.

Harry knew just how cruel children could be; he had spent his life living with the biggest, meanest, cruellest kid in Surrey. Dudley and his friends had made his childhood a nightmare that couldn't be escaped by simply waking up.

"I used to love, yet hate school all at once. Once upon a time I used to love learning, used to love reading and writing, yet I hated the other kids with their jeers and taunts, their kicks and punches, one girl used to pull my hair, a boy used to bite me every time he saw me. I retreated into myself, into books, but once the other kids realised I wasn't hiding in a far corners of the playground and was actually in the library, they tattled on me, we weren't allowed in the library during break times. I was banned from the library and it was about then that I just stopped caring. I didn't care about learning; I didn't care about books or school. It wasn't long after that I found out I was a wizard and came here. My mind set didn't really change. I mean it was interesting to learn magic and to practise spells, but my passion for reading just never flared again, now I'd rather burn a book than read it."

Max held Harry close as his heart ached. That Harry had been driven from his love of reading by other children saddened him. He twisted his body around and reclined against the pillows. He let Harry wriggle around until the entire lengths of their bodies were pressed together. He picked up a book from the pile on the shared bedside table accidentally knocking something that belonged to someone else onto the floor, really there weren't enough bedsides for them to have a table each, but it was a nice, fleeting thought. Max sighed as he rolled with a complaining Harry, reaching down to pick up what he had knocked off and replacing it on its precarious position on the corner of the bedside table.

Harry was confused as to what was happening until Max opened the book to the first page and started reading aloud. He smiled and chuckled softly so he didn't disturb the story. He settled down to listen as Max's deep voice read the story, his voice changing tone or pitch as he spoke the lines of the different characters, his tone inflecting excitement or sorrow at the situations and Harry hoped that this wasn't just a one off experience.

He fell asleep holding his belly. Max stopped reading as the soft sleeping noises reached him. He bookmarked the page and just lay on the bed holding Harry as he slept peacefully. He entertained the thought of joining Harry in sleep but a commotion from the other room pulled a sigh from his throat.

He rolled Harry onto his other side and gave him the body pillow that Harry now needed to sleep properly on his side due to the baby bump. He tucked Harry in and jogged as quietly and as quickly as he could into the living room as the ruckus grew louder.

"What is going on here?" He demanded as he looked from Draco to his Father, who were both red faced and angry. "Harry has just fallen asleep. He and the baby need rest."

"Excuse me for disturbing precious Potter's sleep after finding out my only son is a creature!" Lucius Malfoy breathed harshly.

"That is my mate you are speaking ill of." Max growled.

"All of you?" Narcissa breathed, pressing a hand to her breast, looking at Blaise in particular.

Blaise shrugged. "Mother is a Dracken as well. Father too."

"My entire family are Drackens." Nasta spoke.

"My Mother and Fathers are, only my brother and I are Drackens out of my siblings." Max stated a tad harshly.

"But my son. _My son_!"

"I am sorry that I wasn't born human enough for you Father, but I am what I am. You knew, you _knew_ when you married Mother that there was a chance that I could be a Dracken, that any child you had with her could be a Dracken. Harry and I get our Dracken blood from the same ancestor, Cygnus Black. You knew that there was Dracken blood in the Black lines before I was even conceived so don't act like it's a surprise to you now!"

"You gave no indication that you were a magical creature!" Lucius hissed. "A year, an entire year that you have known where I have not!"

"Is that all that is bothering you?" Nasta asked softly, before anyone could say anything else.

"Yes it bothers me! My son was a magical creature for an entire year and didn't see fit to tell me!"

"In his defence Draco didn't know how you would react." Max stated as he strode forward and placed a supporting hand on Draco's broad shoulder. "He was afraid of disownment and abandonment when he had no other place to go. It was only since he found us, that he became part of our family and was assured a place to stay should things take a turn for the worse that he grew enough courage to tell you."

Lucius Malfoy looked about fit to burst when Narcissa placed a calming hand on her Husband's shoulder.

"I think it best if we left to calm down; we expect to see you this summer Draco darling." Narcissa held up a hand when it looked like her son was about to speak. "I know your…mate, is pregnant and that Dracken pregnancies only last a maximum of seven months, but we still expect to see our son. You should have known better than to have thought we would disown you over this, it isn't like you are a diseased creature like a werewolf or a vampire, Drackens are a perfectly acceptable creature to have in a blood line, as you have said we knew there was a chance that you could be a Dracken, but when you displayed no signs of having a creature inheritance after your sixteenth birthday we thought we knew that you hadn't had one, to hear now that you had hid such an important and large part of your life from us hurts Draco. We need time to come to terms with what has happened and the large amount of information that has been bestowed upon us; I hope you enjoy the rest of your birthday."

Draco watched as his parents left his private rooms and he swallowed back the emotion that was trying to build up in the back of his throat. He felt blank, empty, like something should have been there but it wasn't. Max wrapped his arms comfortingly around Draco and kissed his neck.

"It's alright Draco love. Everything's alright."

Draco bit his tongue to stop any sound from coming out of his mouth and almost lost his grip on his emotions when Max turned him around and held him to his chest, there were only three inches difference in their heights, but at that moment Draco felt about two feet tall and Max seemed huge and safe and comforting.

Nasta held him from behind and Blaise wormed his way into the middle with him, holding him just like the only other time his best friend had had to hold him, when the Dark Lord had threatened to kill his Mother and Father when his Aunt Bellatrix and her Husband had taken refuge in their home.

* * *

Harry woke up groggy and uncomfortable; he hated sleeping during the day. He crawled out of the bed, keeping a death grip on the bedside table when he stumbled slightly.

He made his way down the narrow stairs on his bum, he didn't want to risk walking, from there he went into the bathroom and from there he went to the living room.

"Why didn't you call one of us?" Draco demanded as soon as he walked through the door. "What if you had fallen down the stairs?"

"I went down on my bum." Harry said, still too groggy to fight or argue as he collapsed on Blaise and curled around his lover.

Blaise smiled and kissed him gently. "Did you have a good sleep Mio amore?"

Harry nodded and snuggled in tighter as Blaise wrapped his arms tighter around him, before diving back into his discussion with Nasta about languages. Blaise was very impressed by how many languages Nasta could read, write and speak in.

"It was my Father's fault." Nasta said fondly. "He works out of the country often and when we were little he took us with him, I was always very interested in foreign languages, I wanted to know what everyone around me was saying, Dad told me that if I wanted to know so badly then I should take the time to learn the language."

"So you did."

Nasta nodded with a small smile on his lips. "Since I have gotten older, I've grown a certain…preference for obscure or ancient languages. Ones that are hard to learn or are not well known or used."

"I can speak fluently in French, which is my fist language…"

"I thought Italian was your first language?" Harry piped up from his place tucked under Blaise's arm, lying against his chest.

"No. French is my first language, though really I learnt French and English at the same time, but I learnt the French words first as that was where I was living. It was only when I found out my Father and his family were Italian that I asked my Mother to teach me. My reasoning was that if they knew I was committed to them enough to learn their language than they would come and meet me, they never did. I doubt they even know I learnt Italian just for them."

Harry moved his arms to wrap around Blaise and held him comfortingly.

"It's alright Blaise. At least you can use the languages you know. Unlike me."

"What do you mean?" Nasta asked with an expression of eagerness on his face. "Do you know an obscure language Harry?"

"Oh it's definitely obscure, rare, ancient and very little known."

"What is it?" Nasta asked, almost on the edge of his seat, leaning towards Harry with such a look on his face Harry couldn't bear to tease him anymore.

"Parseltongue. You must have heard that I'm a Parselmouth."

"It isn't well known Harry." Blaise told him as Nasta looked like he would either faint or possibly orgasm.

"You can speak Parseltongue?" Nasta asked weakly.

"Speak it, hear it, understand it, I don't know if I can write it though, but then I've never tried."

"You mean you can speak with snakes?" Max asked as he popped over to them with a tea tray of cups for them.

"Yep. Got it from Voldemort, Dumbledore and I had hoped that when he died, the ability would disappear with him, but it didn't. I guess once you're a Parselmouth, you're always a Parselmouth, I mean it's very hard to forget it once you know it."

"Please teach me." Nasta begged. "I'll be an attentive student; I swear I'll learn to the best of my capabilities."

"I don't know if I can." Harry replied sincerely, looking at Nasta's devastated face with a pain in his heart. "I didn't even know I was a Parselmouth until I was told. It sounds like English to me, but I can try."

Nasta's smile was sun shaming and Harry felt his stomach clench as he carefully eased himself up and moved to sit next to Nasta, only to be pulled down onto his mate's lap and cuddled and kissed. Harry chuckled and kissed Nasta's stubbled cheek.

"Here Harry." Max handed him a cup of honey tea, exactly how he liked it and Harry kissed Max gently.

"Thank you Maxie."

Max rolled his eyes fondly at the nickname. He went back to his kitchen that was perfectly organised once more after Harry had demolished the cupboards; only the top cupboard was left empty for Harry to store the baby bottles when they came back after the summer holidays, which would be starting next week.

Harry hadn't felt any more urges to dismantle anything or organise baby clothes, he was feeling mellow and calm. Like he had all the time in the world, like there was nothing he needed to do, so he was taking advantage of it and doing nothing.

"Right Nas, first thing I need is a snake. I've never been able to do it without a real snake."

"You want us to let a real snake near you and the baby?" Draco asked.

"Not a venomous one. Just a real snake or a picture that looks life like, just something that looks like a bloody snake."

"I have a snake in my lab." Max answered. "I use the shed skin in my potions."

"That one will do." Harry said with a smile.

Max grinned and with a blown kiss to them all he left the room and went to go and get his snake. Harry would always appreciate that his mates would do such things for him. He vowed that he would return the favour for them.

Max didn't take long at all and within twenty minutes he was back, holding a small carrying case. He put it on the coffee table and opened it, extracting a small, dull brown snake.

Harry held it and cooed at it until it sleepily opened his eyes, they were a bright yellow.

"_Hello there."_ Harry cooed ignoring the gasps and jumps his mates gave.

"_You are not the same as me."_ Was what the little snake replied, his tongue flicking in and out rapidly, tasting Harry's scent.

"_No, I can just speak to snakes."_

The snake coiled around his wrist and began exploring him, his dry scales rubbing against Harry's smooth skin.

"This is amazing." Nasta breathed as he listened and watched, taking in how Harry's mouth and tongue moved when speaking.

"It seems very difficult to speak." Blaise commented. "Almost unnatural in the way your mouth moves."

Harry cocked his head to the side. "I never noticed before, it's as natural as breathing to me."

"I wonder if the baby will gain the ability of Parseltongue." Draco put in. "The ability is supposedly passed down through the genes, but you didn't gain the ability through genes, so would our children?"

"Huh, I'm not sure. We'll have to wait and see." Harry replied as he laughed at the snake, who was insulting the loud, fleshy mammals.

"What is it saying?" Nasta asked interestedly.

"He. He's very funny really, in a sarcastic way. He thinks you're all loud, fleshy mammals."

"I supposed it would be impossible to understand Parseltongue, but I would be content to just learn how to speak it, other's wouldn't know that I can't actually understand the language, you are probably one of a handful of Parselmouths left in the world."

"I think that just me and Voldemort were the only ones in Britain." Harry stated as he played with the little snake, yawning before taking a deep drink of tea.

Nasta cuddled him and his hands rested on his baby bump, smiling widely as the baby fluttered against his palms.

One hand came up and rested over Harry's lips as he talked and Harry gave a part annoyed, part curious look to Nasta.

"It's how I pick up languages so quickly. Feeling the movement of the mouth as it speaks, it is a trick toddlers use to pronounce words properly. I use it so I can feel how the mouth moves on each syllable so I can recreate it."

Harry turned back to conversing with the snake, Nasta's hand over his mouth, not restricting his breathing, not even pressing hard, but it was there, touching his mouth. Harry tried not to think too hard on how many people's mouths Nasta had placed the same hand over.

It took an hour until Nasta felt confident enough to try speaking just one word and Harry strived his absolute hardest to stop his laughter as the one word came out mangled and indistinct.

"How did I do?" Nasta asked.

"Not bad for a first try." Harry encouraged. "Try it again. _Open_."

"_Open what?"_ The small brown snake asked irritably.

Harry grinned, before giving his undivided attention to Nasta, whose mouth worked exceedingly hard to form the one, single, simple word.

Nasta once again failed to grasp the one word, but he seemed determined to get it right as he once again had Harry say 'open' with his hand over his mouth.

"There are no complicated sounds in Parseltongue." Harry said. "It's all soft, flowing words, no matter how harsh they may sound."

Harry grinned as inspiration struck and he peeled Nasta's hand from his mouth and pressed his lips lightly to Nasta's once again saying 'open'.

"I want to learn Parseltongue as well." Max informed him as he watched them with burning eyes as they remained lip locked, speaking against the other's lips.

"_Open." _Harry hissed against Nasta's mouth.

"_Open"_ Nasta hissed back, slightly sloppily and a tad imperfect, but Harry threw his arms around his oldest mate and kissed him in pride.

"Well done Nas!"

Nasta grinned in pride and self-accomplishment.

"It didn't sound the same as what you said." Blaise stated curiously.

"It was never going to." Nasta replied. "I am not a natural speaker and Parseltongue is one of the most difficult languages to learn along with Mermish and Gobbledegook. You have to be a born Parselmouth to be a true speaker; I am merely imitating what Harry is saying, not really understanding, what did I actually say?"

"Open." Harry shrugged.

"Why open?" Max asked.

"It was really the first word I learnt after finding out I was a Parselmouth. Well apart from the whole duelling club, snake incident, which I never got to thank you for Draco."

Draco grinned unapologetically. "You can blame Professor Snape for that. He is the one who taught me the spell and he's the one who told me to use it during the duel."

Harry huffed and settled himself back to straddling Nasta's lap, who was very happy to have him there. Harry pressed his palm against the burning length of cloth and Nasta's breath caught in his throat.

"You are a creature of infinite burning, carnal desire, Mister Delericey." Harry stated uppity.

Nasta laughed and snuggled into his neck. "You're adorable Harry, I know you don't like to think you are, but you really are."

Harry huffed again and stood up, flicking Nasta's ear. "To think that I was going to give you a blow job as a reward for learning your first Parseltongue word."

Nasta's grin fell away quicker than it had come. Harry laughed.

"Oh hell who am I kidding, you can still have one." Harry stated with a wink and fell to his knees in front of Nasta, who seemed to be having trouble breathing.

* * *

Scene Removed

* * *

Harry beamed up at his mates and the sent a sly look to Draco, who had barely touched Nasta at all, only a few brushes against Nasta's thigh. He had promised to make Draco more comfortable around them all and true Draco had become far more comfortable when sleeping in a bed with them and cuddling with clothes, but sex was still unchartered territory.

Harry pulled Draco to him and kissed him lovingly.

"It's still your birthday Draco, how about another present?" Harry grinned sinfully.

"Do you come gift wrapped?" Draco asked huskily.

"I'm sure I could turn a bed sheet into a bow around my body if you want to unwrap me." Harry purred seductively, watching as Draco's eyes went a deep grey.

Harry kissed Draco passionately as he was pulled up from the floor to straddle the blonde's lap. Max had shifted over so he was behind Draco and Blaise had gotten up and moved until he was the other side of Draco.

Harry felt the tension grip Draco as he realised he was encased in men on all sides and kissed him softer, stroked that blonde hair away from those lust darkened eyes.

"We love you Draco." He whispered. "Let us show you how very much we love you."

"I don't think I'm ready."

"You are ready Draco, you just won't admit it love." Harry replied. "None of us are going to hurt you, we want to pleasure you and I'm sorry, but I can't have sex until after our son is born, I have to make do with hand and blow jobs and watching my lovers make love to each other. I don't like seeing you left out when we play, I don't want you to be left out."

"Just try it Draco, if you don't like it, we promise that we'll stop immediately, but just try it first. Hell I bottomed to Nasta." Max pointed out. "I'd never bottomed to anyone before then, the heat washed away most of my nervousness, but I remember the pain of first entry, it felt like a little pinch, just a small burning pain before the pleasure started, Nasta really is an amazing lover."

"I lost my virginity to Blaise and he was gentle as well, but the first entry really was like a pinch now that I think about it. It burns, but that's friction more than anything."

"But you both lost your virginity during the heat, I can't bring myself to do it with the numbing of the heat, how can I possibly do it without."

"Actually Harry and I had sex before the first heat, Harry didn't want his first time to be, oh what was it Harry? 'Fuelled by instinct without your free will'"

Harry chuckled. "Yeah. I had no idea what the heat would feel like or what it would be like, it turned out to be nothing like I was expecting, but still. I wanted to lose my virginity at a time when I could remember it perfectly, not numbed or blurred by the heat."

"You are thinking too much about it Draco." Nasta soothed. "It will be the most wondrous, pleasurable sensation you will feel."

"I don't see you bottoming to anyone." Draco mumbled.

Nasta laughed deeply. "I am no virgin Draco. To either women or men. I would bottom to each and every one of you if you asked for it. I am not shy."

Draco swallowed and seemed to be internally debating with himself. Harry kissed him gently.

"If you don't want to Draco don't feel like we are pressuring you, this is your birthday, your present, you can have any one of us."

"Except for Harry." Max added sternly. "No sex for you until after baby boy is born."

"Don't keep reminding me, my balls are so swollen through lack of sex that they're bigger than a snitch."

That broke the tension and they all started laughing.

"I'll try it." Draco announced as they were wiping tears away. He sounded braver than he looked. He looked paler than usual, but he looked determined, as if he were going to face his deepest fear.

Nasta scooped Draco up and carried him shouting and raving to the bedroom. Harry got carried behind them by Blaise, who kissed and laved his neck with his tongue.

"This is a momentous occasion." They heard Nasta saying. "Losing your virginity to one of us demands a bed, not a settee, no matter how comfortable, and certainly not the floor. We will do this properly in a bed or not at all."

* * *

Scene Removed

* * *

Nasta moved them until all of them were cuddled closely together. Harry was in the very middle, Blaise was on one side and Draco was on the other. Nasta cradled Blaise to his chest, hand resting on Harry's belly. Max was spooning Draco, his arms wrapped around all of them.

"That was fucking amazing." Harry commented when he felt that he could speak again.

Blaise chuckled seductively. "How did you like being on top?"

"Eh. I like being fucked better, but it was one hell of a ride. How did you find it Draco?"

"I prefer fucking, but hell I don't know why you always complain after sex."

"Wait until the morning." Harry grinned, turning over and snuggling into his pillow, smothering a yawn.

"You can apply the cream tomorrow; you won't have the soreness for long." Nasta assured as he brushed Draco's hair out of his eyes before replacing his hand on Harry's belly, the baby was still.

Harry closed his eyes feeling sated, happy and blissfully boneless. He gave a final yawn and he was asleep within minutes. One by one the rest of his mates followed suit, all of them cuddled together under the duvet.

* * *

**RaeNSesshy4Life**: No, Drackens have no problems with werewolves, nor vice versa as demonstrated in the very first chapter when Remus picked Harry up to drop him off at Kings Cross station.

**bookworm19065**: Harry's birthday is on the 31st of July, Draco is the 5th of June, Blaise is the 12th of October, Nasta is 3rd of February and Max is the 19th of September. The family trees are at the end of chapter thirty.

**WyrdSmith**: I apologise if my answer came out pissy, it was unintentional. I didn't think your question was pissy either, I took it as a serious question and gave it a serious answer. Magical diagnostics are limited, unless looking specifically for something then it won't be found, a bit like a blood test. If you test blood for drugs, you just look for drugs not anything else.

**TinksVamps**: Nah, we can't have the doms going and getting themselves executed. A Dracken attacking another Dracken can be covered up because of the counsel; a Dracken killing humans is an automatic death sentence. Harry won't let them do it and I'd like to think that the doms would rather keep their family alive and together for Harry and the baby.

**sneaky lunatic spy**: Sorry, I didn't mean to miss you out! It happens sometimes. No I made Petunia find a crisp because really if it was a nut or something she could have just picked it up and dropped it in the bin, it had to be something that would crumble so she'd have to go in the cupboard under the stairs for the hoover and see Harry's shelter for the first ten years of his life at the Dursleys. A crisp or a biscuit or something was really the only things that would work; it was coincidence that it ended up being a crisp. The tea is supposed to be amazing here, but I wouldn't know as I don't like tea, I much prefer coffee, however my older sister lives on tea, it's about the only thing she'll drink, so I assume it must be pretty damn good if she drinks it like I drink coffee.

**Kaynz Addams or Goddess Loki**: It isn't really Max's fault. He was joking around, playing like he usually does. How was he to know that telling Harry to get back in the cupboard would cause such a terrible reaction in Harry? He was expecting Harry to poke his tongue out at him or to flip him the bird, not have a memory flashback. He doesn't know Harry was raised in a cupboard for ten years so had no idea that his statement would cause anything other than amusement or a brushoff.

**jaidnan**: I've been trying to find a way to shorten the hyphenated last name, but I'm afraid there is no way to do it. So yeah, all the baby girls will be called Delericey-Maddison-Malfoy-Zabini-Potter's and all boys after each male has an Heir to their lines will have the hyphenated last name, though they won't get the baby boys like distributing a deck of cards. When Harry gets pregnant it's a lottery on what gender the baby will be.

**Reader no name**: Harry is cleaning not because of his upbringing but because he wants absolutely everything to be clean and perfect for his son's arrival. Most pregnant women feel the urge to clean, paint or to organise baby clothes, it's called nesting, hence the title of the chapter.

**FaerysWing:** No, the baby is developing at an accelerated pace. At seven months, full term for a Dracken, the baby would be at the same point as a nine month human baby, that Harry's baby will be born before seven months would be the equivalent of a human birthing a baby at seven months pregnant, just a tad premature, nothing serious like the severely premature babies that are in neonatal wards.

**cammie: **Draco and Blaise are still growing. Men don't really stop growing until they are twenty-five, after they reach twenty-five, then they won't have any body altering spurts of the like. So yeah, they are still growing, still getting broader, but the inheritance gave them a major kick, so if they do get any taller, it won't be more than a few inches at most.

**pucks**: Kreacher is the only one who knows what happened to Regulus, just like in canon, but as Harry has never had the locket; it's going to be a while before he gets through to Kreacher. Harry has not yet been hit by the inspiration to ask the Black family elf about Regulus' disappearance as the connection hasn't yet been made. He doesn't realise that Kreacher knows about Regulus' disappearance yet.

**Dim sim**: It should really, properly be either amore mio or il mio amore. But truthfully I only wrote it as mio amore because it sounds better in and English written story, not very considerate of the Italian language on my part, but I've butchered entire languages for less, just ask my Welsh teacher. Besides my Grancher is from Sicily and he calls me, my sister and cousin 'la mia ragazza' which means my girl in Italian. I think it also depends on if you're from the North or South of Italy, they have different pronunciations.

**baka_onna2003:** Nope, the Drackens are complete from my imagination. Or at least the information about them is. The appearances of them were, to my knowledge, created by Beautiful Kaos. The next chapter will be out most definitely before Christmas, hell I think another six/seven chapters could be up before Christmas.

**marie curie**: Harry was human before his sixteenth birthday. He was born a Dracken but the genes don't manifest until he's sixteen, so until then he acted and reacted like a human. With the inheritance he has probably grown just a tad more aggressive. He might be a submissive, but he hasn't turned into a doormat, he's still stubborn, still rash, but more violent. He's more likely to claw someone's eyes out. I don't think I completely understand what you mean by the whole punishment thing. Blaise grips the neck and squeezes, Max tugs on the hair until the neck is forced backwards at a painful angle, Nasta bites and Draco spanks. All of them have the responsibility of punishing Harry; it depends on who Harry has offended/shouted at/hit/hurt/insulted etc. If Harry has done a general thing that needs punishing then it will fall to Nasta as he is the top dominant of the family. If he isn't there, then it will be Max as the next top dominant. Does that explain better?

As always thank you to everyone who had read, reviewed, alerted, added to their favourites and to everyone who has added me to their C2s!

StarLight Massacre. X


	33. Going Home

_Last Time_

_Harry closed his eyes feeling sated, happy and blissfully boneless. He gave a final yawn and he was asleep within minutes. One by one the rest of his mates followed suit, all of them cuddled together under the duvet._

Chapter Thirty-Three – Going Home

The school term was coming to an end and with it Harry's anxieties were building. Did the Dursleys know that he wasn't going to their house with them? What if they showed up on the platform and made a scene about him and his mates?

Blaise handed him a cup of ginger tea and a handful of ginger newts because he had thrown up that morning, again it was more likely due to nerves than morning sickness. He hated not knowing what was going to happen.

Since that night where they had all joined together and Draco had finally come to trust them all everything had become peaceful and just amazing. They were all getting on so much better and Max was so happy as he watched them all interact that everyone was happy. Max put everything he had into family, whether it was his blood family or his new mated family and seeing all of them relaxing with one another gave him a huge feeling of peace.

Harry smiled as he watched Nasta run an affectionate hand through Draco's hair, only for the blonde to glare at him and try to 'fix' the out of place strands. Only a month ago Draco would have growled, bitched and tried to swipe at Nasta for doing the same thing and before then none of them would've dared touch Draco's hair.

"Is your house ready?" Nasta called out to Max, who was unsurprisingly in the kitchen cleaning up the mess from lunch.

"I'm not a messy person, what are you trying to say?" Max asked back with a grin. "Of course the house is ready."

It had been decided that they would all be going to Max's house for the summer holidays. Blaise's Mother had been enthusiastic to have them all in her house in France, but Blaise was worried about them getting intimate and forgetting silencing charms and he had admitted with a blush that his Mother often forgot silencing charms as well.

Draco's parents had been coolly polite to them all, they hadn't shunned Draco at all, but neither were they overly accepting, so none of them even suggested they stay with the elder Malfoys. Nasta had a small, one person apartment that barely fitted the six foot six inch man let alone more than two people, so his place was out.

The Dursleys had been brought up as a place to stay, but Harry had stemmed his panic and had patiently pointed out that they were Muggles; that he was a pregnant male so he wouldn't be able to go outside at all due to the unknowing Muggle neighbours and that the Dursleys lived in a small, four bedroomed suburban home that wouldn't fit all of them, the baby and the Dursleys. Harry had also expressed his doubt at anything bigger than a carrycot, let alone a crib fitting in his childhood bedroom, which brought Harry's mind back to his cupboard and his Uncle's last threat before he left for Hogwarts that come the summer he would be back in it.

Max lived in a three bedroomed house in near enough the middle of nowhere. His next door neighbour was three miles away on either side and there was a beautiful orchard that surrounded the back of the house. Or so Harry had been told.

Max had bought it for the privacy it offered if he wanted to walk around in his full Dracken glory or just go flying. They were hoping that Harry would give birth at Max's and not in September when school was in session because Harry could nest from anywhere between a day to a month and a half before he actually gave birth and taking a month off of school was going to be one hell of a hardship.

Amelle had yet to actually give birth, even though she was still in her nest. Max had told them that Caesar was having one hell of a time giving her fresh food to eat as she tried to gouge out his eyes and throat every time he approached her nest. Max had explained that Amelle didn't recognise Caesar as her mate, that she was reacting purely instinctively to the presence of another Dracken to protect her nest and her baby.

Harry hoped to god that he didn't remain in the nest for as long as Amelle had, scratching and spitting at his mates as they tried to feed him enough to keep him strong enough to deliver his baby. He wanted to go in his nest, preen a bit, have his baby and then come back out again. He didn't want it to last more than two days at the most, but be knew realistically that it could take an average of four days to a week for his body to be prepared enough to birth.

Harry sighed and pushed it from his mind, there was no use thinking about it now. He still had at least a month and a half yet before he started building a nest.

"I can't wait until the exam results are out." Draco said a bit randomly as he sat reading a book, but seemingly unable to focus on it.

Harry grinned at the confession, before they had all swapped roles that night Draco wouldn't have dared admit his excitement over such a little thing, it just wasn't how he was brought up, but since that night everything had changed and Draco was coming further and further out of his shell.

"Don't worry, everything will be fine. You're too intelligent to have anything less than straight Os." Nasta comforted easily as he bent down and kissed the top of Draco's head.

Draco batted him away amid chuckles from Nasta as he once again got every strand of silky, baby fine, blonde hair in place.

Harry felt a small push to his midsection and placed a calming hand on his bump, rubbing soothing circles to relax his baby.

"Are you alright?" Max asked as he appeared over the back of the settee.

"Fine." Harry answered with a beaming smile which left Max visibly breathless.

Harry took that large hand and pressed it where he could feel the baby moving around.

"He's active today." Max commented as he rubbed lightly.

"I'd rather he be active during the day that at night when I'm trying to sleep. He's been very good actually, though I think he'll be a morning person."

"How can you tell?" Draco asked.

"He lies still during the night, but every single morning he never fails to give me a good kick to wake me up, it's like he knows instinctively when the sun is rising and knows it's time to get up. Sometimes it's just the one kick to let me know he's awake, but more often he bounces around and I have to get up."

Max chuckled right next to his ear and Harry shivered. He couldn't wait until his son was born so he could start having sex again. He had enjoyed topping Blaise, but he didn't really fancy doing it all that often, he just wasn't that keen on it.

"What time are we leaving?"

"Tomorrow morning." Nasta replied. "About seven o'clock so make sure you've packed everything."

"Can we just leave our school stuff here? Obviously taking our homework, but everything else can stay can't it?" Harry asked. "I mean, these are our rooms, we'll be coming back to them next term."

"That might actually be a good idea." Nasta agreed. "But make sure you have all of your other stuff packed and don't 'accidentally' leave your homework assignments here either because I will floo back just to get them and I won't be happy about it."

Harry grinned as he knew Nasta didn't mean for him to pack anything. His mates were now very, very overprotective of him and their baby boy and he had actually been forbidden from doing any heavy lifting, which meant anything heavier than a paperback book, bending over, not that he could anyway with the size of his stomach, sitting down or standing up unaided, which again was nearly impossible without help, standing up for longer than a couple of minutes, which was alright by him as his feet were now very sore and sometimes swelled if he was stood up for too long, which normally got him a foot rub from Blaise which was actually quite nice and he absolutely was not allowed to go up or down stairs, he had to be carried, which was the only rule Harry had a problem with as he had tried to maintain as much independence as possible and he could still shuffle down the stairs on his bum, he just couldn't get up them.

He got revenge on his mates though during the middle of the nights when their baby boy was sleeping on his bladder and he needed to get up for a wee. He shook one of them awake, going through them all in turns, to carry him up and down the stairs to the bathroom. They didn't complain, but they were groggy and a bit ill-tempered the next morning.

All Harry had to do as he watched his mates pack up the belongings that they were taking with them was supervise. He made sure all of the baby clothes were packed up carefully and that all of the things he needed were in the suitcases that Nasta had brought home from work yesterday. Max had been flooing their things to his house all day and it was with a heavy heart that Harry looked at their bare rooms.

They were barren, barely anything in them at all. It looked like it had never been inhabited and a small pang of pain resonated through his body. These were _his_ rooms; they shouldn't look like he had never been here.

"What's the matter Harry?" Draco asked concernedly as Harry looked around with a lost, hurt expression on his face.

"These are our rooms, _ours_, they shouldn't look like this, all bare and clean and tidy." Harry murmured softly.

Nasta blinked before his eyes widened. "Harry are you attached to these rooms?" He asked seriously.

"Of course. Me and Blaise moved into these rooms just after we mated, I lost my virginity here, I had my first proper Christmas with Blaise here, all of you joined us in these rooms and we all made love here for the first time. These rooms are special, symbolic really, these are _my_ rooms! I hate seeing them like this, they don't feel right."

"Oh hell." Max cursed, cottoning on to what Nasta had been getting at. "You're attached to the rooms!"

"So?" Harry bit out hotly. "Forgive me if some of the best times of my life were in these rooms; forgive me if I like living in these rooms with the four men that I will spend the rest of my life with…"

"No, Harry, you're attached to these rooms whilst you're pregnant. There is a possibility that you will try to get back here by any means necessary when you feel ready to birth. That you will try to nest here because you are so attached to these rooms."

That stopped Harry short and he looked around him. He loved these rooms, he really did, but they were so impractical to give birth in, there wasn't a high place for him to build a proper nest, there wasn't enough coverage to hide him from predators, no place for him to give birth to his chick safely, no these rooms would not do, he would have to find somewhere else.

Harry gasped and covered his mouth with his hand as his eyes went wide. He was searching for a place to nest! He couldn't be ready to give birth yet, it was too soon! Far too soon!

"Harry? What's wrong, are you going to be sick?"

He shook his head mutely. He peeled his hand away from his mouth and looked at the four men in front of him, his body shaky and pale.

"I've just realised that I'm looking for a suitable nesting place." Harry answered. "I want to build my nest."

All of their eyes widened and almost simultaneously looked down at his bulge. Max shook his head.

"It's too soon." He said.

Harry shook with fear, what would happen to his baby son if he nested too early and gave birth too early?

"It's alright Harry." Nasta soothed. "You can't stop your instincts; do you want to nest here?"

"No. Not here. Not enough coverage, not enough height, too open to predators, not here." Harry answered.

"That's something at least." Nasta sighed in relief.

"We'll get you to my home soon love, we'll see if you can find a more suitable place to nest there." Max told him, giving him a tight, reassuring hug.

"I think I need to sit down." Harry told Max a bit breathlessly.

Immediately the backs of his thighs were seized and he was pulled up into Max's arms, being held securely and easily before he was placed carefully on the settee. A glass of water was given to him and Harry sipped it. He felt better for it.

"Why do I want to build a nest now? I have a month at least before I start nesting."

"No one really knows what time they'll start nesting Harry." Max answered. "My Mum only nested for a week with Talia, but she nested for three solid months before she gave birth to Alayla. It differs with the pregnancy, how many chicks there are, when you're going to go into labour, there are far too many factors to clue in to even attempt to make an accurate guess."

"But I'm only four months pregnant!" Harry pointed out with fright.

Max hugged him again and kept hold of him, rubbing his back soothingly with a large hand.

"And if you nest for two months you'll be six months pregnant. That's perfectly acceptable."

"I don't want to nest for two months."

"It's out of your hands Harry, you're Dracken instincts will dictate when you start nesting."

"This could all be for nothing." Nasta told them then and Harry looked at him aghast.

"I don't mean we could lose the baby, but you could just be searching for a place to build a nest, it doesn't mean you will actually build it right then and there and then climb straight in. I've known submissives to scout out an area for weeks before deciding if they want to build a nest there or not."

"So I could just be looking for somewhere to nest?" Harry asked hopefully.

"It is very possible." Nasta answered with an adoring smile, kissing his forehead before going to make a tray of tea, getting himself a mango and orange smoothie whilst he was at it.

"What do you guys want for dinner?" Max asked. "I'm going to go visit the elves to get stuff for dinner and breakfast tomorrow."

"Courgette." Harry replied immediately without realising why he had said it. He had only had courgette once in his life and he hadn't liked it much.

Max raised an eyebrow and Harry blushed.

"I must say I enjoy your food cravings Harry, much better than the horror stories that are floating around, your cravings seem somewhat normal besides the fact that you ate a raw parsnip at three in the morning."

"Don't forget the craving he had for crushed peas on toast."

"That was actually really nice." Harry grinned. "I'd eat that again."

That brought chuckles from the four other men and Harry smiled as he petted the baby bump.

"What baby wants, baby gets." Harry commented. "Can you get me vanilla ice cream whilst you're with the elves please and a banana yoghurt?"

Max nodded as he stood up. "No pickles? No shallots or pickled onions? No sardines?"

Harry pulled a face. "No. Just the ice cream, yoghurt and courgette. Oh and something with potato."

Max grinned and bowed before leaving. Harry curled up on the settee and sipped at the honey tea he had been given by Nasta just watching Blaise and Draco argue over the exam paper.

Nasta sighed and took the exam papers from them and bopped them both on the head with them.

"There is no use arguing over a question you have already answered." Nasta told them. "The results will be out very soon and then you can argue over who had what right, until then pipe down and let Harry rest."

"Oh I'm fine." Harry answered. "I was quite amused."

Nasta's lips twitched slightly into a smile before he frowned sternly at Draco and Blaise, or he tried to as his smile kept trying to slip back on his face.

Harry rolled his eyes and thought, just to himself, that he was glad that Max was not here. Max would have made the entire situation worse and would have laughed happily as Draco and Blaise's argument escalated into a fight, it was why Harry felt happier having Nasta as the top dominant over Max, Max just wasn't serious enough, wasn't mature enough to diffuse fights between them all and a quarter of the time it was Max who started the fights in the first place.

The talk of the devil walked through the portrait door holding a basket and grinning like a loon. Harry rolled his eyes and snuggled back down in to the settee.

"I got you your ice cream Harry."

"I don't fancy it now." Harry answered. "The tea has made me sleepy."

Max grinned and placed the frozen tub on the counter, where it would remain frozen due to the spells woven around it.

"It's by here when you want it love."

Harry nodded before he called Draco over to him. "Take me to the bedroom please Draco. I really just want to sleep for a bit in a proper bed."

Draco helped him up and knew better than to carry Harry without his express permission. Harry got tetchy over any slight to his independence even when his mates meant well, but he wanted, needed, to keep any and all semblance of independence that he could, even if it was just walking to the bottom of the bedroom stairs before being carried to the top.

Harry didn't even get himself undressed as he fell onto the bed fully clothed like a starving man would fall onto food. He curled up on the edge of the bed and fell asleep, he was still awake enough to hear Draco sigh before he felt his limbs being manoeuvred out of his clothing and his body shifted into the centre of the bed and up towards the pillows. He neither cared nor woke up over it; he fell deeply asleep before Draco had finished pulling on his pyjama bottoms.

* * *

Nasta gently stroked Harry's face to wake him up later that day. He watched with a soft smile as Harry's beautiful eyes fluttered open, those gorgeously thick, black eyelashes dancing on pale cheeks as Harry fought with his eyelids to wake up.

Harry made a soft, sleepy noise as his body moved lightly over the sheets before burrowing deeper under the duvet. Nasta stroked his cheek again, patting it lightly to coax Harry more into wakefulness.

"Hmm?" Harry moaned, blinking a bit so just a peek of those emerald green eyes showed.

"It's time to wake up Harry. Max almost has dinner ready."

Harry yawned and stretched that lithe body like a cat, his very out of proportioned belly looking like a last minute addition. When those sleep misted eyes and that gorgeous smile turned fully to him Nasta felt like he had been punched in the gut. He doubted he would ever get over how stunningly gorgeous Harry truly was, he was blessed to have such a mate as Harry and the others.

"Did you sleep well?" Nasta asked when he could breathe properly once more.

Harry nodded, that smile still on his face.

"I feel much better now." Harry's gentle voice washed over him and Nasta savoured it.

The noise of the living room as Max, Blaise and Draco fought, argued, debated and just plain conversed was much more than he was used to. Hell he had been living on his own for eighteen years, seeing his Dad and brother occasionally as he lived his life on his own as a man, as an unmated dominant, with a very demanding job at a dragon reserve. He was used to the peace and quiet, of the silence of truly being alone in his small apartment.

He was slowly getting used to the noise and the activity around him, but it was a process that was hitting him quite hard as he had liked living in peace, he liked the silence, but for all that his mates brought to him, for all the shattered peace and the noise, he had never once regretted chasing so hard after Harry. No matter if he never got a single moment of peace again in his life, he loved all four of them, five if he included the baby as well, and the love of those four very special people, was more important to him than any measure of peace and quiet.

"Nasta?" Harry questioned softly.

Nasta looked to him with an apologetic smile, seeing Harry's arms lowering from where he had been silently asking to be picked up. Nasta wound his arms around Harry and just held him, holding him tightly, breathing in the faint smell of chestnuts that was always wrapped around Harry like a second skin. He pressed a kiss to Harry's face and just looked at his beautiful mate, who looked back, happy and pleased if a bit confused.

"I love you Harry. I love you so very much." He said so sincerely his eyes blurred slightly with the burn of tears.

Harry's skinny arms wrapped around his neck and held him tightly.

"You know I love you Nasta." Harry said, slightly shocked at Nasta's behaviour. "I think I always did love you from the first time I saw you, you were so different from all the others, quiet and peaceful, not boisterous and demanding, I loved you for it then and I still love you for it now."

"You shouldn't do though, you and your Dracken should be angry at me. The baby isn't mine. I have failed to give you a baby and that alone should make your Dracken angry at me."

"But I'm not. I love you and I'm certainly not angry at you because this baby isn't yours, there will be others."

"The other three have proved they are capable of giving you a baby. I haven't, not yet."

"I think it's because you love this baby so much Nas." Harry told the older man, thinking deeply. "You love this baby even though he isn't yours; you have proven to me and my Dracken that you're going to be a wonderful Father, not just to your own children, but to all of them, no matter who the Father might be. I respect that greatly about you, that you love me enough to accept any and all children I have regardless of who the biological Father might be. I love you all the more for it, which is why I will never be angry at you for not getting me pregnant in the first place, because in your eyes, I carry a baby that is as much yours as he is mine."

Nasta crushed Harry to his chest and just hugged him, holding him and touching him. He never knew he had needed reassurance until Harry had given it to him, hadn't known he had been seeking comfort from his mate until it had been given.

"How long does it take to get Harry for dinner?" Max yelled from the living room. "All my hard work slaving over an oven is going to be ruined if you don't shift your arses!"

"We're having a cwtch! Give us a minute."

"A cutch?" Harry questioned.

Nasta smiled lovingly at him. "A cwtch. It's a Welsh word. It doesn't really have an English translation but it's basically a long, lingering hug, like cuddling, only better and longer."

Harry chuckled and went with it as Nasta started rocking him slightly, still holding him lovingly to his chest. Harry felt safe and warm and loved and he yawned sleepily again as he was wrapped up completely in Nasta's arms.

"I think I like cwtching." Harry admitted.

Nasta laughed full-throated, which made Harry swallow heavily in desire.

"We had better get to the others before Max storms a palace coup and kidnaps the Prince and his child to force feed his cooking."

Harry laughed and let Nasta pick him up to carry him to the others, who were eating a wonderful meal whilst looking worriedly at an angry looking Max.

"About time! Do you know how long I spent on this?" Max asked.

"I'm sorry Max, I couldn't get up." Harry fibbed to save from embarrassing Nasta. "I've been so tired lately."

Max's look of anger lessened into something more resembling concern.

"Are you well?" He asked.

Harry nodded as he sat at the table and happily picked up his fork and ate heartily, chewing slowly more for Max's benefit than for his own, he would love nothing more than to just scoff the lot without even tasting any of it before curling up in front of their lovely warm fire, but Harry really did appreciate Max cooking for them all instead of taking the long trek down to the Great Hall and eating what the house elves had prepared, Harry thought that maybe Max would take it as the ultimate insult if it was even suggested he take a day off from cooking so they could eat the house elf food.

Harry noticed the potatoes and the courgette that had been placed on his plate and smiled secretly to himself as he ate them first. The courgette was a strange, nearly new taste, he had only been given courgette once as a very young child because Dudley had had a fit about it being on his plate, Aunt Petunia had tried to placate him by saying she was going to put it in the bin but this had made Dudley scream all the harder at the thought of putting any food product, even fruit and vegetables, in the bin, so Aunt Petunia had quickly shoved the handful of green, cucumber looking like vegetables at him and told him to eat them quickly. Having not eaten that day, Harry had shoved as much into his mouth as he could, chewed minimally before swallowing quickly. He had learnt this technique without choking mainly for survival sake as his Uncle had enjoyed teasing a hungry Harry with food, whether it was forcing him to watch as he ate food and snacks, putting a plate of food in front of him and telling him not to touch it, or giving him food to eat before snatching it away after a few mouthfuls that left him even hungrier.

Harry looked at his plate full of food and to Max, who was eating his own food, laughing at something Blaise had said but Harry had missed by being so lost in thought. No one was watching him eat; none of them were looking to see how much he had eaten before snatching his plate away. They loved him and they fed him because they wanted to, not because they felt obligated, just purely because they wanted to. They didn't tease him with food and he was allowed to eat what he wanted when he wanted it.

Harry blanched as he realised that it was actually sinking in that the Dursleys had never really loved him. After all of these years, after all of the abuse and torment he had suffered at their hands and only now, after fifteen years, was it sinking in that they had never loved him, that he had still been clinging to some small shred of hope that deep down they loved him and finally realising that they never, it hurt, it actually hurt.

"Harry, are you alright? Don't you like it?" Max asked.

Harry realised that he had stopped eating, that all of his mates were looking at him. All of them looking concerned for him, just for him, that they loved him and they were concerned about his welfare and his happiness. It was too much and he just started crying out of the blue. Deep, body wracking sobs that hunched him over and put his face nearly in his food as fat tears raced down his cheeks quicker than he could blink.

He was clamoured, all of his mates moving to hold him, to comfort him, to protect him. They loved him and his own relatives never had, the Dursleys couldn't even bring up the basic human emotion to give him the basic of human needs and comforts. He hadn't even had a proper bed, he had never owned a pillow, he hadn't even had a bedroom until he was ten. Now he had all of that and more, much, much more.

Harry screamed and cried and sobbed until he was left exhausted, still letting out continuous huffs of emotion as all of his tears were dried up and his sopping wet face was gently wiped by a soft cloth by one of his mates.

"Please Harry." Someone exclaimed sadly. Harry vaguely recognised Blaise's voice.

"Max's cooking isn't that bad." Draco exclaimed. A loud thwack made Harry let out a weak, watery chuckle as he watched Max glare at a sulking Draco.

"Are you feeling better Prezioso?" Blaise asked softly.

Harry pushed the cloth that Nasta was dabbing his face with and run his sleeve everywhere over his face and under his chin, getting rid of every trace of his tears, but his face still felt sore and puffy. He nodded and huddled down on the settee.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Max asked.

"There's nothing to talk about." Harry croaked his voice very hoarse from his tears.

"You don't cry like your heart has been ripped from your chest for no reason Harry." Nasta told him.

Harry just shook his head and rolled from the settee and crawled to the thick, fleecy, fur rug in front of the fire and curled up on it, huddling around the warmth and closing his eyes. He fell asleep with his four mates watching him with mounting concern and a lot of suspicion.

* * *

Harry was unhappily sitting on the train ready to go back to London. He didn't see why they couldn't just floo to Max's house, especially in his condition, but apparently Max knew how to drive and liked driving, so his car was waiting at Kings Cross Station.

Blaise and Draco had decided to spend the first two weeks of the summer with their families so they wouldn't miss the birth later on in the summer, if indeed Harry gave birth in the summer and not in September, leaving Harry with Max and Nasta, not that that was a hardship, but Harry would miss them both immensely.

Harry sat between them, holding one of their hands in his own over his son. He was cuddling and kissing them, soaking them up and holding tightly onto the little things like how they felt in his hands, how they smelt, how they sounded when they breathed.

Harry was almost in tears again as London came into view and the train started to slow down. He kept a death grip on both Blaise and Draco and refused to let them go when Marianna Lychorinda and her Husband Josiah came into view and certainly not when the elder Malfoys appeared. Harry held onto the both of them and sobbed. He had thought that he had cried all of his tears yesterday, but more welled up and ran smoothly down his cheeks.

"It won't be for long Harry." Draco promised as he held Harry and kissed him gently, brushing the tears away with his thumbs.

"Max and Nasta will keep you company until we come back." Blaise promised. "It isn't like we can't visit you during the day. We'll still come and see you."

"Really?" Harry asked.

"Of course." Draco assured, kissing him again.

"We have to be off Draco." Lucius Malfoy said stiffly.

Draco breathed deeply and kissed Harry passionately, Harry kept his eyes open and on the elder Malfoy's, who looked very displeased at the public show.

Blaise hugged Draco, Nasta kissed him and Max smacked his shoulder in a 'manly' show of affection. Harry thought it was rather stupid to hit the one you loved, but he didn't say anything as he got one last hug from Draco before he was gone.

Blaise was next to leave after a nearly tearful goodbye. Harry just didn't seem to be able to control himself as he hiccupped a bit as he swallowed back his tears.

Max held him at his side as Blaise walked off with his Mother and step-dad, the station full of people pointing and staring at his large stomach, making him self-conscious and left him feeling like a freak. Hermione ran up to him and hugged him.

"I missed you on the train Harry, but have a good summer! I'll see you next year if I can't come around this summer to see you."

Harry hugged her back and waved as she jogged off to her parents. Nasta led them out of the station and through to the Muggle platforms. It was here that Harry was swept into a hug that almost broke his back.

"Oh Harry dear!" Mrs Weasley's voice surrounded him as she spoke into his hair.

"You look so well!" The kindly woman commented as she held him at arm's length, looking him up and down, but lingering on his belly.

"Hi Mrs Weasley, thanks for the Christmas presents! I loved my new jumper and those mince pies were fantastic!"

"Aww, ickle Harry is so sweet." A voice that made him grin sounded.

"Sickly sweet I'd say Forge."

"Fred! George!" Harry cried as the twins converged on him and hugged him tightly. "I've missed you. Hogwarts just isn't the same without you."

Harry looked at the twins, both sporting brand new, green, dragon hide jackets.

"I hope for your sakes that the dragon whose hide made those jackets is still alive." Harry whispered. "Nasta will tear you limb from limb otherwise."

"Please Harry."

"Give us some credit for having hearts. Do you forget that Charlie is our big brother?"

Harry grinned as he remembered the kind, very handsome young man with the shiny burn marks, Charlie and Nasta would get on fantastically well.

"I liked Charlie." Harry stated.

Fred and George wolf whistled and made a ruckus which caused Max and Nasta to look their way from their spot talking to Mrs Weasley. Harry noticed Bill and Ginny were also there. Mr Weasley and Ron were nowhere in sight.

"Harry dear you must come around this summer. I insist. Bill and Charlie are home; having you there will make me feel like the entire family is home."

Harry smiled happily at being included in the woman's family. "I'd love to Mrs Weasley. I always love going to the Burrow, it seems more like home than anywhere else."

Mrs Weasley blushed in pleasure at the praise, but Max and Nasta shared a glance. Nasta had shared his suspicions from long ago with the others yesterday when Harry had cried himself to sleep on the rug. He hadn't forgotten the comment Harry had said out by the lake before he had even become a mate, before Max had even been a mate, about not having anyone to care for him.

They had spoken at length and it all came back to Harry being abused, or at the very least neglected, as a child. Yet there wasn't a hint anywhere that Harry lived with abusive or neglectful people. If he did then no one knew about it, was it possible to hide such a thing for so long?

Questioning the Granger girl had brought about nothing. She had been confused, she had questioned them back, she had told them that Harry lived with Muggles and that they weren't always accepting of magic, but as far as she knew, Harry was perfectly fine and safe with them. If the Granger girl knew nothing, then no one else would either.

They had talked about seeking Dumbledore's help because Harry told that man practically everything, but then had reasoned that if Harry had ever so much as hinted he had been abused then Dumbledore would have removed Harry from the household immediately.

They just didn't have any proof other than the way Harry acted or reacted sometimes and it wasn't enough to accuse anyone of child abuse. They needed hard evidence that Harry had ever been abused and if it turned out that anyone had ever laid a hand on their precious submissive then they would make sure that that person and all involved were prosecuted.

"Hurry up boy!" A loud, ruddy faced man shouted across the station. "We haven't got all day!"

Max looked to where the big, beefy man was looking and was surprised to see Harry shrinking back into the twin Weasleys. He nudged Nasta, but the silently observant man had already noticed and took large steps to Harry and wrapped him in a protective embrace, enraged to feel Harry quivering in his arms.

The beefy man went puce coloured and seemed to swell with anger as his small, piggy eyes narrowed as he advanced on them menacingly. A thin, horse-faced woman with thin blonde hair stood behind him, cradling a very fat, blonde haired whale in her bony arms, trying and failing to shield him from the view of the 'wizards'.

"I suggest you step away from them." Max hissed loving how the man swung towards him, taking in his six foot eight inch height and the broad swell of his shoulders and biceps before backing away.

"Now see here. I am here to pick up my Nephew."

"You seem to be misinformed. He's coming home with me."

"And just who are you to think you can take the boy away from his family!"

"You are not his family!" Mrs Weasley hissed.

"I happen to be his lover." Max stated loudly and clearly, gaining curious glances from passers-by.

The large man went purple in anger and glared at Harry who was cuddled in Nasta's arms. Those eyes roved over Harry's body and stopped on the baby bulge.

"So it's true. You did your freaky voodoo and got a baby."

"I was born with the natural ability to conceive a baby!" Harry snapped.

The man glared and took a threatening step forward, his arm rising almost subconsciously, but one half step forward from Max had the man stumbling backwards.

"We'll be in touch with you." Max said coldly. "As for now, I am taking my lovers and our child home and you will not try to contact Harry, you will not go near him or the baby or I'll take great pleasure in killing you."

"Are you threatening me?" Vernon Dursley asked loudly and pompously, making people stop and stare.

"Yes. Yes I am." Max answered softly. "If I find out you have laid so much as a fat finger on Harry, you're dead."

"What have you been telling those freaks boy?" Vernon hissed at Harry, who was whiter than white.

"Nothing!" Harry squeaked out quickly.

"Nothing my foot! You've been lying again haven't you? We took you in, gave you shelter, clothes, food and this is how you repay us? By telling lies to freaks like you!"

"He is not a freak!" Nasta hissed deeply, holding Harry tighter, having to make a conscious effort to stop himself from exerting too much pressure on Harry and hurting him. This vile man was almost admitting that he had abused and still was abusing Harry. It made his teeth ache to rip out his throat.

"Can we go please?" Harry asked in such a small, unsure voice that Nasta picked him up and held him properly.

"You haven't seen the last of us; we'll be back in touch with you soon." Max repeated as he placed a hand on Harry's spine, stroking gently. "You won't get away with hurting him."

"Harry dear, come and see us this summer. You have an open invitation, whenever you want to, just pop over, even if it is just for dinner. Your lovers are welcome as well, of course." Mrs Weasley told him as she continued glaring at the family of three in front of her.

Nasta nodded and turned on his heel, walking a wide circle around the vile, decrepit people who had dared hurt Harry, just to ensure that they wouldn't try anything else, he didn't want to tempt his very frayed self-control, he'd tear them apart right here in this station if they touched Harry now.

"Mum!" He heard the very fat boy whine like a small child. "Where's the freak going? I thought he was coming back with us, Piers is sleeping over tonight! We wanted some entertainment!"

"Not now Diddy!" The woman shushed him quickly, sending a fearful look to the two men that were claiming to be the lovers of her Sister's pregnant spawn.

Max flexed his fingers before he clenched them tightly into fists as his claws ripped through his fingertips. The smell of blood wavered his control and he breathed shallowly and quickly so the scent of the blood didn't rob him of every ounce of control he had.

They made it to the car and Nasta slid into the back of the five seater car and belted himself and Harry in as he held tightly onto the door handle. He was afraid that if he let go then he was going to charge back into that station and do something incredibly foolish now that Harry was out of his arms.

Max started the car and gripped the steering wheel so tightly it creaked under his hands. He pulled out and drove off quickly before he could change his mind and sink his fangs into the fat Muggle that had hurt his mate so badly. One thing was certain though, when they got home, Harry would tell them what he had had to endure at the hands of those _people_, one way or another, Harry would tell them everything.

* * *

A/N: Well the summer holidays have started and Harry wants to find a place to build a nest! The Dursleys are outed and Harry is going to be alone with Max and Nasta for the first two weeks. The twins made an appearance and so did Bill! Charlie will come in as well and have a lovely conversation with Nasta.

Also we will meet Caesar and Amelle soon! And of course their daughter Eleonora Dahlia Seppen.

**HariSan712: **Nasta and his family are classed as magical creatures by the Ministry because of the dominant creature blood in their family. The last four generations have only had Dracken blood in them, but further up their family tree is Fae and Valkyrie blood, which the family claims still runs through their veins. Faes and Valkyries, as Fairie species and considered of 'light creature origins' are not executed, tagged, or watched by the Ministry so Nasta and his family are left alone, but they don't have wizard status, they are allowed to carry wands, but they were not allowed to be educated in public schools like Hogwarts, Durmstrang, Beauxbatons or Salem. Instead they had to be home-schooled and take their tests and exams in a Ministry facility.

**Anonymous**: You didn't leave any name or really anything at all for me to identify you by but two brackets, but I loved your review regardless. I'm glad you see me as a real person and not just 'the author' I like to try and involve my readers in the story and I like interacting because really I'm quite lonely just going to work and coming home all day every day, I miss talking to real people sometimes. My family are just a short walk away, but after work I'm usually just too tired so talking to people who share my passion of reading and writing is something I have never shared with my family.

I'm glad this fic had brought you happiness over the six months that I've been writing it. It's quite hard to believe that I've done thirty-three chapters in six months. Anyway I am very happy, but I am also very stressed. I love and hate this time of year. The atmosphere, the excitement and the joy is amazing, but setting everything up, buying presents, cooking a mountain of food and working Christmas shifts are all stressful, especially when you get customers that are rude and demanding things we don't have in stock. I get three days off and then I'm back in work Boxing Day night. It sort of ruins my Christmas Spirit.

**bookworm19065**: I don't think it matters which way around the names will go. They will all be referred to as their birth names regardless. Harry will still be Potter; Draco will still be Malfoy etc. They'll just have abnormally long names, but it probably should be Potter-Zabini-Malfoy-Madison-Delericey as Nasta is the most dominant mate.

**AAAR**: You are the first and only person to ask about the book Blaise got off of Harry for Christmas. I put it in nearly every chapter, make mentions of it, pop it in where I can and still it has taken to chapter thirty two for anyone to ask about it. I think I might be losing my touch :)

It won't be on Google or any translator you find, unless you find an amazingly good one, do translators like that even exist on the web? Hmm…

Anyway Cægan Æðelræd Bealusearu very roughly translates as Alchemy Most Wicked as I don't think it even has a literal meaning anymore as it is written in ancient English. Blaise's family have been looking for it for generations as it is a very rare book and they are very interested in Alchemy and of course with them being neutral in the war, they study both light and dark magics and I have never called this a Harry/Draco fic either. You're right that it is too limiting.

**ForgetTheWalls97**: There isn't all that much difference personality wise, not anymore, but back when Drackens were more common and I mean way, way back, like a thousand years back, the dominants had a much larger role in the whole dominant/submissive thing as it was crucial to their survival, it isn't as crucial in Harry's time so the dominants are more relaxed. I even gave a peek towards what it used to be like with Robert's journal, but if you're looking for the whole true dominance/submission thing this isn't going to be for you. The main difference between them now is physical appearance, height, weight and things and the amount of scales they have on their bodies, and obviously the whole submissives being pregnant.

**BMhallows**: Harry was trying to keep a lid on his anger for Draco's sake. Some of it leaked through because he really doesn't like Lucius Malfoy, but they are both going to try for Draco's sake. Lucius has been acquitted and forgiven for all past sins, even if people still remember, being found innocent helps people to forgive past mistakes and as Lucius was fearful for the life of his Wife and child, it doesn't really matter what he did as he was doing it in protection of his family, something those who have dearly loved ones can understand, we'd all do anything we could if our loved ones were threatened.

Harry would never use his child as a weapon, so he would never forbid Lucius or Narcissa from seeing their grandchildren. He would rather they accept him on their own and not because he was withholding visitation rights to their grandchild so he won't be asking them for an apology just so he would accept them into his child's life, no matter how angry he is at Lucius for his past actions.

**DeliriousDuck17**: This is easily answered because Blaise's Mother is a dominant Dracken and she got pregnant from Blaise's Father, Maximiliano, who was also a dominant. So yes. It is very possible for a Dominant female to get pregnant by a dominant male because they are still females, as long as they have sex with Drackens and not humans, they are perfectly able to procreate. The same goes for if the female was dominant and the male was submissive, like in the case of Robert and Gretchen from three hundred years ago.

**slash_adherent**: No shame in being a lurker. I am as well, I've been on this site for two and a half years and I don't think I've ever left a review. Huh, actually that's really bad of me. But I've been on for nearly seven years and I've only left about eighty reviews, so it's a reoccurring thing. You've read the story five times over? Wow, I haven't read it all the way through once yet. I probably should to check for mistakes and small errors, but I can't find the time. Ha! We can petition to get a Harry/Max and Harry/Nasta pairing category, that'd be awesome. What's an LJ? Never heard of one.

StarLight Massacre. X


	34. Revelations from Reluctant Lips

_Last Time_

_Max started the car and gripped the steering wheel so tightly it creaked under his hands. He pulled out and drove off quickly before he could change his mind and sink his fangs into the fat Muggle that had hurt his mate so badly. One thing was certain though, when they got home, Harry would tell them what he had had to endure at the hands of those _people,_ one way or another, Harry would tell them everything._

Chapter Thirty-Four – Revelations from Reluctant Lips

Harry nervously looked around the bright, open and spacious house. Max lived in a beautiful house, but Harry couldn't bring himself to see or appreciate it. Not when he was sat on a comfy settee with both of his older mates staring down at him demanding to know how the Dursleys had treated him during his childhood.

Okay, so they weren't actually demanding, they were asking, pleading with him, saying they only wanted to help, but it felt like they were demanding and Harry huddled up a bit more. He didn't want to tell them, he didn't want to drag it all up, not when he already felt so confused.

Max knelt down in front of him and gently picked up his restlessly twisting hands, holding them in his own, warm larger ones. He bent his head over them and laid a kiss to his skin and Harry bit his lip to stop it from trembling, even as his vision went wobbly.

"Harry love, please, just answer us this, did they ever hurt you?" Max asked softly.

Harry let out a great, shuddering breath as his welled up tears made him blind, but he would not let them fall, he had shed too many tears already, the Dursleys didn't deserve to have any more of his tears, but he wouldn't lie to his mates, he couldn't even turn the question around because he had been hurt both physically and emotionally by the Dursleys. He let out a choked, dry sob as he inclined his head.

Both Max and Nasta held onto their decade's worth of control by the skin of their teeth, Max's hands flexed and twitched, but he calmed himself enough so that he didn't tighten them at all around Harry's tiny, pale hands which were still clasped in his own.

Nasta came and sat beside Harry, holding him soothingly. Max made sure not to move to the other side of Harry, to stay in front of him and close to Nasta so Harry felt like he wasn't being surrounded or blocked, that he still had an escape route if he needed it.

"We guessed that you were at the very least being neglected." Nasta broke the silence with words barely above a whisper. "You acted very strangely, odd comments you made, you were obviously unhappy where you lived, but Harry, how bad did they treat you?"

Harry floundered as he tried to answer his mates, but he had absolutely nothing to say, he had nothing to compare his treatment to, how badly _had_ they treated him?

"Perhaps that is an unfair question." Nasta spoke again. "Maybe a better one would have been to ask if any of them have ever hit you."

Harry sucked in a deep breath and nodded his head minimally. Max's hands almost crushed his own before his largest mate got himself back under control and loosened his hold, rubbing his thumbs gently over his hands in silent apology.

"Was this a…normal occurrence?" Nasta asked, stumbling, rightfully so, over the word normal.

"No." Harry answered hoarsely. "I was only ever hit if things were really bad."

"And things didn't get very bad that often?" Max asked, failing to keep the slight hope from his voice.

"No. I'd have to have done something very bad to be hit, though not with Dudley."

"What do you mean?" Nasta asked him, swallowing back the urge to unsheathe his fangs.

"Dudley used to hit me for fun."

"Which one was Dudley?" Max asked in forced calm.

"My cousin."

"The very fat, blonde…boy?"

"Yes. He's always been overfed."

"Where you haven't." Nasta observed.

Harry's lips quirked into a wry smile. "I wasn't allowed to eat if Dudley was still hungry."

"When did they start holding back your food intake?"

"I think I was about seven when Dudley started complaining that he wasn't getting enough to eat. Of course my portions were then smaller and Dudley's bigger. I was slowly staved and Dudley grew to the size of a baby killer whale. I'm not entirely sure of who had it worse, him or me."

"Do you get enough to eat now?" Max asked, seemingly unable to stop himself from fretting.

Harry smiled softly and leant forward to kiss Max reassuringly, taking comfort for himself from his mate's lips.

"I get more than enough now, these past few months I've eaten better than I ever have in my life. Whilst at Hogwarts I have never been short of food, I've often found myself unable to eat too much without the risk of feeling very sick, the pregnancy is both a curse and a blessing when it comes to food."

Harry sighed and sagged in the seat. He felt drained and he had only really spoken about the withheld food, not even the weeks of being locked in his tiny cupboard with a slice of bread every other day and a beaker of tap water.

He hadn't been hit often, or at least Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon hadn't hit him often, but when they had, Harry shook his head; he didn't want to go there.

"Harry, this…well it isn't really much of a surprise because we had fleeting suspicions before now, but it truly is a shock to hear the truth, you are so sweet and kind, you don't seem to have let what has happened to you sink in, which isn't really a good thing."

Harry went to angrily reply but Nasta silenced him with just a look, carrying on from where Max left off.

"It's a bad thing Cariad because if you haven't let it sink in, if you are denying that it has happened, then you can't get on the path to recovery. You need to take in everything, reopen your scars and let them bleed anew, let it all out of you, only then will you begin to heal."

"I don't want to open the scars." Harry whispered.

"It will be painful Harry, for all of us, Draco and Blaise included when you tell them, but it needs to be done."

"Why?" Harry asked stubbornly.

"What if something sets you off again?" Max asked as gently as possible. "Like how you reacted back in our rooms when you were cleaning? We still don't know what set you off and we have been walking on eggshells to ensure it doesn't happen again, but we can't stop it from happening Harry if we don't know what will set you off. What if you have a…episode, when you are caring for our son? What if he gets older and says something that sets you off on a trip down memory lane?"

Harry swallowed and moved a hand to protectively cover his son who was happily bouncing gently around in his abdomen.

"It was the comment." Harry said painfully quiet.

"What comment Harry?" Max asked. "The one I made about you getting back into the cupboard?"

"Yes."

"Why did that one comment send you into a flashback of your childhood?" Max asked, Harry had been expecting it, but it still made him flinch.

Harry braced himself for the coming tidal wave, sent out his little finger to test the waters, if his mates couldn't handle the cupboard, how could he ever expect them to handle anything else that had happened?

"For as long as I can remember I've lived in a cupboard."

The look on Nasta and Max's faces brought the slightest of wry smiles to Harry's lips as he played with the hem of his shirt.

"When I was bad or my relatives just didn't want me around anymore they used to yell at me to get back in my cupboard and not to come back out until I was told."

"You stayed in a cupboard?" Max asked in horror, his voice rising uncontrollably. Nasta placed a soothing hand on Max's shoulder, a silent warning to watch what he said and did.

"Harry, they actually kept you in a cupboard? Where was this cupboard? In their front room? The kitchen?"

"The cupboard under the stairs, out of the way and large enough to hold me until I was almost eleven."

A large vein in Max's temple throbbed furiously as he ground his teeth together in an effort to control himself, when this failed he bit sharply into his own lip. The wash of fresh blood, his own blood, and the sting of pain helped him keep his anger in control.

"Almost eleven?" Nasta asked, his gorgeous hazel eyes, darkened in anger to an almost brown colour, narrowed as his own anger at the treatment of such a young child overflowed his emotions.

"Yeah, after I started receiving my Hogwarts letters, which were addressed to 'the cupboard under the stairs' they thought that the wizards were watching them so they moved me into Dudley's second bedroom."

The vein that had started to sink back into Max's head jutted out once more, throbbing an angry red colour. He had to take his hands away from Harry's so that he could clench his hands into large fists.

"Your cousin had two bedrooms and you lived in a cupboard?" Nasta asked, his eyes almost going true brown in his anger, not the light, goldish-greenish hazel that Harry so loved staring into.

"To be honest he needs two bedrooms to fit his bulk." Harry tried joking, he was getting very, very uncomfortable and nervous, he scratched the back of his neck and breathed out a bit shakily as he looked to the two angry men in front of him.

"Don't Harry. Don't try and make light of this. What those…_people_ have done is a terrible, awful thing; I won't be able to control myself if you start joking about how they treated you." Max stated seriously.

"I don't know how else to react." Harry confessed, shifting restlessly. "I've never had to tell anyone before, no one has actually been close enough to me to notice anything amiss or if they do they play it off as a one-time thing. No one really cared."

"I'm sure they would have if you had told them."

Harry shrugged inelegantly. "Ron and his brothers pulled bars from my window when I was just twelve. They told Mrs Weasley and she didn't do anything, so I just brushed it off."

"What bars?" Max demanded at the same time Nasta asked "You told someone and they did nothing?" looking horrified.

"It was the summer after my first year in Hogwarts." Harry started softly, taking a hand from each of his mates to comfort himself. He played with their fingers, stroked their skin, anything to not have to look up at them, to see their faces.

"I had just turned twelve that day and a house-elf came to see me. His name was Dobby."

"The house-elf you called in the hospital wing. Are we about to hear how that unlikely friendship struck up?" Max stated thoughtfully.

"Yes, but in the beginning Dobby and I weren't really friends."

"Why not?"

Harry sighed and knew that the lengths Dobby had gone through to 'keep him safe' would not go down well.

"He kept trying to kill me."

"What?"

Harry jumped at the bellowed word and was soothed almost immediately afterwards by both of his oldest mates.

"In Dobby's mixed up mind what he was doing was perfectly logical."

"Was he following his Master's orders?"

"No. He was going almost directly against his Master, who was funny enough, Lucius Malfoy, Draco's Father. Dobby believed, truly believed that he was helping me, keeping me safe, but in those attempts he tried to get me killed twice and almost expelled twice. He truly thought he was saving my life, but when I freed him from Lucius Malfoy's enslavement we struck up an odd friendship."

"What does this have to do with bars on your window?" Max asked.

Harry sighed. "One of Dobby's attempts to stop me from going back to school was smashing a pudding in a giant crystal bowl on the kitchen floor when my relatives had guests over, Muggle guests. Not only was I almost expelled because of the underage use of magic restriction, but my Uncle lost his business deal and blamed it on me. I hadn't told them that I couldn't do magic outside of school, so when the letter turned up and so kindly informed them that I wasn't allowed to do magic outside of school, my Uncle lost it. He said that he was going to lock me up and that I was never going to be allowed back to Hogwarts. He fitted bars over my bedroom window and I was locked in my bedroom day and night."

"Like a prison." Nasta hissed.

"I suppose, but I've never seen inside a prison cell so I wouldn't know. I was allowed out to use the toilet at about midday and that was it."

"What about meal times?" Max asked.

"My bedroom door had a cat flap in the bottom so I could be fed."

Max and Nasta looked horrified and Harry ducked his head to look at his hands, which still held one of each of his mate's hands.

"It wasn't that bad." Harry hurried to explain. "The worst part of it was the boredom."

"You are seriously wrong if you think the worst part of your treatment was boredom Harry." Nasta told him looking murderous. "The fact that they actually had the sheer level of cruelty to lock you up all day every day, not feeding you properly or even giving you the basic human right of bathroom facilities is horrifying. Even Azkaban gives their prisoners twenty-four hour access to a toilet."

Harry shifted uncomfortably and let go of his mates' hands to hold his bump between his hands, cradling his baby as best he could whilst his son was still inside of him.

A large arm around his shoulders squashed him into a broad body and Harry held onto that body for dear life as he choked back a sob. He had been too young to understand the overwhelming level of neglect he had been shown by his relatives, too naïve to realise that his treatment was considered abuse. He knew he had never been treated particularly well, but he tried not to think about it, he put it all out of his mind and enjoyed what he could of his freedom whilst he was at Hogwarts. Why would he want to ruin the best days of his life by thinking of the Dursleys? Why would he spoil Christmas by thinking of his treatment at his relatives' house? Why would he darken Easter by talking of his punishments? He just wanted to forget, pretend that none of it had ever happened, was that such a terrible thing?

* * *

Harry had claimed tiredness and had refused to speak another word despite Max and Nasta's best efforts, they had even brought their unborn son into their argument and that had made Harry angry, that they dared suggest that he would ever hurt his son, unknowingly or otherwise!

When he hadn't been shown to a bed because Max was trying to keep him talking about his relatives Harry had slid onto the living room floor and had curled up on the patch of carpet in front of the fire, his back to his mates.

"Harry, please love." Nasta begged. "It'll be better to get everything out in the open. I know it's hard for you, especially after so long of no one doing anything about it, but love, please talk to us."

Harry stayed silent. He had said all he was going to today and nothing, not even the threat of a punishment from his mates was going to get him to talk anymore.

Harry heard Max sigh deeply and he was scooped into his biggest mate's arms. Harry lashed out and kicked and swung punches, but Max shushed him and held him as still as possible.

"If you won't talk Harry then we had best get you to a bed before you get a crick in your neck from sleeping on the floor. We don't want to ruin all the hard work Blaise put into rubbing the knots from your neck the last time you fell asleep on the floor, do we?"

Harry stayed silent and felt like an ungrateful wretch, but he didn't want to talk anymore so he was going to have to put up with feeling like a brat as Max laid him down on a wonderfully soft bed, removing his shoes and undoing the zipper of his trousers so that he was more comfortable. He was covered with a thick duvet and kissed on the side of the head before Max turned to leave the room.

"Max?" Harry called back.

Max was by his side before Harry blinked; looking down at him with a saddened expression, but there was still love and adoration in those blue, blue eyes.

Harry sat up and kissed Max firmly on the lips, pouring his love for the man in front of him into that one kiss.

"I can't talk about it anymore." Harry told him. "I just can't. I don't want to break down in this condition."

Harry indicated the baby bump, Max's hands jumped to cup his bulge and Harry smiled sadly.

"I never really understood how bad things were. I don't think about it much during the school year, I have never had flashbacks before and it did scare me when I was stuck in my own memories. I always knew I was treated differently, but it wasn't until I was older that I understood that I was being treated badly. I think it was made worse by the adults around me, if they ever noticed anything amiss they never said anything and that pushed me to be closed lipped about everything. I don't mean to be a brat, but I can't speak any more about it, I just can't."

"You aren't a brat." Max told him exasperatedly, moving a hand to cup his cheek. "I think Nasta and I knew when we started asking you about it that you weren't going to spill everything in one afternoon, but what we have already heard has made us dread what else could have happened to you. These people obviously have no limits if they are willing to lock a child in a cupboard under a set of stairs and starve him. This dread is going to eat away at us and the worst possible scenarios are going to be floating around our heads until the entire truth is out and we can either put our fears to bed, or some of our worst nightmares are going to become a reality."

"You promise you won't treat me any differently?" Harry asked a touch of fear in his suddenly young voice.

Max was reminded with a stab to his heart that Harry was only sixteen. He was often so mature and acted much older than he was that it was so very easy to forget that he wasn't actually an adult yet, that he wasn't fully grown up regardless of how he acted in a situation.

"Would we ever treat you any differently?" Max asked him with a small flick to that little nose. "Everyone has different, difficult trials to get over in their lifetime; it's just cruel that yours came so early in life. True you have been through some horrific things, but they weren't your fault, why would we treat you any differently for something so out of your control?"

Harry broke down and started sobbing on Max's chest, taking comfort from those large arms wrapped tightly around his back and the soothing smell of pine that always surrounded Max.

Max rocked Harry until the mentally exhausted boy fell asleep in his arms. He carefully extracted Harry from him and laid him back down oh so gently. He covered Harry back up and eased himself carefully to his feet. He watched Harry sleeping for a minute or two, just to make sure his beautiful mate hadn't been disturbed by his weight leaving the mattress. He bent down and kissed Harry's soft cheek.

He couldn't help but wonder if his mate had ever been hit harder than any child should. Harry had said he had been hit by his…_relatives_, but how hard were those hits? Had they caused damage, physical marks, or had they just been sly slaps that stung for a bit without leaving a mark to be seen? He tried to keep the images of a battered Harry from his mind, of that beautiful, perfect face swollen, bruised and bleeding because someone had battered him.

His claws and fangs ripped themselves out of his skin and gums with such force that he almost cried out. He breathed deeply and slowly to dispel his anger, but he knew he had lost when his wings unfolded themselves from his spinal cord and pushed out of his skin in a burst of blood and shiny blue scales.

Resigned to walking around in his Dracken form for a couple of hours until he calmed down enough to control his Dracken attributes, Max left the bedroom before he accidentally woke Harry up. He went back into the living room and Nasta jumped up when he saw that he was in Dracken form, sniffing deeply to scent out any threat.

"There isn't any danger, I lost control." Max admitted.

"I almost did when I heard your conversation. I can't believe he thought that we would treat him differently or that he thinks himself a brat just because he couldn't bring himself to speak any more about what he went through."

Max flumped down beside Nasta and scrubbed a hand through his hair, being very mindful of his claws. He smiled in remembrance of when he was a newly turned Dracken and had had a temper tantrum over something so insignificant he couldn't remember what it was about now. His Dracken form had exploded out of him and he had been in so much pain that he had crumpled to the floor. His Mother and Fathers had held him and rocked him as he cried in agony.

Once he had calmed down and had sat in the circle of his Dad's arms he had done the same thing, he had pushed a hand through his over long hair to get it out of his soaking wet face and had gouged four deep rivets into his scalp. His Mother had been screaming at his Father to get him to the hospital as he sat on the floor bleeding profusely from his head, but his Father, ever the calm one in crisis situations had taken him from his Dad and had held him tightly to his front and urged him to bite his shoulder and drink his blood. The four deep marks hadn't even scarred.

Max smiled and let himself indulge a little as he leant on Nasta and let the older man calm and sooth him. He was glad that no one else was there to see it though. Harry wouldn't have done or said anything except perhaps worm his way between them and join in the cuddle, but Draco and Blaise were still too young to understand that being a dominant didn't mean they had to be strong and tough twenty-four seven, they would see him as weak and challenge his position in the hierarchy and the last thing he wanted was to have dominance battles with them when he had only wanted a bit of comfort. He couldn't wait for when they were older and more mature and realised that there was more to weakness and strength than bravado and icy exteriors.

Nasta wrapped an arm around him and kissed his forehead. The older man was enjoying the peace and comfort of the silence that Draco and Blaise being absent created. Not that he didn't love them, he did very deeply, but their arguments and debates and childish fights gave him no end of headaches.

Max closed his eyes and let out a huff of breath, shifting a bit until he was more comfortable against Nasta.

"This is nice. I usually hate the silence of this place because it reminds me of how alone I am, but silence when I know there are people here is so peaceful."

Nasta smiled and relaxed back against the settee, soaking up the warmth of the large body next to him and the peace of the atmosphere. Neither of them were going to think about what Harry had gone through, neither of them were going to ruin the mood and the moment by mentioning it or speculating on what else could have happened to Harry in his childhood. They would speak about it when they had knowledge of everything Harry had ever been subjected to, of everything those people had ever done to him, but for now they just wanted to enjoy some peace and quiet before hearing any more about Harry's life or before Draco and Blaise came to visit and ruined it by inciting one of their many arguments. The next one would probably be over whom got better marks on their exams, neither of the older two were looking forward to that argument.

* * *

A/N: Only ten more chapters left! I'm going to just throw them all out once I get away from work long enough, likely Tuesday or Wednesday. We might have chapter 45 as early as next week!

Thanks to** think-pink-jess **for being the** 3,400th reviewer**

**AAAR**: You got it right. Harry can't be separated from his mates during the time frame of mating with them (when he picks them as his mate) and before the first heat. He will be unable to sleep if he is separated from his new mate in this time frame, he will be restless and anxious until he is reunited with the missing mate.

As for taking away Blaise and Draco before they found out about the Dursleys, You're right again, I had to. They would have lost control; they're too young to stop themselves. Max and Nasta, who have solid control over their instincts, almost lost control at the thought of Harry being hurt, their secret would have been out, they would have either been captured, executed or on the run, I can't have that, so I got rid of Draco and Blaise in a way that was understandable, they are only seventeen and they should spend time with their parents.

As for Amelle, she is quite a bitch, but Ashleigh is quite unstable, she is no danger to children or any other person, but she has the potential to be, so Amelle isn't taking the chance and is keeping herself and the baby away from her. Caesar and Amelle will come into the story soon and as their baby will be almost the same age as Harry's I thought readers might want to hear of her birth, it would only be a small scene, like when I changed to Marianna's point of view when telling the story of her Husband's death, but I'll save it for the one-shot fics.

**ShadowFlame23**: I hope your exam went fine! I was hoping someone, anyone, would guess as to why the Dursleys came and picked up Harry after Petunia said they wouldn't, but no one did. I actually gave the answer to this (sort of) in Petunia's point of view. None of the Dursleys can touch Harry's childhood mementoes, the picture, the broken toys and the nest of blankets, because Harry placed a compulsion charm on them that renders them unable to throw away the scant few things he had, this was accidental magic when he was a young child. The same compulsion charm, which Harry accidental and unknowingly cast, meant that they couldn't not come and pick him up at the station. Does that make sense? It sounds confusing to me.

**EmeraldEyes01:** Ah I love you! Not in the creepy way, but in the way that you just saved me such a headache and a lot of research time with the information you gave me! Your review is going to be so much help in the birth chapter, as for the questions with the mountain of information you gave me. Harry already had umbilical cord clips on his list of things to take into the nest with him and I suppose he could also take alcohol and iodine swabs with him as an extra precaution, I just didn't think about it. As for Harry's claws being filthy, not really, submissives claws secret an acidic substance that will completely eradicate all dirt and germs from his claws, much like dipping them in bleach, as he cuts himself open which will also stop bacteria from getting in his wound.

Harry can get infections as shown by his urinary tract infection and Max's chest infection, so getting debris in the wound is going to be a critical area that Harry will have to avoid, rest assured that both Harry and the baby are going to be checked out immediately by a healer after he is out of the nest.

Harry's wounds will all be taken care of by the blood he will drink, it doesn't just give him strength but it will seal up his wounds, much like a potion, and get rid of most of his pain. Again Harry won't be unattended for long, he will fix himself up as best as he can, tend to his baby and then he will call out to his mates and they will immediately come to him and the baby, they will get the scent of the baby, get their scent on the baby and then they will get Harry and the baby out of the nest and to a waiting healer, there won't be any time for any infection to take hold, unless I'm wrong about that…hmm. You have more medical stuff than I do, even if you never have done anything on a human, can an infection take hold enough to do Harry damage in, say…two hours?

Absolutely no offence taken at all. If you have taken the time to write it then I will take the time to read and respond to it and as I said I am trying to make it as realistic as possible and I do appreciate the information a hell of a lot more than you seem to realise, your review has saved me a hell of a lot of research time that I don't really have in the first place. If you think of anything else I'll very happily enjoy any information you can give, even if it seems irrelevant, I store information like a sponge and could probably use it three years down the line in a completely different fic.

**thedragonninjamurcury**: Sirius did indeed fall through the veil. Harry defeated Voldemort in the atrium of the Ministry just after Sirius had died when he chased Bellatrix to the fountain of magical brethren. He did have the 'I must not tell lies' scar until his inheritance where all scars and blemishes (Besides the cursed scar on his forehead) were completely healed, so none of his mates would have seen it.

**marystout13**: Drackens do not build nests underground. They are flighty creatures and would prefer to build their nest as high as possible; they would much sooner build a nest in a tree like a bird than underground like a rabbit.

**FlamingRebirth**: No, Dumbledore has no idea that Harry is being abused or neglected; he knows that the Dursleys don't particularly like Harry and that Harry doesn't like them, but he has no idea that they are hurting and starving him. The Dursleys showed up, once again, because of compulsion charms that Harry unknowingly cast.

**MommysSissyGirl: **Harry didn't tell his mates he was abused because he doesn't see what happened to him as abuse. He knew he wasn't treated very well, but how do you class what is abuse or not when you have nothing to compare to? Harry trusts all of his mates, his not telling them isn't a trust issue, it's more likely that he is ashamed of what he went through and how he was treated that is keeping his mouth shut, not a distrust of his mates.

: Amelle and Caesar have only just gotten pregnant because Amelle suffered a tragic loss of her first mate and child. I thought I mentioned this in the story? Have I? Damn I don't know, maybe I never, if I didn't then Amelle lost her mate and suffered a miscarriage when she was seventeen, it then took her an abnormally long time to recover from this incident. When she recovered enough mentally she was twenty-five, she then asked the counsel to set up a mate meeting for her, which they very happily complied and she found Caesar. The heat she went through after finding Caesar resulted in her daughter Eleonora.

**Bookworm19065: **No, the Dursleys aren't paid by anyone to keep Harry. In Petunia's point of view we learned that Dumbledore had appealed to her sense of family to keep Harry as he is her blood relation, offering her money would have been more like a bribe to keep Harry than for any sense of love for him she had. Dumbledore didn't want to bribe anyone to take in the sweet baby, so he attempted to get Petunia to take him in out of love, an attempt that he believes succeeded as Petunia did take in Harry, only he never realised that Petunia only took in her Nephew because one of the neighbours came outside and not because she loved him.

As for the female birthing scene, female Drackens do give birth like human females, but human females have hospitals, doctors, nurses and midwives, the option of a range of painkillers to take, options on how they want to give birth and with whom, they have specialist support ready and waiting if anything goes wrong, people to support them and lean on if things get tough. A female Dracken has herself and only herself. She is in her nest all alone in isolation, her mate far away, she has to endure the excruciating pain of labour and childbirth without the use of any painkillers, if the baby gets stuck in her birth canal, she has to give herself a caesarean section, if anything goes wrong she only has herself to rely on, she has to struggle, tired and in agony to get her baby out of herself in any way she can before she either passes out from blood loss or the baby is crushed in her birth canal. So yeah, female Drackens give birth like human females, but I wouldn't exactly call it 'normal'.

**smileyjarvis: **I have decided exactly where Harry is going to build his nest, when and what with. I'm planning and designing it all out ready for the birthing chapters. Though I can tell you that it will not be at the Burrow. As you realised Ron does live there and Harry will not be able to protect himself or the baby during labour and the moments just after birth when he is exhausted from childbirth. His mates will not be allowed anywhere near him or his nest because he will react to the 'danger' the scent of dominant Drackens near him will create. Humans (the Weasleys) will be tolerated a bit better, but they still won't be able to come within twenty feet of his nest without him freaking out, which basically rules out every house in the Weasley home, besides the fact that Harry could chose to build his nest outside, Drackens will only really build a nest inside if they are having winter babies as they realise how detrimental being in the cold weather and the snow could have on themselves, but more importantly the newborn baby.

**SilverLion**: I agree it would be hilarious if Harry nested in Ron's room, especially if he tore down all of those Chudley Cannon posters to make his nest with, but the Burrow is out as a nesting place. It's too crowded, too boisterous and Ron lives there and Harry is going to be very weak after the birth of his son, it's just too much of a perfect opportunity for Ron to strike as Harry's mates won't be allowed anywhere near him or his nest.

**Andrea Readwolf**: I absolutely adore the Anita Blake books! I'm halfway through Hit List at the moment. I've done two crossovers of Harry Potter with Anita Blake on this site; a Harry/Nathaniel and a Jamil/Harry/Jason. I have two more being written an Asher/Harry and a Wicked/Harry/Truth.

**Zept:** Do you have Facebook? I talk shop on there with near 400 fans of the Dracken series, the name to find me is StarLight Mass.

**Slash Goggles Engaged**: Severus' mate, Regulus, is very dead I'm sorry.

Thank you all for reading, reviewing, adding me to your alerts/favourites lists, for all the questions and to all the communities my story is a part of! You're all awesome!

StarLight Massacre. X


	35. Homecoming Welcome

_Last Time_

_Nasta smiled and relaxed back against the settee, soaking up the warmth of the large body next to him and the peace of the atmosphere. Neither of them were going to think about what Harry had gone through, neither of them were going to ruin the mood and the moment by mentioning it or speculating on what else could have happened to Harry in his childhood. They would speak about it when they had knowledge of everything Harry had ever been subjected to, of everything those people had ever done to him, but for now they just wanted to enjoy some peace and quiet before hearing any more about Harry's life or before Draco and Blaise came to visit and ruined it by inciting one of their many arguments. The next one would probably be over whom got better marks on their exams, neither of the older two were looking forward to that argument._

Chapter Thirty-Five – Homecoming Welcome

Max almost leapt out of his skin when the fireplace burst out green flame and one by one his family emerged from the fireplace.

He massaged his heart even as Nasta shot up, his black leathery wings with bright yellow-gold scales burst from his back as he shot to stand in front of him as if he needed protecting.

"Well your reaction time is outstanding." Max heard his Grandfather's voice compliment. "Though your shielding skills are something to be desired, I can still see my Grandson's head and shoulders."

Max chuckled. "That can't be helped now can it Granddad? I'm a head and shoulders taller than he is."

A tall, gorgeous man stepped out of the fireplace, a very large smile on his face, his light brown, almost blondish hair clinging to his face in overlong tendrils, his bright brown eyes glinting happily.

Max rushed right around Nasta and embraced this man tightly, even going so far as to tuck that head of blondish-brown hair under his chin.

"Caesar, what are you doing here? Not that I haven't missed you, but what about Amelle?"

Caesar grinned happily up at his big brother; he had missed his entire family as he had been over in America with his mate and her family.

"Amelle's family are watching over her, I swore her Father and brothers to an oath that they would die before they let anything happen to Amelle or Eleonora."

"Eleonora? You finally beat Amelle's idea of calling the baby Gem Bear into the dirt then?"

"I had to. I mean…hell, Gem Bear Seppen?" Caesar shook his head.

"I would have thought even with Amelle's family you would still watch over her, she's so close to birthing now."

"Nah she's not. She's still preening; she's damn enjoying it as well. But I had to come and see my big brother when I heard that he had actually mated finally. Four other men as well." Caesar waggled his eyebrows and Max shoved his brother away with a grin.

"Well we know who your favourite is." A lovely looking woman with blond hair and the same bright brown eyes as Caesar. "You walk past all three of your sisters to hug your brother and don't even spare us a courtesy hello, thank you Maximilius."

"You know I love you Julinda, but I haven't seen Caesar in a year, I saw you last week."

"Don't make it sound like such a hardship to see me." Julinda teased.

Max chuckled and hugged Julinda tightly, making sure to rein in his strength so he didn't break his human sister in half.

"How is Laurel?"

Julinda snorted harshly and folded her arms across her chest. "In a wand making convention in Sweden. Never mind that this weekend is our Anniversary."

"You should divorce him." Richard said firmly to his only biological daughter, his brown eyes, which both of his children had inherited, hard as flint.

"I'm not going to divorce him Daddy." Julinda sighed as if this conversation were an old one.

"Where are the other three of your supposedly gorgeous harem?" Caesar asked interestedly.

"Gorgeous harem?" Max questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Alayla told me that you have a harem of exceptionally gorgeous men, so where are they? All I see is your ugly mush and one gorgeous man."

"Draco and Blaise are visiting their parents and Harry is sleeping, he's had a rough afternoon."

"But I'm only here for a few days! I wanna see them all!" Caesar whined.

"You will. Draco and Blaise will be here soon enough to visit and Harry won't sleep for much longer I don't think."

"Why won't Harry sleep for much longer?" A sweet, sleepy voice asked.

Max turned and grinned at the sight of a sleepy Harry, his eyes closed, holding onto the wall to keep himself upright, wearing just a pair of very over large boxer shorts.

"Are those mine?" Nasta asked incredulously. "How the hell did you get my boxer shorts?"

"I robbed them from your suitcase." Harry admitted. "I broke the waistband to the ones Draco gave to me."

Max scooped Harry up and held him tightly, kissing him passionately. Caesar wolf whistled and Harry startled and looked around before going a gorgeous shade of pink and trying to huddle in on himself to cover his body. He always got self-conscious when his belly was exposed.

"I know there's a reason you are going around wearing just a pair of shorts other than enticing my son. What is it?" Myron asked not unkindly.

"I…I was too hot wearing anything else. I would have gone naked if my morals would have let me, thank god for morals." Harry answered looking around at all the people looking at him. "I'm just going to get dressed."

"Nonsense." Myron exclaimed. "If you're too hot then you're too hot, don't make yourself uncomfortable for us."

Harry didn't want to say that he was more uncomfortable staying in a room with them in just a pair of boxers that were only staying up due to his very large waistline, so he huddled in Max's arms and looked around, his sight stayed on a new, but familiar face.

There was a new man standing with Max's family, he looked so much like Richard that Harry knew him to be Max's younger brother Caesar, Harry wondered just what the hell this man was doing here when his nesting mate was about to give birth to his daughter. Harry would have had a fit if he found out that any of his mates had left him unprotected during his nesting period.

"I don't think your little one likes me Max, he hasn't stopped glaring at me for the past two minutes." Caesar told his older brother, who stopped his conversation with his Grandmother and looked in surprise at Harry.

"Sorry Harry, this is my brother Caesar, he isn't a threat to you or the baby."

Harry snarled a bit at Caesar who took a step back in surprise. "He really doesn't like me."

"What's wrong love?" Nasta asked, coming closer.

"He's just left his pregnant mate! He's left her!"

"Amelle is fine Harry. Her family are around her." Max explained.

"Doesn't matter." Harry pouted before looking to Max and Nasta. "If any of you even think of leaving me alone in my nest I will wear your decorated skins to your funerals."

Alexander Maddison started laughing heartily and he sat happily on the settee. "He's so creative!" He praised.

Harry grinned at Max's Grandfather and squirmed to be put down. He forgot all about just wearing a pair of shorts and went and sat with the man who held his hands like he was a delicate woman, but the creative glint in his eye stopped Harry from saying anything.

"How would you decorate their skins Harry, sweet one?"

"With their wing scales of course." Harry grinned promptly.

"If you could stop talking about torturing and killing us that'd be great." Max told them sardonically as he rolled his eyes.

"Spoil sport." Harry stated with a grin.

Alexander chuckled and patted Harry lovingly.

"How is my great-Grandson tonight?" He asked, lowering a hand to the exposed, bare bump.

"Surprisingly still. Usually he'd be kicking into my kidneys right about this time."

"Has he been active today?" Richard asked concernedly.

"Yes. He's just not active now. I have his kick chart that the nice woman gave to me; he's kicked me hard twelve times today."

"I'm glad I don't want kids." Julinda said looking at him with pity.

"I want to be a Grandfather too you know." Richard told his daughter, put out by her continued declaration of remaining Motherless.

"What the hell is Eleonora?" Caesar asked. "I am your son aren't I? Please Daddy, don't tell me Mommy slept with the milkman after all of these years! My heart won't be able to bear the pain!"

Harry started laughing and he couldn't stop. The faces Caesar had pulled, the tone of voice he had used to inflect the words he had said, the over dramatization of his actions made him laugh until tears streamed down his cheeks and his lungs shrivelled up from lack of oxygen as he couldn't breathe.

"He's just like you." Myron remarked dryly to Richard, who was laughing so hard no sound was coming out of his mouth. Myron didn't sound overly happy at the thought of Caesar being just like Richard either.

Nasta finally started rubbing Harry's back to calm him down so he could take in a deep breath before he suffocated himself. Harry did so and remained pink cheeked, wet faced and huffing out bursts of laughter.

He calmed himself down and held his arms around his chest as he swayed with the remnants of his laughter, chuckling at odd moments.

Max smacked Caesar on the back of the head to shut him up, his grin almost splitting his face in two.

"You're a moron." He commented fondly.

"So are you, or do you forget the…"

The rest of Caesar's sentence was muffled by one of Max's large hands as he covered his brother's lower face, his cheeks oddly red.

"Are you blushing?" Harry demanded. "What the hell happened to make you blush?"

Max went even redder and he stammered a bit before he stomped on Caesar's foot.

"This is all your fault; you were sworn to the secrecy of the Gilted Quill!"

"The what?" Nasta asked interestedly.

Max went impossibly redder and Harry chuckled as Caesar went red cheeked as well. They looked like a couple of guilty, naughty school boys, very tall school boys.

"It was their little boy club when they were kids." The other blondish-brown haired woman, this one the only one of Max's siblings to have Myron's jet black eyes, said with a nasty grin at her brothers. She put on a high pitched, imitation of a child's voice. "No girls allowed!"

"Talia!" Max whined. "Stop humiliating me in front of my mates!"

"It was so cute." Kimberly Maddison, Max's Grandmother, sighed adoringly. "They used to run around with this beautiful little quill edged with real gold. One of Myron's best quills, not that he would ever take away their 'club symbol'"

"Of course not." Myron stated with an evil little smirk. "I would never deprive my little boys of their gilded quill club symbol."

"Oh Merlin, let the floor open up and swallow me whole." Max grumbled.

Harry chuckled and went to hug Max, only to find himself stuck on the settee unable to get up.

"A little help please." He said as he waved his arms about, trying, and failing, to get to his feet.

Nasta chuckled quietly beside him and gave him a gentle push to his feet. Harry went to Max and cuddled him tightly, still laughing at finally seeing Max get his feathers ruffled. Max was so laid back that it was nearly impossible to embarrass him, he either laughed it off or was completely unbothered by it, to see him actually embarrassed enough to blush tickled Harry.

"Have you searched for a nesting place yet?" Ashleigh asked Harry, looking unashamedly at his bared belly.

Harry actually half turned his baby away from her before he caught himself and stopped, standing still. He breathed deeply and pushed away his instincts which urged him to hide his baby away from Ashleigh. He turned around fully in Max's arms to look at Ashleigh dead on, his instincts would not rule his life, he was in control here, no one else, not even his own Dracken instincts would overthrow his control, he already let go during the heats without doing so when he wasn't on heat as well.

"No." Harry replied, forced casually.

"I would have thought that it would have been the first thing you did once you got here. What is more important than scouting out the area that you'll give birth in?" Myron asked a tight note to his voice which let Harry know that Myron at least had seen his small movement to turn away from his Wife.

"Something came up and then I fell asleep. I'll scout out an area when I'm ready to!" Harry hissed.

"Calm down sweet one." Alexander urged him. "We wouldn't want anything untoward to happen to you or the baby. Myron stop harassing the little one!"

"I was not harassing anyone Father." Myron replied calmly even as those black eyes glinted towards Harry.

"There was a…altercation at the train station." Max broke the awkward silence that had fallen over them.

Harry twisted violently in Max's arms and glared up at his biggest mate with livid emerald eyes. Max sighed as Harry glared at him and his family all looked at him in alarm and askance. He had never kept anything from them, nothing in his entire life, until he had mates. He understood that this was Harry's secret, Harry's pain, but the more people that knew of what Harry had gone through then the less likely that one of his family members would send Harry into a flashback of his abused childhood.

"Give us a moment." Max told his family as he plucked Harry from the floor like a doll and carried him back up the stairs to the bedroom, Nasta following them like a silent, disapproving shadow.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Harry hissed out as soon as the door was closed. "You're not allowed to just tell whomever you please about…about _that_!"

"I know Harry, but they're my family. I can't keep anything from them, let alone something this big. They'll be here practically every other day anyway, they always are, what if they say something to set you off? If it can be avoided surely that's healthier for you and the baby?"

"No!" Harry exploded. "No it isn't healthier for us!"

Nasta held him from behind and pressed a kiss behind his ear. "I can understand where Max is coming from Harry."

Harry opened his mouth to shout hell at the both of them but Nasta's hand lightly covered his mouth.

"If one of Max's family members were to say something to inadvertently hurt or upset you, I doubt either of us would forgive ourselves. More importantly with you so close to giving birth, I doubt we would forgive the particular family member for causing you distress. Max loves his family very much Harry, it would hurt something deeply within him if he were to fight with his family as it would hurt me if I was so angry with my Dad or brother as to hurt them because they had upset you."

"I…I don't want them to know!" Harry burst out with tears in his eyes, stubbornly refusing to let them fall, feeling like a selfish burden for making them chose him and his painful secret over telling their own family members. "It's embarrassing and humiliating! That I couldn't and still can't protect myself from three Muggles."

Nasta moved so quickly that Harry couldn't even prepare for when he was spun around to face his oldest, most dominant mate who was looking very serious and very grave.

"Never say that again!" Nasta growled. "What those people did to you is in no way your fault Harry! You were just a child, how can a child protect itself from the cruelty of two fully grown adults?"

"Where do they live Harry?" Max asked calmly that belied the manic glint in his blue eyes.

"I'm not going to tell you that!" Harry replied astonished. "You can't kill them! All of us would be exposed as creatures and we'd all be executed! Do you want me to be executed? Do you want the baby to be executed?"

"The baby wouldn't be executed, they'd test him to see if he's a Dracken or not and then they'd either put him in an orphanage or extradite him to Australia or South Africa."

"Oh and that's better is it? Is it?" Harry demanded.

"They'd have to catch us first." Max ground out between his teeth unwilling to let it drop just yet.

"Oh so you can all run ahead of me, just leave me and the baby behind because I can barely walk let alone fucking run! Not to mention what would happen to your families! You'd be out as Drackens so they'd test them as well; it's not just us you'll be exposing! It's not just our lives you'll be ruining."

Max screamed into his hands. "I just can't bear the thought of those people abusing a child and getting away with it!"

"Who says they have to get away with it?" Nasta asked calmly, rationally. "They abused a minor in their care, there is no reason we can't go through legal channels to punish them. Not everything has to be blood and death; I think a long, slow suffering in the most under budgeted prison we can find is a much more fitting punishment."

Max's eyes gleamed as Nasta craftily planted the images in the wound up Dracken's head.

"Hello? I'm pregnant! I can't testify and I know enough about legal jargon from my Aunt's Law and Order TV shows to know that if we have any hope of shoving them behind bars I'll have to testify. I can't turn up at a Muggle court room pregnant!"

"Harry love, by the time we put in the accusation, the Muggles answer it and a court date has been set our son will be six months old." Max replied.

"We'll wait until after the birth of our boy if it makes you feel better." Nasta soothed.

"You do both know that my Dad, Richard, is a barrister don't you? I've grown up hearing about the ins and outs of the courtroom."

"He's a barrister, really?" Harry asked a tad hopefully.

"Course. He would be able to represent you if you wanted; he'd get them the longest, harshest sentence possible."

"Only one of us can accompany Harry." Nasta stated factually. "I'd lean more towards Draco as he is the nearest to Harry's age. If two thirty-something's show up the courts could claim that we are taking advantage of a minor."

Max grunted. "I've already been accused of paedophilia once and that was more than enough. I have no want of a court to do it."

"I am of legal age to give sexual consent!" Harry reminded them.

"It won't matter, you'll be going to a court to face down child abuse charges, if the judge, jury and media see that you have two thirty year old men as lovers they'll twist it into something vile and unsavoury."

Harry sighed. "I don't want to do it alone."

"You won't be alone love, we'll be in the courtroom, we just won't be able to claim a relationship with you, we could just be friends. Draco will be your lover, it'll be better if there is just the one of us anyway, Muggles are strange about homosexuality, so the less male lovers you have, the happier they'll be."

"Lucius Malfoy is also a very prominent political figure, when the wizarding world gets a hold of it he'll be better suited, along with my Dad, Myron, to protect you from any backlash, any media interference, that sort of thing."

"Lucius Malfoy won't help me! He hates me."

"He doesn't hate you; he just needs some time to sort through his thoughts. Child abuse is a very, very serious thing Harry, Lucius Malfoy will be itching to take his wand to those people."

"We really have to tell them, don't we?" Harry asked in a small voice, looking to the bedroom door and the stairs that led to Max's family.

"We don't have to, but I would like it if you'd allow me to." Max replied slowly and diplomatically. "They won't think anything differently of you Harry; they'll admire you for your strength to admit what you went through more than anything else."

"How will they react?" Harry asked nervously.

"With righteous outrage on your behalf." Max assured. "My Mum especially will be devastated."

Harry sighed. "I don't think I could tell it again." He admitted sadly.

"With your permission we could tell them all we know about the situation."

Harry nodded slowly, half regretting it, even as he knew his mates would never have agreed to just leave the Dursleys alone, to just keep the past in the past.

* * *

Max had been right, of course, about his family's reaction. They had been livid, had shouted, sworn, questioned and Myron had clenched his hands so tightly his fingernails had bitten into his skin and caused him to bleed.

Richard had already started to take notes and was pressing the parchment with his quill so hard he was leaving stab marks all over it as his hand shook terribly.

Harry sat on the settee with Max's youngest sisters, who were both holding him comfortingly and crying on his behalf as he sat dry eyed, but feeling like a rung out towel. Max's oldest sister, Julinda was furious and was making choking motions with her hands, her brown eyes far away.

Ashleigh was being cradled in Myron's arms, even as the huge, broad Dracken was standing as stiff as a board, those black eyes pinned to Harry, looking at him like he dearly wished to check him thoroughly for any marks or bruises, even though Max had told them that Harry's inheritance last summer would have wiped away all physical evidence.

"What I'd do to those beasts if I got my hands on them." Alexander said for the seventh time making a violent gesture in the air.

"Now dear, calm yourself. "Kimberly soothed her Husband. "Our dear Richard will make sure they get what's owed them, won't you Richard dear?"

"Of course Kimberly. Those vile monsters will not walk away from this." Richard rasped his voice so tight it had to be painful.

It seemed that when Richard got emotional, or angry, his throat closed off and with the scar running the length of his neck from his chin it made it very painful for the man to breathe and he had choked for air several times already.

Myron had given that small bottle of potion to his mate and watched critically as Richard had sipped from it, but it didn't seem to be helping overly much. Harry was so insanely curious that he had had to bite his tongue twice to keep the question in his mouth.

Harry sighed and Talia wrapped her arms around him tighter, kissing the side of his head and rubbing against him like a cat. He smiled and snuggled her back, chuckling silently at it turned into a competition on who could rub for the longest.

"What on earth are you doing?" Alayla asked with a laugh.

"I hope you aren't trying to steal my pregnant mate from me Talia." Max grinned as his sister went tomato red.

"Of course not, I'm trying to make him happy again." Talia answered primly, looking pointedly to Harry's smile.

The floo flared green and before Harry could blink he had several people in front of him, several pairs of wings flared.

He heard Max laugh and the second tallest Dracken strode forward, his blue wings bobbing behind him and he embraced someone that Harry couldn't see through the wall of wings, though he did find out that Myron's wings were as black as his eyes, his scales done in an endless onyx colour. Richard's wings were a pale, pastel orange colour and his scales were the happiest, brightest sunshine yellow he had ever seen, even brighter than Henley's, which had been more of a lemon colour.

Alexander's wings on the other hand were a deep, almost black, green and were dotted with paler green scales.

Max walked through them all with his arm around a very unsettled looking Blaise. Harry forced his body out of his seat, using his legs to push himself forward, almost stumbling in the process, to wrap his arms around Blaise's neck.

"Now he is gorgeous." Caesar exclaimed, nudging his brother. "Have you had that yet?"

"Don't be crude and vulgar!" Myron reprimanded strongly, following through with a smack to the back of Caesar's head. "Your Mother and sisters are in the room!"

"Sorry Dad." Caesar replied meekly, rubbing his sore spot, before he grinned and went back to examining Blaise.

"Bit on the small and slender side for a dominant."

Blaise snarled and held Harry tighter; Harry could feel the tension in Blaise's body and went up on tiptoe to kiss it away. They ended up kissing passionately for several minutes.

"How come I never get a kiss like that?" Max whined.

"You can't keep yourself from talking long enough." Harry answered quickly, setting off a round of laughs.

Harry laughed happily as he cuddled Blaise, who had come for a short visit to see if he had settled in alright. They kissed and cuddled and talked quietly as Max and his family talked about every topic on the planet.

"I'm going to go use the bathroom a second." Harry told everyone as it looked like he was going to have a parade follow him through the house. "I'll be five minutes!"

"Bathroom is the second door on the left from this room."

"I thought it was upstairs?" Harry questioned. "It was beside the bedroom I woke up in."

"This house has an upstairs and a downstairs bathroom love." Max told him with a smile.

"Ah. Right, I'll only be a sec!"

Harry waddled slightly to the bathroom and groaned as the pressure lifted from his bladder. He wasn't as bad as when he had the infection, but he was still weeing ever other hour.

He washed his hands and dried them on the towel, but he couldn't bring himself to let the towel go. It was so soft and fluffy. He rubbed his face on it and smelled it. It smelt like Max's body. He clenched the material in his fists and looked around him. He eased himself out of the bathroom and looked up and down the hallway. He went the opposite way from which he had come and found an absolutely huge kitchen. It was bigger than the living room and pristine white. Harry just knew that this room was where Max usually entertained his guests.

He spied the back garden and pushed open the back door. It was now twilight and it was getting dark. That meant it had to have been about ten in the night. Looking around he caught a small glimpse of the orchard that Max had promised was out back and dashed towards it as fast as his bandy legs could carry him.

He inhaled deeply and patted the ground around him. He stood up and knew that these trees would not support his nest. He needed bigger trees if he were to use one. Harry looked back at the house and it was then that he saw a vantage point; there was a flat section of roof amidst the sloping tiles. It was high enough that he could see any predators coming for his chicks, it was strong enough to support his nest and it was wide enough that he wouldn't roll out of it.

Unsheathing his wings Harry didn't even think about it as he moved them for the first time, taking just a few moments to find the right rhythm and speed before he was in the air, using his shoulders to control his direction.

He landed on the flat space and looked at it. It was bigger than he had initially thought, which was just as well, more room for his nest. He swatted at the decaying leaves, pulling out his wand and banishing the mud and dirt. It would be the perfect nest. He could see for miles around him, no one would be sneaking up on his chicks. He wadded the towel in his hands and placed it delicately to an edge that only he could see. He looked at the towel and preened a bit in pride. He would have to find more things to build his nest with, but for now, he was done. He had scouted the perfect area and had started to build, it wouldn't be long now.

* * *

Any who, thanks to **xxMizzxPaigexx** for being the **3,500th ****reviewer!**

**HealingRose**: He throws a fit because he doesn't see it as them helping him; he sees it as them ripping away his independence. Harry has been independent for so long, he's only really had himself to rely on so that when others try to do things for him, especially little things that he can do himself, he doesn't see it as a loving gesture, he sees it as a slight to himself and his submissive status. His mates will make him understand better in time and he'll be sure to let them do things for him in the future.

Also your lesbian Drackens will be making an appearance in the one shot story, so keep an eye out for them.

**TinksVamps**: Blaise and Draco will indeed be told. What stops them from going and killing the Dursleys is what stops Max and Nasta. They have no idea where the Dursleys live. They can go and scour Britain if they like, but what are the chances of them actually finding the Dursleys?

**ShadowFlame23**: That scene must have either been deleted in editing or I dreamed I had wrote it when I never, I've done that a few times. Remus will show up before the baby is born. I was actually thinking of introducing him in the next chapter and I don't see why Remus' appearance will badly affect Harry, Harry will be delighted to see Remus again. Draco and Blaise will be told as soon as Max and Nasta can manage it, they don't believe in keeping secrets.

**LostInYourThoughts**: The baby boy has his Daddy all planned out, I know his full name and even what he's going to look like. I know the colour of his wings already even though he won't get them until he's sixteen and I have his basic personality planned, though the latter does tend to take on a mind of its own when I'm writing.

**NoirAnge**: In the case of a female dominant with a male submissive with no other male dominant to impregnate the male submissive, it is the female dominant who will carry the chicks. Though she won't like it and won't carry as many chicks as a submissive will because she will feel very uncomfortable in doing so, it's also harder to get a female dominant pregnant as their bodies, whilst still having all the female reproductive organs, isn't really built for baby carrying, it's built more like a warrior's body as that was what the Dracken dominants used to be.

**LuckyNessa:** It is impossible for a male dominant to get pregnant; they don't have the ability to do so. It is speculated that a submissive male Dracken is a wizard baby boy born capable of baring children. If that same baby boy had been born without the ability to bare children then he would be a dominant Dracken.

**GrasshopperKnight**: Congratulations on your new Niece! Hope you're being a very proud Auntie/Uncle! Sorry I have no idea what gender you are, no offence meant :/

You are correct! An all-female couple will only be able to produce baby girls because of the absence of the Y chromosome that makes baby boys. That's why Harry and his harem are very lucky, because they can have either boys or girls, though with the amount of Y chromosomes a boy is more likely than a baby girl. I love speaking about chromosomes in an Mpreg story, it always feels like I'm sticking my middle finger up to my past biology teacher.

As for the pronunciations: Nasta is spoken like its spelt. Nas-tah. Maximilius is pronounced Maxa-millie-us. Are there any others you are unsure about or was it just Max and Nasta?

Yep, Max and Nas will find out all about Harry's past adventures. I'm looking forward to writing those scenes.

**gobert**: I think you are thinking too much about it. It's very true that if it was the survival of the fittest for the sperm then every single baby would be fathered by just the one dominant, possibly Max as even though he isn't the top dominant, it was only really due to a fluke that he wasn't and there is no denying he is the biggest and strongest even if Nasta could have him in a fight.

Rest assured that you will get to see Harry carry more than one clutch. I have no desire to end this fic just because he gives birth, always hate fics that end like that, then perhaps tack on an epilogue of when the first baby goes to Hogwarts for the first time and Harry's had about twelve more kids during that time and we hear their names and appearances of them and then cut off, nothing, story ends. No personality, no stories of how the kids grew up, if there were any bumps in the road, for all the reader knows they lived an unnaturally happy, peaceful life, nothing ever went wrong, they had their kids and immediately started coping with so many kids one after the other, it ruins the entire story for me, seems more like a rush job than an ending.

Yes I know who the Daddy is, of course I do, I knew before he even got pregnant who the Daddy was going to be, no flip-flopping back and forth, I just knew. I just like hearing other people guess and give their reasons for why they think it was that particular person. Makes me realise just how much people are thinking about the story.

**snarryislife**: I have no idea if Drackens would get along with dinosaurs. Drackens came about after the dinosaurs, but I think if we plunked them down in the middle of Jurassic Park that they would probably get along with the Pterodactyl, they could go flying together, though I don't think they'd stand a chance against the T-rex. T-rex doesn't want friends; it would just eat them as snacks.

Thanks for pointing out that I was forgetting magic again, I tried to put a bit in this chapter, but as it was nearly completely written I'll get some more in, in the next chapter. It isn't annoying, I'm grateful! I hate it when I forget the fundaments of a story!

As for the power scale, it's person-by-person. Every single one of the Drackens are different, it might only be subtly, but they are still different, they have different strengths, weaknesses, abilities and magic, so there isn't really a scale that can be make for them.

Not all Drackens are beautiful no. The inheritance takes away their flaws and blemishes, but if they are ugly to start with it won't matter. For example if a Dracken had one eye lower than the other, both eyes would be able to see perfectly, would be enhanced by Dracken abilities, but the one eye would still be lower than the other. Does that make any sense at all?

As for Snape, he did lose some of his lustre when he lost his mate because he just didn't care, did I mention somewhere that all Drackens skin has a slight healthy glow? Might have been the first chapter, but Snape has been beating himself up for so long, for so many years, that his magic turned inward and started leeching his Dracken magic from his physical appearance, he felt ugly and wretched so his magic made him ugly, but the hooked nose was the nose he was born with, the long thin fingers are potion stained naturally, though if he had cared more his Dracken magic would have prevented the staining. But as for Marianna and Aneirin, they didn't have time to beat themselves up over the loss of their mates, Marianna had a newborn baby to look after and protect and Aneirin had two children and a newborn baby to juggle with his work. Am I making a lick of sense here? I know what I'm trying to say I just can't get it out.

Also I have absolutely no problem with anyone using the Drackens in their own stories, I think creativity in any form should be encouraged, but they weren't originally my idea, you'll have to ask the permission of their actual creator to my knowledge, which is Beautiful Kaos.

**EmeraldEyes01**: You can request absolutely anything you want to; you aren't the only one who has a thing for fluff and tenderness.

As for the infections, Max had a potion to clear his chest infection, but as it was caused by a potion in the first place and not a natural infection then it was harder to shift. Harry only had a small urinary tract infection that can and was cleared up by cranberry juice; it's a bit like cystitis. He couldn't take the potion for it because it would have reacted badly with his pregnancy hormones. So the Healer will be able to shift any infection Harry'll possibly get from giving birth. Harry has forgone having his mates blood, he just hasn't thought about it and they have all been so busy with their work, exams and the baby that they just haven't been thinking, this is their first baby and they are bound to get things wrong, but Max's family will set them straight and Myron is not going to be pleased with his son when he finds out!

Again you are awesome for research! Though I never knew a cow C-section went through the side, that's icky, but I suppose it would be very difficult to get a cow on its back to go through the abdomen. I now have a picture of a cow lying on its back with all four legs in the air and someone trying to use a scalpel to cut it open to get the calf out.

**SilverLion**: How'd you like Harry foraging for nesting material? He's going to be insufferable in the next couple of chapters.

Henley was the very adorable baby dominant and he will be coming back to see Harry's baby, because he's all sweet and thoughtful like that, I'm not sure if he'll come for Harry's birthday, he knows that Harry will be heavily pregnant and will likely not be allowed near Harry by his over protective mates, that's if he isn't already in his nest.

Marge is included in the Dursleys yes and she will be equally punished when it comes out how she treated Harry. Umbridge had better run and hide when Max and Nasta hear about the detentions Harry had to suffer with and when Draco is reminded he will happily include the story of when she was going to put Harry under the Cruciatus curse.

**Jazz: **No, I meant the cut scenes will be out after Christmas, not the next chapter, so no crying. As for the Penseive idea, I was going to use it for a few particularly painful memories of Harry's, but he will have to go inside and witness them as well. As Nasta said he has to work through all of his memories, all of his thoughts and feelings to be able to properly heal. His talking about the memories isn't just informing his mates of what he went through, it's the first step of acceptance of what happened to him to get him on the road to recovering from his childhood pain.

**lil devil**: I have no idea what you are on about. Hermione does not know about Harry's home life as Harry never told her, Dumbledore doesn't know as again Harry never told him, Severus certainly doesn't know about Harry's home life. Sirius is dead so even if he did know he can't do anything and Remus doesn't know. The only one on your list who could possibly have a chance at knowing is Mr Weasley and that is only if Molly shared it with him, which she probably never as she brushed it off. So I have no clue what you mean.

**Kaygie**: That is a very, very good idea. None of them have any idea on how powerful a wizard Harry is. They know he's a powerful Dracken because he needed four mates, but Harry defeated Voldemort for god sake! People forever underestimate him, his strength of character and his stubborn will. I think I will include a scene where those around him are forcibly reminded of just how powerful is, that they are in a binding relationship with the defeater of Voldemort.

Unfortunately Harry never rode on the Dragon out of Gringotts, he defeated Voldemort in the Ministry in his fifth year, so there was no reason to go Horcrux hunting, but I loved that scene! He still went up against the Horntail for the Triwizard tournament though! You are correct though, Max's family, especially Myron and Alexander, have no idea who they are calling vulnerable and delicate.

StarLight Massacre. X


	36. The Nest

_Last Time _

_He landed on the flat space and looked at it. It was bigger than he had initially thought, which was just as well, more room for his nest. He swatted at the decaying leaves, pulling out his wand and banishing the mud and dirt. It would be the perfect nest. He could see for miles around him, no one would be sneaking up on his chicks. He wadded the towel in his hands and placed it delicately to an edge that only he could see. He looked at the towel and preened a bit in pride. He would have to find more things to build his nest with, but for now, he was done. He had scouted the perfect area and had started to build, it wouldn't be long now._

Chapter Thirty-Six – The Nest

Harry had only just tucked his wings back into his skin when Nasta came barrelling out of the house, scooped him to his chest and began licking and sniffing every inch of his body.

He sighed and held on tightly to Nasta's shoulders as he was carried back into the house and into the living room, where only the women were. All of the males had vanished and Harry had a pretty good idea of where they went if Nasta was this wound up, he had taken too long coming back from the bathroom and they had panicked.

"Oh Harry darling, we were so worried when you didn't come back from the bathroom after twenty minutes and then when Maxie told us that you had gone." Kimberly Maddison exclaimed, faffing over him.

"I only went outside for some air, I felt a bit stuffy." He lied smoothly. No one was to know about his nest, not even his mates.

"Are you still too hot?" Ashleigh fretted.

"Just a bit." Harry answered as he fought with Nasta to get his arms free.

"Keep still."

Nasta's voice was guttural and slightly feral and Harry stilled immediately as he felt sharp teeth graze his bare shoulder in a warning for what was to come if he didn't obey.

Harry let Nasta sniff at his skin, lick him and gently suck at him until his dominant was assured that he was still perfectly well and in peak health. Nasta sat down and lingered for a very long time around his bump, even using his hands to gently press and stroke his skin.

"You found him?"

Harry looked up at Max's relieved face and cocked his head. Max seemed to be more in control than Nasta, but as the top dominant shouldn't Nasta be the calmer one? Some aspects of being a Dracken still confused the hell out of him.

"He's more wound up because he's the top dom." Max answered the question in his eyes. "Not that I wasn't worried, because I was, I thought I was having a heart attack at thirty, but his Dracken dictates that he is the one responsible for the submissive and all subordinate dominants, so he's more wound up because he had his Dracken in his ear harping on at what a terrible person he is for losing you."

Harry hugged Nasta tightly and kissed the underside of his jaw.

"You aren't a terrible person Nasta, I only went to get some air. I would have called one of you if I had known it would upset you, but I stayed on Max's grounds, I barely left the back door, I was never in any danger."

"What if you had fallen?" Nasta forced out harshly, his throat sounding like it couldn't get human words out.

"I wouldn't have fallen, there were no stairs." Harry said lightly, kissing Nasta lovingly.

Blaise rushed into the room and after seeing Harry he fell at Nasta's feet, laying his head on Harry's thigh.

"I was so worried Mio Bello." He exclaimed tightly.

Harry run his fingers through Blaise's hair and tugged at a freshly cut, neat section of hair.

"You've cut it." Harry pouted.

"My Mother always cuts my hair in the summer. She says a respectable boy can't go around with a scruffy mop of straw for hair."

"Thanks for that." Harry replied dryly, tugging at a clump of his own hair that stuck in the opposite direction to all the others and would possibly reach his shoulders if it ever lay flat.

Blaise chuckled and kissed Harry's chin. "I don't believe that Mio Amore, I just get my hair cut to keep her happy."

"Speaking of cut hair, how long has yours grown now?" Max asked.

Neither of the older two had been happy when it had emerged that Harry had cut his hair in a rebellious act against his two dominants. But they were more angry with Blaise and Draco for putting Harry in a position where he felt the need to do something so drastic than at Harry himself for actually cutting his hair. Nasta had nastily told them that at least it was his hair that Harry had cut and not his own body to get their attention, he had regaled them with a gruesome story of a lazy dominant who couldn't be bothered to look after his mate and the mate in question had sliced her own wrists in a desperate hope of getting her dominant's attention. She had died alone and cold on their bedroom floor. The dominant had been executed by the Counsel. Harry still shivered at that story, he couldn't imagine how desperate and hungry that young girl had been for her mate's attention, he couldn't help but think that if she had had two dominants and not just the one bad dominant then maybe she would still be alive.

"I don't think it's grown at all." Harry replied with a shrug.

"You cut your Dracken hair?" Myron asked in astonishment.

Harry wondered at what point during his cuddle fest with Nasta and Blaise the other males had come back in, then decided he didn't actually care if they saw him cuddling and kissing his mates and focused on the question asked.

"Yeah. In a, how did you phrase it Nas? A rebellious act of needless violence against the wishes of my dominants for attention that should have been freely given."

Myron pinned Max with a glare and Max dodged the smack to the head, proving that he was more than capable of moving out of the way of his Father's smacks if he wanted to and held his hands up.

"WOAH! Wait a second Dad; it was before I was even a mate! It was Blaise and Draco's oversight, not mine or Nasta's, we put them right when we joined the mateship."

Myron nodded but he didn't apologise, not that Harry was expecting him to as he hadn't actually hit Max, but it still ruffled Harry's feathers that the man hadn't apologised for going to hit his mate.

"What did you boys do?" Alexander directed at Blaise, who was the only one of the two dominants involved here to question.

"It was just after Draco joined the mateship, he and I foolishly tried to settle our differences in front of Harry, who disliked seeing us fight. He threatened to do a lot of things if we didn't stop, but we were too riled up to stop, even as Harry begged. We selfishly immersed ourselves in the fight we were engaged in and it was only when Harry threatened to cut his hair that we were able to pull ourselves from the fight."

"Then why did he still cut his hair?" Myron asked with a dangerous edge to his voice.

"Blaise calmed me down and I was about to throw the scissors down when Draco insulted me. I got so angry that I just clenched my hand and my hair fell away."

"Can I see it?" Caesar asked. "I've never seen a submissive with hair shorter than mid back length. Is it shoulder length? You'd look cute with shoulder length hair."

"You misunderstand, I didn't just trim it." Harry told them and he smiled a bit at their horrified faces. "I cut all of it off, I put the scissors to the base of my skull and cut, I had barely any hair left."

"At least you didn't give yourself a bald patch." Max said with a grin. After the seriousness had been dealt with and Blaise and Draco had understood that gravity of what they had done, Max had pitched a laughing fit about it. The larger man loved playing with his tiny tufts of silky hair.

"You love it like this." Harry grinned.

"It's amazing, your hair in human form is thick and soft, but your Dracken hair is so smooth and silky, it feels wonderful to compare the two textures, one like velvet the other like water."

Harry chuckled and pulled his Dracken form from within himself, he felt his hair recede into his head until it was shorter than his human hair and Max plunged his hands into that thick softness, putting his nose into it and inhaling deeply.

"Chestnuts." He whispered. "You always smell of chestnuts."

"Except for the one time he smelt like coconut." Nasta reminded him with a grin.

Harry blushed a bit as he remembered that he had had a clumsy moment and knocked all of Max's hard made coconut milk drinks over himself. He had smelt like a coconut for a week.

"Well it does look nice." Talia complimented as her parents stared at the haircut stunned.

"I like it." Harry grinned. "I'm going to keep it this way, not that it's grown any since I cut it."

"It doesn't grow because you don't want it to grow." Alexander told him simply.

"Really? That's so cool; it saves a hell of a lot of money on haircuts as well."

Harry blinked as he remembered Aunt Petunia shearing his hair off with the kitchen scissors until he was nearly bald, leaving just a covering of spiky stubble and four inches of hair in the front to hide his scar. He had looked ridiculous and he had cried himself sick in his cupboard as he spent a sleepless night torturing himself over going to school the next day.

His hair had grown back without him noticing some when during the night and even though he had been punished for it, even though at the time he had no idea of how he could have possibly made his hair grow back, he had been so happy to have his hair back that he hadn't cared. Was it a wizard thing? Or was it a Dracken thing? His hair had always stayed the same really, until Aunt Petunia had taken him to the barber's and had it cut, but then his hair always grew back on the walk home until by the time they got back, it looked like he had never been. His hair never really grew when it was left alone, but when it was cut; it grew back exactly the same.

"Harry love?" Max coaxed him gently.

Harry looked around and sighed heavily. He was on Nasta's lap being surrounded by his three mates, Max's family all around him looking concerned. He had slipped into his memories too much and had been unaware of the outside world. He could have kicked himself; his mates were already so very worried without him doing shit like that!

"I'm fine." He stressed, even as he knew they wouldn't believe him.

"What was it about this time?" Nasta asked. "What caused the flashback?"

"My hair."

That confused the whole lot of them, but none more than Blaise, who was looking severely puzzled. Harry touched his smooth chin and kissed him.

"You and Draco have missed a great deal." Harry sighed.

Blaise lowered an eyebrow in question. "We've been gone for a few hours, what could we have possibly missed?"

"My relatives came to pick me up from the station."

"Ah, so they know you're pregnant now. Did they not take it very well?"

Max snorted and looked like he didn't know what to do or where to look as he had the most fierce glare on his face and didn't want to direct it at anyone.

"They were never going to take it well Blaise." Harry sighed.

Blaise quirked up an eyebrow in question, but Harry sighed and turned away. Today was never going to end.

"He has a right to know Harry." Nasta coaxed him gently.

Harry nodded his head, stood up and walked out of the room. He couldn't deal with the situation. He wanted to go back to bed but it was only when he tried to pick his foot up to climb the stairs and couldn't that he remembered that it was impossible for him to get up the stairs by himself.

He sunk down onto it instead and sniffled as he felt the burn in his eyes and in the back of his throat which signalled a crying fit coming on. He closed his eyes and squeezed the tears back.

How did it come to this? He had been happy without them knowing; now not only did his mates know, but Max's family knew, if Max's family had been told, Nasta would tell his Dad and brother. Blaise would confide in his Mother and possibly even his step-father and Draco, Draco would tell the world in his rage. He had felt better when they hadn't known.

A small fluttering in his belly had Harry moving his hand to his bump in an almost reflexive movement, patting his own belly as he started humming quietly under his breath. He kept the humming soothing and light, full of his love for his baby.

Max dropped down beside him, his huge hands covering Harry's own as the large man leant into him, resting his head on Harry's.

"I fear we've pushed you too hard. For that we are sorry Harry." Max whispered, afraid to ruin the soft humming.

Harry stopped his humming and turned to Max, his tears still threatening to fall. Max sighed painfully when he saw them and he moved his hands to cup Harry's cheeks, moving his thumbs to brush those unfallen tears away gently.

"It was great before you all knew." Harry warbled, trying to control himself and failing. "I never told you because I've never wanted to speak about it. I wanted to forget about it, I was never going back, it was all over. I could carry on with my life, I could be happy. Then I had that damned flashback to my poor, neglected childhood and that was it, I knew from your faces that day that you weren't going to let it drop, that none of you were going to accept anything less than the truth. I knew my happiness was going to shatter around me."

"Why?" Max asked looking at him hard. "Why would your happiness shatter around you? Did you think that we wouldn't love you any more if we found out?"

"No. I know you all love me, I'm secure in that knowledge, but I knew when you found out I'd have to talk about it, that I'd have to relive it. I was never happy there Max, never, not even once, I knew that once I started talking about all of those painful memories and the fear, the loneliness and the unhappiness I felt back then that I'd feel it now as well. The happiness that I had found, that I had made for myself would crumble around me under the onslaught of such memories."

"Oh Harry." Max exclaimed wrapping large arms around him tightly, not saying anything else, just holding his little lover.

"I can't talk about it Max, I just can't. The things those people did to me, the things they said, I don't want to relive those times, I don't want to go back to how I used to be…please."

Max's arms tightened around him and he squeezed his eyes shut to stop the burn in the corner of his eyes from forming his own tears as he listened to Harry begging not to make him speak about what he had gone through.

"You have to talk about it love, not all at once and it was perhaps a bad idea to push you to tell Blaise as well as my entire family in such a short amount of time, but I can't begin to think on what you went through, what you must have felt as your own relatives hurt you and neglected you like they did, I know I wouldn't be able to cope alone if anyone did those things to me, I would have had to tell someone.

I've grown up knowing that I can go to all three of my parents for anything, that they will listen to my fears, my worries and my dreams without judgement or ridicule. That they will guide me through the toughest of challenges and be there for me whenever I need them to be and even when I don't. I've come to learn that no matter how old I am, or how old I'll get, they will always be there to help me, to listen when I need them to, to protect me from all the dark and dangerous things in the world, even if I am fully able to do it myself because that is what loved ones do. To learn that you never had that growing up, that you couldn't rely on those who were supposed to love and protect you makes me feel sick and light headed.

If anyone deserved a loving family growing up it was you Harry, you are so special, so kind and so full of love it's hard to believe that you never had any growing up, it hurts all of us to know what you've been through, it hurts us deep inside our chests, squeezes our hearts because child abuse is so terribly wrong it brings tears to our eyes. Hurting a child goes against every fibre of my body and I ache with the knowledge that one I love so deeply has been hurt in such a way, I just want to help you Harry, but I'm making it worse by pushing you. You can't do this on your own, but pushing you to tell us everything in one huge onslaught isn't going to help you and it isn't going to help us to help you either, so you tell us in your own time what happened, but know that we will never let you keep it bottled up inside for long, that no matter what time of day you decide to tell us we will hold you and love you through it, because we are your family now and that's what families do."

Harry had tears streaming down his face as he fell onto Max's chest and sobbed his heart out into the soft shirt. He took in deep, gasping breaths and cried until his throat felt like it would tear.

More hands on him alerted him to Nasta and Blaise joining him and Max on the stairs and he huffed a bit, trying to stop his tears, but gave up when more kept coming. A drop of wetness on his forehead finally broke through his ball of comfort wrapped up in his mates' arms against Max's chest and he looked up through tear blurred eyes at Max, who was silently crying himself.

That alone is what gave Harry the power to finally calm himself down enough to stop his tears and to stop the great, huffing breaths. He slowed his breathing until he was breathing normally, only a small hiccup now and then breaking his slow and even breaths. He rubbed his face with his bare arm before reaching up and swiping at Max's tears.

Max smiled at him and it was a sad smile as if even though he was smiling, he didn't really feel happy.

"I'm glad to have you as my family." Harry said softly, his voice a hoarse croak after all of his sobbing.

Max crushed him back to his chest and just held him, one hand on his back, the other the back of his head, stroking his hair softly as he rocked them both slowly.

Nasta laid his head between Harry's shoulder blades and he felt Blaise on his left side. It was at moments like these that he wanted all of his mates around him and he felt the loss of Draco like a stab and wished his blonde lover were here to hold onto him as well.

Max let out a weak, watery chuckle.

"Look at us all here acting so soppy." He broke away from the hug and brushed away his own tears. "I'm going to make us all hot chocolate, we deserve a treat."

"It's going to go right to my thighs." Nasta sighed as if put upon.

Harry grinned and pinched at Nasta's thighs, they were so solid he couldn't even get a purchase on the skin, let alone any fat.

"Yeah I can see that, look at the size of them!" Harry teased. "Mine however."

Harry grabbed a handful of flesh and jiggled it about.

"Come off it." Blaise said with a laugh. "That's all pregnancy weight; it'll fall off you when our son is born."

Harry patted the baby bulge in pride. "Either our boy is going to be ten pounds born or I'm going to be keeping some of this weight for myself. It wouldn't surprise me, after all not only am I eating more now that I'm pregnant, but Max is such a genius cook that I can't help but gorge myself on his delicious meals."

Max wrapped an arm around his shoulder and nudged him lightly, even though he had a faint blush on his neck from the praise.

"No lie there." Blaise added. "Our son will be the size of a house before he's three."

"If I carry on I'll be the size of a house before he's born."

"That's not true." Nasta said seriously as they walked into the kitchen. "You'll be a small shed at best."

"Just more of me to love." Harry replied, shrugging a shoulder. He let out a surprised giggle when Blaise latched onto him and tickled him, digging those slender fingers right into his ticklish sides.

"I think you need a bit more flesh before you even get to kitchen chair stage."

"Kitchen chair stage?" Max questioned as he pulled down four very large, tall mugs.

Blaise nodded seriously. "It's where you get so big your body fat eats a kitchen chair."

That made all of them laugh and Harry wiped tears away. "I think Dudley surpassed the kitchen chair stage when he was fourteen."

"It looked like he had." Nasta said darkly before he swiped the large bar of chocolate Max had uncovered from one of his cupboards and snapped a large chunk off for all of them.

They all watched Max mix ingredients into a large jug, pouring in hot milk and mixing it with melted chocolate and cocoa powder before pouring it into the mugs and adding whipped cream on top of them, sprinkling the cream with cinnamon and topping it off by shaving off curls of the chocolate bar with a small chocolate grater.

He handed them the tall mugs and watched as they took their first sips. Harry actually moaned at the taste, whilst Blaise sipped his consideringly, Nasta just sipped it once before draining almost the entire mug.

"Why have you never made these before?" Harry demanded.

Max shrugged. "They're a comfort drink I usually make in the winter to stave off the cold when I'm fed up of coffee and want something a little more luxurious than tea."

"I say he's been holding out on us." Blaise stage whispered to Harry.

Harry nodded seriously. "I think he should be forced to make us these when we demand them."

"I'd do that anyway." Max protested.

Harry and Blaise looked at each other with grins, then to Max. Nasta chuckled deeply.

"You should have just accepted the 'punishment'." He told the younger, but bigger man. "Now they'll think of something else."

Max smacked himself in the face and groaned. "Damn my treacherous mouth."

Harry and Blaise teased Max until Nasta was laughing uncontrollably. Harry was happy in that moment, but there was a sense of shadow at the very corner of his mind, an awful, looming knowledge that sometime soon, he would have to tell all of his mates everything he had had to go through in his childhood. He didn't like it, but that didn't matter because he would be forced to tell whether he liked it or not, he just couldn't wait for everything to be over and done with and for them to never speak of it again.

* * *

Blaise had been told of what had happened to Harry by Nasta whilst Harry had been comforted by Max on the stairs. Blaise had gone home that night reluctantly as Harry climbed into bed with Nasta on one side of him and Max on the other. Max had the biggest bed Harry had ever seen and that included the magically enlarged one at Hogwarts.

Draco had come over the next day and he had been told by Max whilst Nasta tugged Harry upstairs for a lengthy bath together. They had heard Draco's yells, screams and destruction even though they were on the opposite side of the house. All of them had known that Draco would take the news the worst, his temper was inconsolable.

Harry had been dried and dressed by Nasta, who held him tightly as they walked down the stairs. Max was in the kitchen supporting a swollen and bloody lip. He smiled wanly at them even as Harry gasped in surprise.

Nasta deftly sunk a claw into his own arm and held it out to Max who smiled thankfully and sealed his mouth over the bleeding cut. When he pulled away, his lip was healed.

"I sent Draco home. He was in no state to see you Harry." Max told him. "I told him that he couldn't come back until he was calm and thinking rationally."

Harry nodded silently and sat down on Max's lap. He kissed the place where the cut had been and rested his head against Max's chin.

"I can't believe he hit you."

"Because I stood in his way of going to see you."

Max cuddled him and kissed the space of skin between his temple and his cheek, beside his eye and nuzzled him gently.

"I couldn't have him shouting who knows what at you whilst you're pregnant, hell I wouldn't let him do it anyway. He was angry and he was in no fit state to see you, pregnant or otherwise. He was looking for a target to unleash his anger upon and I feared it would be you, so I made myself his target."

"He still shouldn't have hit you. I'll speak to him about his anger problems."

"We can put him in for anger management classes." Nasta suggested. "He might resent it, but if it helps him with his anger problems then I really don't care. He can't go around hitting us just because he's angry."

"I'll speak to him about it." Max said as he rubbed his head against Harry's. "If he refuses out right then we'll have to think of something else."

"If he does refuse I'll speak to Severus." Harry put in. "If anyone can sort Draco out its him."

* * *

Harry was so unused to just lounging about all day every day that it took him a week before he stopped waking up at half six every morning. He had no classes and no chores to do; he didn't ache from exhaustion at the end of every day and he was so well fed that he really had gained weight that he was sure would stay on after his son was born.

Max and Nasta still had work, but there was always someone in the house with him. Blaise came over often and even Marianna came. Nasta's brother, Sanex, had shown up a couple of times and together with Caesar they had almost burnt the carpet from Max's living room floor and had almost set the settee alight.

Myron had hit Caesar until Harry thought the man had gone unconscious, but he had just curled around his Father's feet begging for forgiveness for his stupidity.

Myron had forgiven Caesar by hugging him and giving him a kiss to the forehead, he had then been unable to stop himself from holding on tightly to Harry and licking and sniffing him. Harry then realised exactly how close to hurting him they had been with the stupid stunt the two older, more childish men had pulled. He had been sitting on the settee that had almost gone up in flames, very close to where Caesar had aimed his wand, a few inches over and he would have been hit.

Harry had fallen asleep on Myron and had woken up on the man when Nasta flooed home. When told of what had happened, Nasta had immediately jumped on him and after assuring himself that he and the baby were fine he had yanked his brother away and Harry knew no more, but Sanex had come back in looking thoroughly reprimanded and had apologised once again with his disapproving younger brother looking on.

Harry sneaked away from his mates in the dead of night, every night and he stashed ordinary household items into his roof top nest. Neither of them had noticed a thing yet and Harry wanted to keep it that way. He had warded his nest so thoroughly that nothing was going to get into it. He had tested it out the next time it rained and he had sneaked away as soon as he could to find the roof puddled with water, but his nest and the area around it was bone dry and warm and cuddly.

He had wadded it up with more towels, his own, too small, Weasley jumpers from past winters that reminded him of how loved he was at the Weasleys, he had stashed away a couple of Nasta's trousers, so far the older man hadn't noticed them gone, but Harry was sure he would notice as soon as he ran out of clean ones. He had even robbed the front parlour rug, so far it hadn't been noticed, but as Max liked to lie on it when he wanted to relax, Harry was sure it would be the first thing that was noticed missing, that or the curtains from one of the empty bedrooms which he had also stolen away in the dead of night.

Tonight he creeped out of the bedroom and out to the back garden where he had stashed a large pile of leaves in the orchard and a very, very soft blanket that he had found under Max's bed. He would use it to wrap the baby in when he was born.

Harry dried the leaves with his wand until they were almost curling at the edges from the heat before he levitated them after him as he unleashed his wings and flew expertly to his nest. He felt the wards around his nest shiver as he passed through them and immediately he was bathed in warmth and comfort.

He dumped his pile of leaves outside of his nest and used them to make a ring around it, pushing them up tight against the smaller ring he had made from towels. The curtains were spread out on the floor and the rug was on top of them, layering up to create softness and warmth.

He laid the blanket carefully to one side, bunching the edges until they made a soft cradle shape, his baby would be swaddled and placed in this blanket before being wrapped up tighter again after he had birthed him.

He needed to build the walls of his nest higher to keep out any chill winds that would make his baby sick, he would also need to layer the floor some more, perhaps that warm duvet that Max had would help. He would snatch it tomorrow night now; he was running out of time. If he stayed any longer then he would be caught he just knew it.

He glided down to the ground and landed softly, hurrying back into the kitchen and locking the back door quietly. He heard feet on the stairs and knew he had been noticed missing. He quickly grabbed a glass and filled it with water that Max kept in a filtered jug on the work top.

He gulped some down just as Max padded into the kitchen. He let out a relieved sigh and run a hand down his sleep filled, yet panic alert face.

"I found him." He called out, obviously for Nasta's benefit as the older man flew into the kitchen and let out his own sigh of relief.

"I only needed a drink." Harry feigned innocence, looking at them a bit unsurely.

Max melted and strode to him, holding him against that large, muscled chest tightly.

"Of course you're allowed a drink Harry, but I keep tumbler glasses in the bathroom for this, so you don't have to struggle to get up and down the stairs. We were worried."

"I forgot about that." Harry lied with a bashful look. "I went down the stairs on my bum and I was going to crawl back up them."

Nasta shook his head with a smile. "What are we going to do with you?"

"You can take me back up to bed if you want to." Harry grinned, smothering a yawn with his hand.

"With pleasure." Max answered, putting the empty glass in the sink and picking him up to carry him back to bed. Harry was asleep before they even made it to the top of the stairs.

* * *

It was Blaise who first noticed that something wasn't quite right. He had taken a wrong turn to the bathroom and had ended up in the bedroom where Harry had been robbing most of his nesting material.

"Didn't your spare bedroom have fabrics?" He asked as he came back down.

"Huh?" Max eloquently asked as he was immersed in a battle of chess with Draco, who was winning.

"Your spare bedroom is missing every stich of fabric."

Max looked up then and raised an eyebrow. "Of course it has fabrics, I made sure before you all came here for the summer."

"Well it doesn't have any now, there's no bedding, no curtains and a section of carpet is missing."

"What?" Max demanded. "That carpet cost me a fortune!"

He stood up and Harry huddled down and covered his face with his book as Max stormed through the upper level of the house. Max let out a strangled yell and a loud thump was heard, like Max had either gone to his knees or had hit something.

Max stormed back down the stairs and immediately grabbed a handful of floo powder.

"I'm going to kill Caesar; he knows how much I love that carpet!"

Harry let out a silent sigh of relief and felt his arms go weak. His nest hadn't been found. He refused to feel bad about Max blaming his brother when his nest was in jeopardy.

"Why the hell would Max's brother steal all the fabric in Max's spare room?" Draco questioned. He had refused anger management classes, but had accepted talking to Snape about the problem, he had felt awful for hitting Max and had beat himself up for days before coming to apologise.

"You've only met Caesar once. Trust me he'd do it just to piss Max off." Blaise answered.

"Why the spare bedroom though? Why not the Master bedroom?"

"Probably so Max wouldn't notice right away and give him time to hide it all." Harry answered; sticking so close to the truth that not even his eyes would give away his lie.

Nasta took that moment to floo home very early from work. He had another shiny, raw looking burn that covered the entire one side of his leg, shown by the borrowed shorts he was wearing. His ruined, still smouldering, jeans were thrown over the crook of one arm. It was obvious why he was home so early and Harry whimpered in worry, Nasta gave him a reassuring smile.

"I'm fine. Remember the last time? This burn is the same, just bigger. It'll be gone by tomorrow, the afternoon tops; you forget that I've had a million of these burns throughout my career."

"What caused it this time?" Draco asked concernedly.

"We got a new buck all the way from Russia. He's so ferocious that only the experienced handlers are allowed near his enclosure."

"I thought the enclosures were only for sick dragons." Harry said questioningly, recalling something that Charlie had told him at the Quidditch world cup.

Nasta looked at him with a prideful smile and Harry flushed a bit in happiness.

"Usually they are, but after this particular dragon ate four baby dragons, one pregnant female and sliced up another buck; we sedated him and quickly put him in an enclosure until we can figure out what the hell to do with him."

"He ate four baby dragons?" Harry cried out as he unconsciously moved to protect his baby.

Nasta saw him and chuckled. "No one is going to eat the baby Harry, even if we are part dragon."

"What breed is he?" Blaise asked.

"Ironbelly. The first one ever to come to the Brecon Dragon Reserve, it's why we agreed to take him in, but he's decided to be a massive pain in the arse."

Harry giggled and Nasta looked at him with a grin. He flumped down beside him and tucked him under an arm that was soot stained, like it had gone too close to a flame.

"Where's Max?" Nasta asked looking around as if he had just noticed that Max wasn't there.

"He went to kill Caesar." Blaise replied helpfully.

Nasta cocked an eyebrow in silent question.

"He stole all of the fabrics from Max's spare bedroom and cut out a section of carpet. Apparently Max loves the carpet and has gone to chase his brother all around their parent's house."

"Sometimes I wonder if I'm the only sane one in this family." Nasta sighed.

Draco snorted. "Says the man who comes home with half his leg looking like a pan roasted drumstick."

Harry giggled again, joined by Blaise, who slid into Max's vacated seat and made his chess move for him. Draco grinned as he turned back to face his opponent and made his move, which took out Max/Blaise's knight.

Harry went back to his book and Nasta soaked up all the peace he could whilst it was being offered, he closed his eyes with his arms around Harry, the only sounds were of Draco and Blaise moving pieces, cursing as they lost a piece or cheering as they made a good move, Harry turning a page and his soft, almost inaudible breaths. It was quiet, peaceful, but it wasn't silent and Nasta thanked every deity out there for that, peace he could handle, welcomed it even, but he never, ever wanted to hear the silence again, the lonely silence where he could hear his own heart beating in his empty apartment. He never wanted to go back to that ever again.

The floo turned green and spat out a foul looking Max. He took a deep breath and surveyed them all looking at him. He smiled a bit tightly, but genuinely.

"Caesar swears blind he never stole my carpet, like that little weasel wasn't guilty right from the off."

Max then noticed Nasta's leg and the look of horror on his face brought a sigh from Nasta's lips.

"I'm fine. It's already been treated at the Reserve; I'm in no pain whatsoever. It'll be gone and healed by tomorrow, but I have been given the week off to 'recover' from my injury."

Max nodded and clapped his hands together happily. "Who's for an early dinner?" He asked rhetorically as he immediately went for the kitchen without waiting for their answers.

Harry breathed easier knowing that his nest hadn't been found, that none of them had any idea that he was even building a nest. Caesar was going back to Amelle in America in two days, one if the rest of today was discounted. Hopefully Max would carry on thinking that his brother had ripped up the carpet in the spare room when really it had been him to make his nest more comfortable. Max could have the segment of carpet back once he was finished with it, it would slot right back into place, but Harry also loved that carpet and he had wanted it for his nest, surely Max would forgive him for it, it had gone to a good cause after all.

* * *

Draco hadn't been allowed to stay much longer than dinner, his parents had expected him home, but Blaise had been allowed to curl into bed with them as his Mother knew exactly how hard it was for all of them to stay apart from each other.

Harry shot awake at three in the morning, his Dracken instincts taking over as he crawled out of the bed, but it was so warm in the bed and tonight had been unseasonably cold. The duvet would make a brilliant addition to his nest. But his mates would know that he had taken it, they would catch him if he just took the duvet from their bodies as they slept, but he wanted it for his nest! What to do!

Harry silently moved to his hiding place and uncovered the tea towel that Draco had wiped his hands on. It had lingering traces of Draco's scent on it. He pulled out Max's oven gloves, which the big man was bound to miss that morning and the bathroom mat.

He rushed as fast as he dared down the stairs and out into the back garden, he flew up to his nest and placed his new items into it without arranging them, he would be missed sooner rather than later on this cold night, his missing body temperature would rouse the other men.

A gust of wind had Harry holding his pyjamas tighter around himself, he wasn't dressed to be outside, he hadn't even put shoes or socks on and his bare feet were like ice.

He glided down to the grass and shivered as his feet started burning with the cold. It felt like he was standing in snow and not on wet grass.

He made it back into the house and locked the back door again before he crawled up the stairs on his hands and knees, his bump rubbing across each stair as he went. He crawled into the bathroom to wash his hands and feet from evidence of his nightly trip outside, his feet were muddy from the wet ground and his hands were filthy from landing heavily on the roof. He sent up a prayer that he had remembered his wand to remove the filthy footprints he had left on the kitchen floor.

He cleaned himself off, but when he went to stand he went very dizzy. He caught himself on the sink before he could injure himself or the baby by hitting the floor. His stomach clenched and he knew a moment before he did that he was going to be sick.

He retched into the toilet and he couldn't stop, he shivered as a wave of cold gripped his very bones and made his eyes roll into his head. He let out a distressed call, noting that it was higher pitched and more shrill that usual, before his head bounced on the tile floor, knocking him unconscious. The last thing he heard were roars and the splintering of heavy wood from the bedroom.

* * *

A/N: To those of you who pointed out the plagiarism of **Nice Kitty** by **Thornesedge**, thank you. Chapter 7 of that story is a complete rip off of Rise of the Drackens and it has been reported and hopefully the admins will do to this author what they did to me.

To **Rasberry Jo**: It was the previous author, Beautiful Kaos who first referred to the babies as chicks, I don't refer to it often as I think it's quite insulting and derogatory, but they are what they are. At the moment there isn't a sequel in the plans, but this fic is far from finished.

**peruser**: Yes Harry is going to have his baby on the roof of Max's house, unless one of them finds the nest before it's finished, then Harry will feel threatened and will move his nest somewhere else, but I had always planned for him to have his nest outside, Drackens only nest indoors in the winter months or if they are carrying a large clutch.

**beyond black**: Harry's life has changed drastically but I still think that his Patronus will be the same; I just adore the fact that Harry is still protected by his Dad in some way. I love Prongs and there is something very special in the way that Harry clings to any reminder of his parents, no matter how small, so I think that no matter how much Harry's life changes, he will always have Prongs there to protect him.

**XxMoonflower369xX**: We will be seeing Arsenio again as well as Henley. As for taking the Dursleys to a Muggle court, they have to as Muggles can't be sentenced to Azkaban as it was ruled against human rights to torture someone without magic with something they couldn't even see and as it's a Muggle crime more than a magical one, even if it was done to a wizard, a Muggle prison is more fitting, the same with a hospital, if a witch or wizard just has a fall or something they can be treated in a Muggle hospital as St Mungo's is really a hospital for magical illnesses or injuries, it'll just be quicker with potions than Muggle medicine, but the Healers urge witches and wizards to Muggle hospitals if it's a simple injury, especially if they are very busy. As for Harry's secondary education, all of the papers will be sorted by Dumbledore before the court date and as for the statue of secrecy, Vernon will be silenced, but who the hell would believe him? A child abusing monster screaming that he only did it because his Nephew was a wand waving freak? Not only would he be sent for a psychiatric analysis but it sounds like an excuse and there is no excuse for abusing a child.

**Ice Fata**: Nothing was said to Blaise as he came through the floo because it's a very delicate matter that needs special care and handling. You can't just say 'Oh hi Blaise, how are you? How's your Mum? By the way we just found out that Harry has been abused for his entire childhood, how about that?' Just doesn't really work out like that. It's not really something you blurt out, even to those you love. It's very hard to admit it and even harder to speak about it and it only gets worse the more people you tell.

**Tubbs**: It has been explained twice why Harry is uncomfortable around Ashleigh. She lost her baby in a very horrific, traumatising way that left her barren and broken. She is slightly unstable and could possibly pose a risk to Harry because he's pregnant. He tries to shield the baby unconsciously to protect him because his Dracken can sense that there is something not quite right with Ashleigh, but Harry knows that she'd never hurt him or his son, so where Amelle gives into her Dracken urges and shields her baby from Ashleigh, Harry fights the urge and embraces her.

**sylence in dark corners**: I don't post at ungodly hours of the morning, not for me at least. I usually post between eight and ten in the morning because eight is when I usually get home from work and any when from nine to ten is after I've had a bath and some food as well.

Nope, not creepy or stalkerish, I get asked that a lot and I'm happy to tell you that your review came all the way to Newport, South Wales in the United Kingdom! Google map it if you want to, the Ryder cup was held here in the Celtic Manor last year. Good luck with your projects and presentation!

**TheBabblingBrooke**: I laughed so hard at your little scene. That would be a good way for them to find out about Harry's power, the end especially got me grinning, that just sounds like something Draco would say.

**xXCherryLicoriceXx**: Harry wouldn't have a deformed hybrid baby. If the chromosomes paired up make a YY pairing then the embryo cannot survive as no embryo can be born without at least one X chromosome and is automatically miscarried, Harry wouldn't even know he had been pregnant. As for the XX pairing, this usually results in a baby girl, but there are cases of XX males so even if they did have a XX pairing it could still result in a boy.

As for the whole male pregnancy thing and all the other combinations and syndromes, it's a tossup because there are so many chromosomes going to be going into Harry and fusing with his own that it's a wonder that all male harems get pregnant at all when we think about it too much and that would ruin the story and don't apologise for picking, I love pickers.

**SoraDreams**: There is no way to know if the baby is dominant or submissive until they're inheritance on their sixteenth birthday.

**kelsin79**: Harry has tested them all, but it's not really because Draco's afraid that he doesn't punish Harry. It's a mixture of the baby and that someone else gets there first. Max or Nasta outrank him in the hierarchy and if they are there it will fall to them to punish Harry. Nasta as the top dominant will always punish the submissive for any general misbehaviour, but say Harry hit or insulted Draco, then it would fall to Draco to punish him as it was a personal thing, does that make sense?

**Ms Fiction**: Lucius will not start being nice all of a sudden and he will not outwardly be nice, but he will be softer towards Harry in future. Henley will come back in soon. Caesar's mate, Amelle, doesn't even know he's gone, she is in a feral, primitive state of mind where she doesn't recognise the people around her only to identify them as Dracken, human, werewolves etc. and she will react hostilely and aggressively. No nothing like that will happen between Harry and Ashleigh, she would never kidnap her own grandchildren, the worry is that she will have a mental breakdown and attack Harry or the baby because of the memories of her own baby and how she lost him. Harry's Dracken reacts instinctively to this possible threat, but there isn't actually a threat there, it's something that could happen, not something that inevitably will.

**snarryislife**: Obviously you get someone like Hagrid with a baby pygmy dragon; the resulting offspring will be totally messed up, but will essentially be a half dragon, half human. It's like asking where did the werewolf gene come from, or how merpeople reproduce. It's one of those things that we will never know. Drackens don't really have a scientific name like the family groups of animals, but when Drackens were new and unseen people called them 'Immanis Volatilis Vir Pennipotenti' play about with it and see if you can translate that and get a laugh out of it, I did making it :)

I can certainly try and drop the boys into Jurassic Park as a one shot, though that will be very weird, I had a mental image of Max having the top half of his body bitten off whilst he was on the toilet, like in the film and Harry crawling around cupboards from raptors. I think the T-rex would rather hug your fleshy meat with his stomach than the intestines, intestines taste and smell bad, especially when perforated. I already have a shopping ally named, it's only for the rich and it's in Toulouse, France, the boys will be going there for the baby.

**NoirAnge**: I will read your stories if you want me to, but I am very picky and peculiar about what I'll read, but even if I don't like your stories you can guarantee that someone on this site will, you can never please everyone and the more you try the more you fail, the most you can do is write for yourself, write what you want, what you like and if people don't like it tell them where to get off because you will like it and really, that's all that matters, or at least to me it is.

**ShadowFlame23**: Huh, would it have gotten rid of the Basilisk scar? I'm not sure. It didn't get rid of the lightning bolt scar because it's cursed, but a scar caused by basilisk venom and neutralised with phoenix tears, would that remain or would it be healed, can it be healed? You have me thinking now. I'm not sure if the Dracken inheritance would have healed it or not.

**GrasshopperKnight**: Well be a proud auntie! I have two half-nephew's Luke and Sean and a half-niece Sabrina. It is a repeat question but I haven't answered it just yet, but I can say that Richard got his scar in the rescue of Ashleigh, who is Max's Mum. I had always planned to have Harry's nest outside, the only reason a Dracken would build a nest inside would be because they are having a large clutch (four/five babies) and can't physically move themselves or during the winter months where the snow and the icy bitterness would directly affect their baby's and their own health. As you can see he isn't going to be building his nest strictly with twigs like a bird, but he will use whatever he has to hand. I think I have mentioned Hedwig once or twice, I'll be sure to include her more often. I admit I'm fond of the he-man scenes as well; I thought it cute that Nasta would try to shield and protect Max, a man who is bigger than him and wider than him. It made me smile.

**minato4ever**: Draco is 6 foot 5 inches so he's the third tallest of the mates behind Max at 6 foot 8 inches and Nasta who is 6 foot 6 inches. Myron is 6 foot 10 inches. But yes you are confusing something because Draco didn't go to Max's, only Blaise did or his pale blue and silver wings would have instantly been seen.

**randomreader**: As you can see both Draco and Blaise found out in this chapter and yes they will both tell their families, though it will be the thing that tips both Lucius and Narcissa over to see Harry in a new light, Lucius will need a bit more convincing to be nice, but it will essentially bring them all together yes, with help from the baby.

**nequam-tenshi: **Harry doesn't really interact with Luna in the books either yet they are still friends. She doesn't star a huge role in the story like Ron or Hermione or Ginny, so I just never bothered, she's like Neville, you know they're there, you know Harry's friends with them until the end and they are all loyal to a fault, why both writing a scene that shows what we already know?

**Blue Ghost**: Don't feel bad for not reviewing until now, a lot of readers still haven't reviewed, I don't mind. I never push for reviews, nor do I do the childish practise of ransoming my chapters for a number of reviews. I'm a lurker myself, I will read say twenty stories in a week depending on how long they are and I'll only review one or two of them. A story has to capture my interest for me to review, it has to make me think and give me questions that I want answers to, it's completely fine if there are no questions left to ask after everyone else is done, I mean I have to answer about fifty questions every chapter, that's a lot of questions.

To the question you did manage to find Harry's instincts demand the highest, safest place he can find. As you can see the elements are no match for his magic to handle and as he doesn't want his mates to even find his nest, much less enter it, I think that he would rather it some place secreted out of the way, if he had used a room of Max's house, I'm sure Max would have found it, it is his house after all. I'm not sure what you mean by how they would compensate for it, compensate for what? I might just be being thick, but I've read your review through several times and I still don't get it, can you explain that last question to me please and I'll answer it as best I can.

A roof isn't ideal, Harry, and most Drackens, would prefer a cave or a cliff, but as Max's back garden is void of any cliffs of caves Harry had to settle for the roof, the highest place he could get to that is out of the way of daily activities, away from predators because I don't think Harry will class a house sparrow as a threat and away from his mates.

**Victoria Pendragon**: I answered this above to **xXCherryLicoriceXx's **question. A YY set of chromosomes would result in an automatic miscarriage, the embryo wouldn't take hold as no embryo can survive without an X chromosome.

I adored Narcissa's first appearance in the story with the comment about the dining table. I was laughing myself half to death when I wrote it.

As for this fic having all of the things you like, it has all of the things I like as well, which makes it my favourite story as well. I'm ignoring almost all 'recommendations' people are giving this fic, because this is mine and I will write it how I want to and that makes me happy and more willing to write, because it's for me first and everyone else second. I only use suggestions if they tie in with what I want to happen or if they don't take away from the main flow of the story. I do like getting suggestions; I just might not use them.

**aneyeofademon**: I made this quick bio to help you as though I put Max and Nasta's profiles in chapter 13; I never included Draco or Blaise. Did you want Harry as well though? I just put in physical appearance, I didn't know if you wanted personality traits as well, so I just left it at the physical.

Max is the tallest at 6 foot 8 inches tall. He has thick brown hair and deep, sapphire blue eyes. His wings are 28 feet long and are bright blue with cobalt blue and coal black scales. He is very muscled and Harry can only just wrap his legs around Max's waist. He smells like fresh pine.

Nasta is the second tallest at 6 foot 6 inches tall. He has pitch black hair that is ear length and floppy, he always has a small growth of stubble on his face no matter how often he shaves, his eyes are a soft hazel with a goldish-green tint to them; in different lighting they can appear fully green or fully gold. His wings are jet black with yellow-gold scales. Nasta is solidly muscled from hard manual labour at the Brecon Dragon Reserve. He smells like musk and fire.

Draco is 6 foot 5 inches tall. He has white blonde hair and pale, silvery-blue eyes that darken to grey when he's angry or aroused. His wings are light, pale blue and his scales are silver. He is bulky and broad shoulders and has a defined six pack. Draco smells like his expensive cologne.

Blaise is 6 foot 4 inches tall. His wings are 20 feet in length and are black with amethyst and obsidian coloured scales. He has olive toned skin, black hair that is layered and choppy. Blaise has a strong, angular, exotic looking face, helped by his slanting indigo eyes. Blaise is slender with wiry muscles. He smells like warm spices.

**Bookworm19065**: I think it was in the second book, Chamber of Secrets, because Harry sees the memory of Tom Riddle asking Headmaster Dippet to let him stay for the summer months and Harry recalls that he did the same. I'm not sure why it would have been overlooked, maybe it was just written off as his love for Hogwarts, the place where his parents had lived for seven years of their lives, maybe nearly all of the First years ask to stay behind with the magic that they have come to love, the security of the castle, the fun and the adventure. Maybe it was overlooked because no one suspected a damn thing about Harry's home life even though they should have. I don't know why he was never checked up on in the books, but maybe it had something to do with Arabella Figg? Maybe it's all her fault that Harry's abuse wasn't picked up on and not Dumbledore's. Was she watching him as closely as she could have been? The Dursleys hid their Nephew from the neighbours, hit his mistreatment from them, how was anyone to know that the skinny little juvenile they had been told about was actually being fed scraps and locked in a cupboard? Do any of us really know what our neighbours are doing behind closed doors?

**gobert**: Does this help any? It's in age order. Oldest to Youngest downwards.

Alexander Maddison (Max's Grandfather/Myron's Father) – Kimberly Maddison (Max's Grandmother/Myron's Mother)

Myron Maddison (Max's biological Father) – Ashleigh Maddison-Seppen – Richard Seppen

Maximilius Maddison – Harry – Nasta - Draco – Blaise = Unnamed, unborn baby boy

Caesar Seppen (Max's half-brother) – Amelle Seppen = Eleonora Dahlia Seppen (Max's Niece)

Julinda Kyle (Max's half-sister) – Laurel Kyle

Talia Maddison-Seppen (Max's sister)

Alayla Maddison-Seppen (Max's sister)

**PrincessKay**: What the bloody hell is a Nasaxdraisery? What's an OTPs for that matter? Am I proving I live under a rock again? I don't think I'd ever be able to take on a partner to help me write. I write my way or no way and I don't think a partner would be very understanding of that. Besides I don't need a partner to help me write! I just need a day or two away from the computer to rebalance myself! I'm absolutely fine now. Feel like I could write forever, until the next time I start feeling logged down and I take another little break. But I think my good mood is due to Christmas being three days away! I only have two more nights to work before Christmas! Then I can damn well enjoy myself with my family for the entire day before I'm back in work on Boxing Night.

A lot of questions this time around! Well these questions are my early Christmas gift from you and this chapter is yours from me, enjoy! If you're all very good I'll be posting the first chapter of the one shot either tomorrow or the day after under the title **The Rise of the Drackens: The Scaled Bits.** A word of warning though, writing the chapter made me cry and I couldn't stop, you might not have the same reaction because I know the full story behind the scene, but some of you will get teary eyed. If you think it'll ruin your Christmas, your mood or your spirit, wait until afterwards to read it.

StarLight Massacre. X


	37. Blind Panic

Dedicated to **PrincessKay** who was the only person to realise that I had already mentioned the reason for Harry's illness all the way back in chapter five – Blissful Days.

_Last Time_

_He retched into the toilet and he couldn't stop, he shivered as a wave of cold gripped his very bones and made his eyes roll into his head. He let out a distressed call, noting that it was higher pitched and more shrill that usual, before his head bounced on the tile floor, knocking him unconscious. The last thing he heard were roars and the splintering of heavy wood from the bedroom._

Chapter Thirty-Seven – Blind Panic

Nasta shot up from the bed as soon as the first vibrations of Harry's distress call reached his ears. He heard the shrill, panic stricken call a fraction of a second later and his wings burst from his back in a shower of blood, his claws ripped from his fingers and his fangs tore through his gums as he ran faster than he ever had before to reach Harry.

He heard the bedframe behind him splinter and took a moment to look over and see that one of Max's bright blue wings had taken half a bedpost with it when its owner had shot up in the bed.

He wrenched the bathroom door from its hinges and threw it behind him, even though it had been halfway open already and it was then that he saw Harry slumped on the floor, his lower legs trapped under his body. He had most probably been on his knees and had fallen backwards onto them when he lost consciousness. He took in the vomit in the toilet and it didn't take a genius to figure out that Harry must have woken up with an upset stomach and had passed out on the bathroom floor.

Nasta carefully scooped Harry into his arms as Max brushed past him to get to the airing cupboard to find a clean flannel. The large man wetted it under the tap before he dabbed at Harry's sweat soaked and vomit flecked face as Blaise flushed the toilet of its contents.

The lot of them were calming down now that no intruder had been found harming their submissive, now that they understood that Harry's panic had most likely come from vomiting so violently that he had passed out.

Max led the way back to the bedroom and snatched his wand from the bedside table, giving it a casual wave and repairing the bed with a soft incantation. Blaise pulled the duvet back onto the bed and folded a corner so Nasta could lay Harry down carefully before the smaller dominant covered Harry up and tucked him in.

"We'd better call a Healer." Nasta sighed as he run an adrenaline shaking hand through his black hair. "Harry has a bad bump on the back of his head, probably from hitting it on the tile floor when he lost consciousness."

"We can't risk anyone finding out that he's a Dracken." Max fretted. "A Healer could figure out what he is in a minute flat with a simple blood spell!"

"Madam Pomfrey already knows." Blaise pointed out.

"But where does she go for the school holidays?" Max asked wringing his big hands together as he looked, stricken faced, at their little lover unconscious in the big bed.

"I…I don't know. She must live somewhere though; surely we can find a floo address."

"Unless she's taken herself off of the floo network for a summer of peace." Max answered.

"You stop being so pessimistic." Nasta ordered of Max. "You calm down." He directed at Blaise. "If anyone will know it's Dumbledore and as Headmaster and close friend of Harry's he gave us his floo address. We'll ask him."

Nasta left the other two to care for Harry, or rather just watch over him as there wasn't much else they could do, as he trekked down to the living room and made an urgent floo call at half past two in the morning to the Headmaster of Hogwarts.

* * *

Harry woke up with a groan. He was in bed and covered with at least two duvets and another three or four blankets. He was sweltering hot and every inch of his body was coated with sweat. He was sticky and uncomfortable and the only thing he wanted was a nice, long shower so he could feel clean again.

He shoved the mountain of blankets off of himself and cupped his baby bulge, though to cup something indicated that it was small and fit in the palms of his hands, his bump did no such thing. His baby boy was either so big he was making Harry look like a whale, or he really liked his room to move about as Harry looked utterly ridiculous no matter what his mates said otherwise.

Putting his feet onto the floor, Harry carefully padded to the bathroom and stripped off the fleecy pyjamas he was wearing, they were winter pyjamas, entirely too hot to wear in the middle of July! He hopped right into the shower and started washing the gelled sweat from his lower back.

He didn't stay in there too long, just long enough to wash his body clean and to give his hair a quick shampooing. He dried himself and dressed himself back into the fleecy pyjamas, the only clothes he had because he had forgotten to pick any up in is haste to reach the shower.

He was feeling very tired again, like he had only slept for an hour or so when he knew it was probably more than that. He shoved several blankets off of the bed and found their main duvet. He rubbed it against his face and a feeling that he recognised all too well by now came over him. He had to get the duvet to his nest. It had to be there, it smelt like all of his mates, all their scents mingled together.

He could hear voices downstairs, he couldn't go down that way, he'd be caught and his nest found. His gaze went to the window and he slid it open easily. He climbed out and let himself fall before unsheathing his wings and flapping to rise again. He landed on the roof with the duvet and he threw it into his nest, which had grown considerably, to sort out later, the house was awash with activity and he couldn't risk being caught.

He flew back into the window, tucking his wings in at the last possible moment, he caught a wing bone against the window frame and he tucked himself up and rolled on the floor biting his lip to keep in his scream of agony. Hell that had hurt! That had hurt so fucking much! It felt like he had been shot.

He shut the window and crawled to the bed and lay down in it, tucking just the one blanket over him as he rocked himself slowly as the pain tapered to a lingering soreness and he fell asleep quickly, thoroughly worn out from his quick and sporadic flight to his nest.

* * *

Max tilted his head as he heard a thump from upstairs, no one else had seemingly heard anything, he couldn't smell anything out of place, but he couldn't just let it drop, what if something was wrong?

He looked around the kitchen and noticed with a sigh of irritation that Caesar and Sanex were missing. If they were ripping up anymore of his carpet he'd gut the both of them. A loud laugh had him looking over to his Dad and Aneirin Delericey, who were thoroughly enjoying themselves.

He caught Nasta's eye and indicated that he was going to check on Harry. He jogged up the stairs; he heard Caesar and Sanex giggling like children in the living room. If they had done anything to Harry…

The bedroom door was open and he felt his large body clench like a giant fist. He pushed it all the way open and saw Harry still fast asleep like Madam Pomfrey had said he would be, but the blankets that were bringing up his core temperature were in a large pile on the floor.

He growled and went about covering Harry back up. It was as he was tucking Harry back in under all of the blankets that he realised that the main duvet was missing. He checked under the single blanket that had remained on Harry, under the bed and in the wardrobe before realising that it was missing. If this is what Caesar and Sanex were giggling about he'd break their little bodies. They knew Harry needed to remain warm!

He stalked to the living room to find it abandoned with no sign of the missing duvet. He went into the kitchen and again the two were missing.

"What's wrong?" Nasta asked which brought everyone else's attention to him.

"Where are Caesar and Sanex?" He hissed.

"They decided to floo to Sanex's apartment." His Mother told him. "Why?"

"They decided to strip Harry of all of his blankets and steal away the main duvet before they left."

"They did what?" Nasta growled leaping up and pacing, his fists clenched.

"I can't see them doing that." Kimberly stuck up for the missing men. "They know how sick Harry got, they know that he needs to remain warm, they wouldn't do something to deliberately harm Harry or to hinder his recovery."

"As much as I hate to say it, my brother wouldn't have done anything to make Harry sicker and I don't think Caesar would have either, he has his own mate, a pregnant mate, he knows how dangerous uncovering Harry would be." Nasta answered after he had calmed down and thought more rationally.

"I wouldn't have thought they would have either." Draco answered. He got on well with both of the other men and he couldn't see anyone in this house doing such a thing to Harry.

"They were giggling in the living room as I went up to check on Harry, a bit convenient that they left before I came back down."

"This is the second time you have accused your brother of stealing something Maximilius." Myron said in his guttural voice from the kitchen table. "First the section of missing carpet that Caesar swears blind he never took and now your duvet, have you ever considered that perhaps it is Harry stealing these things, the both of them fabrics, to build his nest?"

Max blinked. "We would know he's building a nest, he'd tell us."

Myron chuckled and he was joined by both of his mates, Aneirin, Kimberly and Alexander.

"You have a lot to learn Maxie." Alexander laughed at his clueless grandson. "A submissive will not tell their mate that they are building a nest until it is completed. It's a territorial thing. Harry's nest is his. It's his sanctuary, his birthing place, his creation. Even when he tells you he has a nest he will not tell you where it is and you will certainly not be permitted entrance to it."

"What if we stumble upon it by accident?" Blaise asked.

"If by some slim chance you actually find his nest before it's completed then Harry will destroy the old nest and start building another one in a different location, this can be quite dangerous as no place will ever be as perfect for his nest as the first place he starts building it. If he has nested close to your home, in your boundaries then he is safer than if he hadn't, if Harry can't find another suitable place on your grounds then he will search for one elsewhere, without the protection of the wards you have around your home."

"So you really think that Harry is building a nest? He was fast asleep still when I went up to check on him."

"I'm not saying he definitely is." Myron answered diplomatically. "Just that he could be, which is a better explanation for your missing fabrics than Caesar and Sanex stealing them. But remember that whatever you boys do, you do not speak about this within earshot of Harry. You definitely don't become foolish enough to outright ask him, you don't follow him if he goes off on his own, just leave him be. If you 'accidentally on purpose' find his nest, he will still move it and he will be angry about it, very angry."

"That goes for everyone in this room, Caesar and Sanex when we see them next as well." Alexander warned. "It doesn't matter who stumbles upon his nest, if it is found, it will be moved."

Everyone nodded seriously, but Max felt burning curiosity build inside him. Was Harry building a nest? Where the hell was it? Was it in the orchard? Perhaps the small cave he had found a month or so after he had moved in? He was so curious to find out, as was everyone else, but he swore he would not go looking for Harry's nest if he was building one. Harry would tell them as soon as he was finished, long before he would give birth, that he had a nest. He would hunt for it then when Harry wouldn't move his nest if they found it.

But by the looks on Blaise and Draco's faces he would have to watch them, he caught Nasta's eye and nodded to their two younger subordinates. Nasta nodded back, he had seen the looks on their faces as well, they would both watch the younger two and stop them if they even so much as started scenting for Harry's nest.

* * *

Harry groggily slipped down the stairs on his bum, moving slowly and keeping a death grip on the banister rungs to balance himself out and to stop him from toppling down the stairs headfirst.

He reached the third from the bottom step and hauled himself up using the banister, his feet firmly on the bottom of the stairs. He let out a heavy sigh and straightened up, heading for the kitchen and the gorgeous smells emanating from it.

Max was happily cooking at the oven, stirring a large pot of something, he was wearing a dark green apron, Harry smiled at that. Nasta was sitting in a chair at the table, a bunch of paperwork around him. Blaise was once more translating his book, he looked extremely frustrated as he bunched up a piece of parchment in his hand and thumped it on the table top repeatedly.

Harry looked to Draco, who was looking back at him. Relief shining through those silver eyes at seeing him standing there. Harry wondered how long he had actually been sleeping for.

Draco stood up and drew attention to himself but the blonde didn't care as he rushed around the table and scooped him into a large bear hug. Harry laughed and held onto Draco tightly. He loved the affectionate side to Draco, the side he had never seen when they were younger. Harry supposed that the blonde had gotten the soft side of himself from his Mother, who had seemed to enjoy holding her son close. Where ever Draco had gotten it from Harry was certain that it hadn't been from his Father.

"You're awake!" He said happily.

Harry hummed in agreement, nodding his head. "Who decided to bury me alive in blankets?"

"Madam Pomfrey and Severus Snape did." Max answered as he watched them with a grin. "Your core temperature dropped to thirty-three degrees Celsius."

"That is a serious drop in temperature for a Dracken Harry." Nasta told him. "Because our core temperatures are averagely higher, we can't drop below thirty-five degrees without becoming very sick. That you are heavily pregnant with a child makes the situation a lot more dangerous that if you hadn't been pregnant."

"Oh. Why did my temperature start to cool down?"

"We don't know. Severus suspected extreme exposure to the elements, but Madam Pomfrey believes that the combination of vomiting and the cold bathroom air, not to mention the freezing bathroom tiles you were lying on caused your body to go into shock, lowering your core temperature."

"Is the baby alright?" Harry asked, cupping his belly again feeling the fluttering movements inside.

"The baby was never in any danger Harry, you were. You could have slipped into a coma."

Harry shivered feeling cold right through to his spine that he was sure was the gravity of what he had just been told, but he was wrapped in a thick blanket and settled onto Nasta's thick thighs nonetheless as Max served up five bowls of steaming soup and a basket of freshly baked bread that was still warm.

Feeling famished Harry ate as quickly as he could without choking, making sure to keep his arms and elbows from knocking Nasta's arms so they could both eat before the soup went cold.

After the soup Max served them Spaghetti Bolognese, this time being accompanied by slices of garlic baguette. His mates watched him in slight awe as he polished off his food and Max gave him a second plateful, which he again ate everything, doing his best to clean the plate without resorting to licking it clean with his tongue.

Max chuckled happily as he pulled a searing hot black cherry crumble from the oven and gave Harry a big spoonful, covering it with warm custard and watching as his mates, his family, ate the food he had spent the afternoon making and cooking for them. True he liked cooking for himself and he often had his family around for odd lunches, but cooking every meal day in day out for people who enjoyed it, for people he loved and who loved him, it just felt right. He couldn't wait until they had a house full of kids that he could feed and perhaps teach to cook as well.

* * *

After his second bowl of crumble Harry began feeling sleepy again. He turned in Nasta's lap and snuggled into his blanket tighter, curling up as best as he could against that large chest, he drifted into a light doze. He could feel the movement under and around him, hear the soothing voices of his mates around him, it was relaxing and comfortable.

One small word ruined that peace and contentedness, one small word had his eyes snapping open and alertness flooding into his body. He looked at Blaise who had mentioned the word and he could hear his heart beating a thousand times faster, they couldn't know, surely they couldn't know.

"What did you just say?" He asked, his voice sounding groggy even though he felt wide awake.

"I didn't mean to wake you Harry." Blaise told him apologetically. Harry didn't want to hear apologises.

"What did you say?" He repeated.

"I was just asking the others if maybe you had told them if you had felt the urge to build a nest yet."

"Oh. No I haven't." Harry lied, settling down. They didn't know. He breathed a bit easier; they didn't know they were just curious. Curiosity he could live with, as long as they didn't find out about his nest.

"Go back to sleep love, I'll make sure the others remain quiet." Nasta soothed, rubbing his back lightly, pulling him back to sleep.

As soon as Nasta was sure that Harry was sleeping again he glared at Blaise.

"That was an incredibly dangerous thing to say! You were told not to mention it within earshot of him! His Dracken will pick up any mention of you-know-what, no matter how small!"

"I didn't realise." Blaise defended himself. "I thought that if he was asleep it would be alright."

"Well it's not. No one mentions it at all from now on, we can't risk him overhearing us or mistaking something we have said as a threat to his 'special place' from his reaction we can guess that he has started building one and he is extremely protective of it, we can't risk him moving it, no one goes looking for it, no one mentions it, Harry will tell us when he's finished, until then leave it be."

The three other dominants nodded and went back to their various tasks, Blaise translating his book, Max was washing and putting away the dishes, Draco was practising a spell, using a book he had placed on the far side of the kitchen as a target and Nasta was watching Harry sleep, one hand on the baby bump that was growing inexorably as Harry moved into his sixth month. He hoped desperately that all of their plans didn't go to waste and that Harry didn't start nesting before his seventeenth birthday in a week and a half's time. It was a race now to reach Harry's birthday before Harry finished his nest. They had put a lot of effort into it to make Harry feel special. The birthday party was also doubling up as a baby shower sort of party at Mrs Weasley's insistence; she wanted to gift Harry all of the baby clothes and things that she had knitted for him in one go. Nasta just hoped that Harry wasn't too overwhelmed by it all, nothing brought on the start of a labour quicker than a surprise party, except perhaps a vindaloo curry.

* * *

**when spells go wrong: **No, the nesting instinct overrules everything as it's so important for Harry to have a safe, well-built nest over everything else. Usually his instincts would have urged him to dress up warmer, but as he stole away from his mates' bed in the middle of the night his instincts urged him to rush and get back before he was discovered missing and his mates' found his nest.

**Liria Nai**: No, Harry will never use the same nesting location twice. He will always scout out a new one with each pregnancy for the very fact that his mates will know where it is and if they know then they could possibly let slip to a family member, who could tell a friend, who could tell whoever and then a possible threat would know, so he will always nest in a different location.

**thedragonninjamurcury**: Two submissives wouldn't nest next to each other. There aren't enough of them to get cramped together and as you can see many submissives nest on the land of either their mate or a family member. If any Dracken got near to Harry whilst he nested, male/female, dominant/submissive, he would react hostilely and if they got close enough he would attack them. Another pregnant submissive wouldn't go near him due to the danger it would put their baby in. Harry will scent mark his nest when it's completed warning other Drackens that he is there and will attack if they come too close.

**xXMoonFlower369Xx: **Ah. But Voldemort is dead now, they don't need to discredit Harry and if they tried they would face a public backlash from the witches and wizards that love Harry because he defeated the dark lord. It would be foolish to try and get Harry for anything when he is hailed as a saviour by the wizarding world. It would be political suicide.

As for Umbridge, yes she will get her comeuppance because I hated that she practically got away with abusing children in her care, if you can call being hoisted away by a herd of angry centaurs getting away with it. But then she was never pulled up on it and actually went back to work at the Ministry, so she will be prosecuted and harshly for her crimes upon the children in her care.

**Chouji09**: Woah calm down! Harry fainted because he couldn't pull in enough air to keep himself conscious after vomiting so violently, he vomited because of a combination of his core temperature dropping too low, a drop in his blood pressure from soaring up to the roof and then back down again in a short amount of time, which is also why when he stood up after cleaning himself off that he went very dizzy, this made him vomit.

Hopefully your second question about Harry not telling his mates why he was nesting was answered in this chapter, as well as your question on Harry being alright, as you can see he's going to be fine. No he wasn't bleeding, he just had a bad bump which went down with a few charms from Madam Pomfrey and yes Draco knows about the Dursleys and their treatment of him.

**SnowTigerQueen**: I love that idea. I think Harry would adore anything that his parents had so much as touched when they were alive. I'm thinking that maybe Harry gets anxious to see the place he had spent his babyhood the closer to birth he gets, or even after the birth as he holds his son he decides he wants to see where his parents used to hold and play with him. The idea of him finding a long lost baby treasure in the wreckage warms me. I hope you don't mind me using and expanding on your idea.

**candy3314**: Teddy isn't born. In fact Remus isn't even with Tonks. I'm not sure if I'll put them together in this fic, though I suppose the both of them need a bit of loving as well.

**Dolphindreamer**: None of his mates have seen his nest because really, who goes outside and looks up at their roof? I think the last time I looked at my roof was when that bloody bird lodged itself outside my bedroom window. If they don't know it's there then they won't look for it.

Yes I will be including everything Harry had to go through in his life which includes Hogwarts, because really a twelve year old taking on a sixty foot snake is about as extraordinary as one can get. I agree that the school messed up big time, but I have a loop hole to why Harry was never given a psychiatrist check-up. Can I ask what an in-depth physical is? Why would Harry have been given one when he arrived at Hogwarts?

The Tri-wizard tournament is going to be something the school and the teachers won't be able to avoid and an angry Max and Nasta are a nasty Max and Nasta. I really do think that the wizarding world reinforced the Dursleys treatment of Harry; it's probably why he doesn't think too much on it, both in the books and in this fic.

Now you have me thinking on if he'd still have the 'I must not tell lies' scar because the quill was a dark artefact. I don't think so, as even though it's dark, it's not because of a curse or anything, it's because of the nature of what it does, so no, I think that scar would be healed with the Dracken inheritance.

The Order are chasing down the few remaining Death Eaters after Harry defeated Voldemort. The few that have managed to escape Azkaban are in hiding or are on the run. They seemed removed from the war because there isn't a war, Harry has already defeated Voldemort.

**evildarkkitten:** No, Harry won't give birth in secret though he will be alone. As soon as his nest is completely built he will tell his mates that he has one and they will know immediately when he goes into labour.

**Fire Dolphin**: It's common knowledge that he will, at some point, build a nest, but not when or where. He will keep it a secret until it's built and then he will start discussing it because, as I made mention to in Chapter Thirty-Five – Homecoming Welcome, he takes great pride in his nest and he will brag about it, but only once he's finished it.

**lilbunny2247:** If his mates found out he was making one, but not where it was then Harry would watch them very closely, if it looked like they were searching for it then he would move it as a precaution or make a decoy nest, which wouldn't be as lavish as his actual nest. If they leave it alone, then Harry will keep his nest where it is but be very cautious about how he got materials into it.

If Harry's mates find his nest after he's moved it, he will move it again. He will always have time to move it because he's only five months pregnant, he has another two months left, one and a half at least before he gives birth. If they keep searching for it, not letting him build a new nest without finding it, right up until he's seven months and in labour then Harry will have the baby wherever he's located. He will be angry and hostile to them, he won't have any of the things he's supposed to have for the baby at hand, he won't have his mate's blood near him, he won't be in a comfortable, safe environment, he will essentially give birth on a floor somewhere, which is dangerous to the baby as he won't have any umbilical cord clamps, he won't have anything to clean or dress the baby in and he will have a deep, open wound in his abdomen as he won't have his mate's blood to close it, so I doubt any of them will intentionally look for his nest, at least not to that point, they actually want Harry and the baby to survive afterwards.

**ChocoholicWriter:** No offence taken! I know nothing about the law and I don't pretend to so thanks for the correction, any help you can give me on how Harry's case would go would be incredibly welcomed! So Richard should be a Barrister? Would Richard go to court with the Barrister if he was a lawyer? I have no clue what Richard would specialise in as I didn't know he needed a specific area, though I probably should have guessed, hindsight and all that. I suppose I'll take your recommendation on making his area of speciality Criminal Litigation and Family Law. Thanks for the help!

**Sparklillian**: Ron is at the Burrow. He is currently being beaten on by his brothers and his sister. His parents aren't best pleased with him either. If you want I can include a one-shot of Ron's punishments in the Scaled Bits story.

As for Draco, he is feeling a bit down because his parents don't seem to want to accept Harry as his life partner, having your parents disapprove of the one you love always hurts.

Arthur had taken Ron home before Harry came onto the Muggle platforms so that there weren't any fights or arguments where the Muggles could see them.

You will find out about all of the mates and their hidden secrets over time, let's just say that Nasta wasn't always so serious and broody, he used to be fun and silly as well, though he never had a secret boy club with his brother like Max did.

Not too many questions at all. I love all of these questions and I will take the time to answer any questions any reader has, you've taken the time to think them up, I'll take the time to share the answer in any way I can.

I never stop if I get stuck on a chapter; if I stop when I'm stuck then I procrastinate for days over it and I'd end up getting writers block, though writing for two hours a day is a stretch for me when I'm working, I don't get that much spare time so I'd have to sacrifice one of the big B's (Bath or Bed) or food and I don't want to do that, I haven't been sick at all this year and I wanna keep it that way. Though perhaps half an hour a day would help, but when I'm off I can spend up to six hours writing, I get absorbed and I forget the time. I often finish a chapter on a Wednesday, my main day off work, then I'll proof read it until I'm happy and then publish it.

**GrasshopperKnight**: A Dracken can't use their own blood to heal because the damage is done to their bodies. I guess it would be down to the different antibodies that they're taking in but it's also because they're mates, they are closely bonded together so it just works better. Any dominant can give blood to heal a submissive, but a dominant needs either a submissive that's bonded to them to heal the cuts, a dominant that's bonded to them or a dominant family member.

Mate blood is more potent because those sharing blood have a close bond together so the blood is accepted immediately by the one taking it in; there is no chance of it being rejected. As for the sub getting better quality body fluids if they have a stronger bond, no, as long as he's mated to the dominant in question then the quality of the body fluids is the same. He could be in a relationship with the most foul, abusive mate in the world, but as long as he still got fluids from him he and the baby would still be healthy.

As to the Dracken parent giving the human/wizard offspring their blood, no it wouldn't work, it's purely a Dracken thing and before you ask, they can't give blood to heal their Dracken child under sixteen either. They have to have actually come into their Dracken inheritance in order for the blood healing to work.

Yes, when Harry has finished building his nest then he will tell them that he has a nest, but not where it is located, they'll have to find it on their own. No they won't patrol around like animals. They will check up on him and one of the mates will always be with him at all times, but they won't hover over him, Harry won't allow it, but it'll only be Harry that turns feral, his mates will be fine, like Caesar.

Harry wasn't reprimanded for coming down the stairs on his own because he always does it and he has shown his mates a thousand times that it's safe and he's fine doing it, it's a trust thing. They trust that Harry will use his common sense to get down the stairs safely because Harry values his independence, though they won't let him go up the stairs on his own.

**The Philosopher's Queen**: I love OMC's. I love Harry/OMC stories the best, but the majority of them are just so badly written that I often can't read them. So I wanted to write my own, when I was gifted this fic it was the perfect opportunity to use OMC's. I especially love when Harry is in a different school, usually one for magical creatures, and is with an OMC from the new school he goes to; there are very few well written or believable stories with those stipulations.

**unneeded**: It is his Dracken instincts that make him hide his nest yes. It's a territorial thing, a prideful thing. He won't share it until he's ready to.

**Charlie2323**: You've read it ten times over? Wow. As for the Mummy and me classes, I'm thinking of making a mention in the actual story whilst putting the actual scenes in the Scaled Bits one-shots.

**PrincessKay**: No offense taken! I was laughing! I think Nasaxdraisery is brilliant myself. I've never actually heard of OTP before, but I suppose my OTP would be Harry with nearly any male character, I don't have one specific pairing that I search endlessly for, though I do love Dean/Sam from Supernatural, though if it was a crossover with Harry Potter it'd be Dean/Harry/Sam.

Harry does still have his little dragon and when he unearths it he will gift it to Nasta, who will love it a lot more than Harry and his memories of being gouged by bronze spikes.

**blackroses77**: No, none of them know about what Harry had to face, not in full at any rate. Blaise and Draco know that Harry had to go through the Tri-Wizard tournament, but not what the second and third tasks entailed, that he had no support and had to go through it basically alone and flailing.

StarLight Massacre. X


	38. Harry's Birthday

_Last Time_

_The three other dominants nodded and went back to their various tasks, Blaise translating his book, Max was washing and putting away the dishes, Draco was practising a spell, using a book he had placed on the far side of the kitchen as a target and Nasta was watching Harry sleep, one hand on the baby bump that was growing inexorably as Harry moved into his sixth month. He hoped desperately that all of their plans didn't go to waste and that Harry didn't start nesting before his seventeenth birthday in a week and a half's time. It was a race now to reach Harry's birthday before Harry finished his nest. They had put a lot of effort into it to make Harry feel special. The birthday party was also doubling up as a baby shower sort of party at Mrs Weasley's insistence; she wanted to gift Harry all of the baby clothes and things that she had knitted for him in one go. Nasta just hoped that Harry wasn't too overwhelmed by it all, nothing brought on the start of a labour quicker than a surprise party, except perhaps a vindaloo curry._

Chapter Thirty-Eight – Harry's Birthday

Harry giggled with Blaise as they threw yet another parchment ball at Draco, who grunted and twitched in his sleep. The big blonde had fallen asleep on the settee after admitting a restless night of worrying over his exam results. It made Harry dread this time next year when their final N.E.W.T results would be winging their way to them, these exams were like practise exams for next year, they didn't really matter, if Draco was like this over mock N.E.W.T exams, what was he going to be like with the real thing.

Blaise used his wand and a whispered incantation to levitate several parchment balls that had accumulated around Draco to hover over the blonde, Blaise cancelled the spell and the parchment balls fell harmlessly onto Draco's sleeping form which once again twitched from the onslaught of light, crumpled up balls.

Harry smothered a giggle and had to give up as he turned to hide his face in Blaise's chest, one of his mate's arms coming to hold him more securely against his body.

"What do you think Mio Bello, does Draco look better covered in parchment?"

Harry didn't trust himself to speak; he just nodded his head against Blaise's chest, biting a fist to keep from waking the source of their amusement.

Blaise scrunched up another piece of parchment and threw it gently through the air. It sailed up in an arch before landing with a dry scratching sound on Draco's pristine hair. The blonde made a small sound and slept on.

Harry peeked out from Blaise's shirt and twitched his wand to levitate the parchment balls that had either missed their target because they had been laughing too hard to properly aim or had fallen off due to the alarming amount of parchment balls that had covered Draco's lower body and the settee.

Harry moved the balls to hover over Draco's face before he lowered them to gently rest on the blonde's head, covering him nearly head to foot in parchment.

Harry choked back a laugh and snatched a piece of parchment that hadn't already been scrunched up and started folding it like he had used to do in Primary school to make a crude aeroplane. He launched his plane at Draco and it swirled through the air before miraculously landing in the pile of balls.

Harry and Blaise cracked up and tried muffling their laughter with each other's sleeves.

It was this scene that Nasta walked in on. He looked to the two of them having silent hysterics on one settee, to Draco covered in parchment balls and the lone plane on the opposite settee.

"Do I even want to know why you have buried Draco in parchment?"

"We thought we'd make his dream of being eternalised on parchment come true." Harry answered immediately, before he and Blaise shared a look and broke down.

"Somehow I doubt that this is what he meant." Nasta replied though his lips twitched to form a smile.

"Words can always be misconstrued by people who hear what they want to hear." Harry pointed out innocently.

"And that is what causes arguments and misunderstandings." Nasta told them. "Draco is not going to be happy when he wakes up to find you have covered him in parchment."

"Nah he's a good sport." Blaise answered with a grin. "He'll see the funny side of it."

"Stupidity doesn't suit you Blaise love." Nasta said back before leaving the room to their laughter, he shook his head; it was nice to see them having a bit of fun and for the house to be filled with laughter, he just wished it wasn't at Draco's expense, the blonde could hold a grudge like no other, particularly if his hair was involved.

"How did you make that plane Harry?" Blaise asked.

"I'll show you!"

Harry got another sheet of parchment and folded it into another plane, he then flattened the parchment back out and got Blaise to fold along the lines that Harry had already made. Blaise still managed to cock it up but he did get a resemblance to a plane.

The older boy threw it and instead of swirling and floating through the air like Harry's it launched like a spear at Draco and stuck straight up in the mountain of parchment. The both of them sniggered like children.

"We should have coloured it in to make a flag." Harry said wistfully.

Blaise waved his wand and a small, crude picture of Harry and Blaise appeared on the plane. Harry couldn't help it as he started laughing, loudly.

Blaise placed a hand over his mouth, but was laughing too hard himself to keep it there very well, the result was Draco bolting up right, wading through the hundred or so parchment balls that covered him.

"What in the name of Circe have you two been doing?" He demanded in a sexy, sleep roughened voice.

"Harry was helping me with my aim, you know for next year's Quidditch season. I am the Slytherin Chaser and we have to be on top form, what with Harry possibly being ruled out it's our only hope to win the cup for Slytherin a final time before we graduate."

Harry huffed. "Don't count on it love, I'm still the Captain of the Gryffindor team, I'm going to be coaching them and Ginny is an amazing duel talent what with being a brilliant Chaser and Seeker."

"She has nothing on you love and you have beaten Draco by the tips of your fingers, she'll be no match for our Seeker."

"Maybe, but Draco has gotten bigger, broader and heavier since then and he's still growing, what's to say he won't become too heavy to be quick?"

Draco stood up and shook the balls easily off of him as he stalked to Harry with a smirk and a predatory look in his eyes. Harry eeped and made to move off of the settee but Blaise held him gently, not that he could get off the settee without help anyway.

"I'm not sure I heard him correctly Blaise, I thought he said that Slytherin had no chance because I was too heavy."

"That is what Prezioso said, yes."

"Hmm, so I wasn't hearing things brought on by my lack of oxygen at being buried alive in parchment."

Harry couldn't help the small chuckle that escaped him at the mention of Draco suffocating under the parchment.

"It sounds like he finds it funny as well. Hmm, what to do with him."

"You could let me go?" Harry hedged hopefully. "I am after all heavily pregnant; it's bound to mess with my mind."

The two laughed at him and the sound sent shivers down Harry's spine. Draco slipped onto the settee beside him and began massaging Harry's arms and shoulders, laying soft kisses on his neck. Harry unconsciously bared more of it for Draco's soft, dry lips.

"Shall we let him go Blaise? He _is_ heavily pregnant and it _has_ messed with his mind."

"True, but I think that our little Amore knows exactly what he is doing. I don't think our child could be messing him up so much as to laugh at your imminent death."

Harry chuckled again, but swallowed it as he realised he was making things worse for himself as Blaise nuzzled his nose around by his cheek and ear.

"And still he laughs at the prospect of my death. I think we should teach him some humility." Draco stated in a mock arrogant voice that was an echo of his younger years.

Harry actually giggled a bit as he heard it; it reminded him of the surety in Draco's voice as he asked for his hand of friendship on their very first train ride. Draco had been such an arrogant, slicked up, knob back then.

Draco's fingers danced over his sides and Harry squirmed and let out a shriek of laughter as he was tickled, writhing against Blaise as the older man held him strongly so he didn't do the baby any accidental damage.

Nasta peeked in on them, drawn to the room by Harry's shrieks, before shaking his head and leaving them too it, going back to filling out the transfer forms for the Ukrainian Ironbelly, sometimes he hated being a senior handler, he never had this much paperwork before he had made the senior team.

Harry rocked back against Blaise and gasped in pain as he knocked his shoulder against Blaise's shoulder. Both of his mates were on him within seconds, pulling his shirt from him and sniffing and licking him. The both of them remained on his right shoulder, the same shoulder that had been attached to the wing that he had smashed against the window frame.

"Harry, your shoulder is bruised, what happened?"

"I don't know, it just started hurting when I knocked it just now."

"You must have injured yourself when you fell on the bathroom floor, can you remember if you knocked your shoulder against the sink whilst you were being sick?"

"No, I don't remember a thing from that night. I don't even remember getting up." He fibbed.

"Come on, let's get you to Nasta, you need to get this sorted love."

Harry was pulled from the settee and worried his bottom lip. What if Nasta realised what had caused his bruise?

"Nasta, are you busy?" Blaise asked as he peeked into the kitchen to see paperwork stacked neatly in piles and Nasta looking at him expectantly, quill poised over the parchment.

"I'm never too busy for you Blaise love. What's the matter?"

Nasta put his quill down as all three of the younger members of the mateship came into the kitchen and Harry was gently placed on his lap. His eyebrow went into his hairline in question.

"Sniff, just by here." Draco instructed pointing, but not touching, a place on the back of Harry's shoulder, near his wing joint.

Nasta didn't question he just did as the others bid him and quickly found the scent of burst capillaries under Harry's skin. Harry was bruised.

"What happened?" He asked as he stood up with Harry in his arms to the cupboard that Max kept all of his potions in. He took out the bruise salve and sat back down, placing Harry on the table top.

"I don't know. I knocked it just now and it started hurting." Harry replied.

"There isn't a bruise on your back." Nasta said confusedly, lightly pressing on the skin, he lent forward and sniffed again and could clearly smell the bruise. "Are you wearing a glamour charm Harry?"

"No." Harry snorted. "Like I would bother to waste the magic, you'd smell the damage anyway."

"Pull your wings out." Nasta instructed with a light curiosity.

Harry did as he was told and pulled out his white wings with his multi-coloured scales. Nasta sniffed close to his shoulder and quickly found the bruise low down on his wing bone where he had knocked it against the window frame.

"It isn't your shoulder that's bruised, it's your wing. Harry how did you bruise your wing? Have you been walking around with your Dracken attributes on show?"

"Only a few times." Harry replied, coming to the conclusion that them thinking he had been walking around in Dracken form was a lot better than them finding out he had been flying up to the roof and back down whilst four slash five months pregnant.

"You must have banged it against something." Nasta shook his head and kissed the bruised area before smearing it with paste. "You'll have to keep your wings out now for the rest of the day so the salve has time to work into your skin, it takes longer to be absorbed in Dracken form, so it'll be a while."

Harry nodded and after the salve was rubbed in scooted off the table and into Nasta's lap. Harry kissed him happily and gave him a hug.

"Thank you for taking care of me." Harry said sincerely. After the baby was born he'd tell them everything, the whole truth about him stealing their stuff, but for now it was too dangerous, he couldn't risk them finding his nest. His nest was not to ever be compromised!

* * *

The first thing Max did when he got home was rush to Harry and sniff at the bruise salve on his wing.

"What happened?" He asked seriously.

"How the hell did you smell the bruise from over there?" Harry replied.

"I didn't. I smelt the bruise salve, I brew this potion twice a week, I can recognise the scent of it unconsciously. What happened?"

"I'm not sure. It only started hurting when I knocked it and Draco and Blaise found the scent of the bruise and Nasta found the actual bruise and treated it. I don't know how I got it."

"You must have been in Dracken form whilst you done it, it's on your wing."

"I've been walking around in Dracken form. I love the freedom of it and I can feel the baby more. It makes me feel closer to him."

Max smiled indulgently and laid his hands on the baby bump, laying the side of his face on the bump. He twisted his head and kissed it, just below Harry's belly button.

"You are alright though?"

"I'm fine, the salve has numbed the dull ache that came from knocking it against Blaise and I can now no longer feel it."

Max nodded and carried him from his curled up position on the settee and carried him into the kitchen where he could hear another argument between Draco and Blaise.

"Alright alright, what's going on? Who killed whose Mother?"

"They were happily debating who the best author of the wizarding world is, Marco Jiliander or Penelope Vance." Nasta said grumpily as he tried to block out the two teens shouting in his ear as he finished his paperwork.

"It's obviously Penelope Vance." Draco huffed.

"Take it out of my kitchen lads. I'm going to start dinner now and poor Nasta needs a break. I have both Vance's and Jiliander's books upstairs, they're on the bookshelf in the bedroom, go and debate whose better upstairs."

"Neither of them are better." Harry joined in. "Everyone knows that Peirce Braunton is the best author of the wizarding world."

"Pierce Braunton? How can you _read_ that drivel?" Draco demanded.

"Take it upstairs!" Max demanded, shooing the two younger dominants out of the kitchen and shutting the door that led to the hallway. He kept Harry safely in his arms. "You shouldn't make things worse!" He said, poking Harry's nose.

Harry chuckled and happily let himself be set down in the chair opposite Nasta, as close as he could actually get and still have table space. Nasta's paperwork stretched the entire side of the large, eight seater table.

Max placed a small glass vial down in front of Nasta and nudged him lightly.

"Take that, your headache will be gone in three minutes tops."

Nasta smiled at him gratefully and downed the vial in one go. Harry grimaced along with his mate.

"How can you swallow all of that in one go?" He asked with his nose scrunched up.

"It's better than sipping on it and suffering with the abysmal taste of the potion. I'd rather knock it down and be over and done with it."

Harry chuckled and happily watched as Nasta finished his paperwork and Max began preparing his work space for cooking. His biggest mate was sterilising all the work surfaces as if any germs would have gotten on it since he had last cleaned it after breakfast.

Max then prepared all of the ingredients for his planned meal and began cooking with a practised ease and a relaxed posture that spoke volumes of how much he actually enjoyed cooking. At the Dursleys he had liked cooking, it used to make him feel better to know that he could poison them so easily, or at the very least make them very sick, even though he had never actually done so. But Max, Max took cooking enjoyment to a new level; Harry had never enjoyed cooking as much as Max did.

"Are you excited for your birthday next week?" Nasta asked him as he finished his work with a stretched, finally putting his quill down and stoppering his ink bottle.

Harry made a face. "Not really. My birthday was never anything special and I've come to not expect much. I don't really care; it's just another day of the week for me. I'm only really excited because it'll be my one year anniversary since I became a Dracken, if I had never become a Dracken, then I'd have nothing. No mates, no family and no baby. I'm not sure if I'd even have friends."

Harry cupped the bump and looked down at that mention of not having his baby. He tried to imagine being without his mates, without his baby son. The thought seared through him like acid. It hurt terribly.

Nasta took his hands from across the table and tugged on them lightly until Harry looked at him.

"We love you Harry. We love you and the baby. You were born a Dracken and no one can take that away from you. You have your family, you have us and we all have the baby. Nothing will ever change that."

Harry smiled and lent forward to kiss Nasta's mouth, he didn't even care that the table top dug into his belly.

"Of course we love you." Max said from the counter. "I think it's safe to say that we all love one another very much by now. Even Draco has become more relaxed around us. I mean, he actually allowed himself to be taken by both Nasta and myself, that showed a great deal of trust and love, even if he didn't realise it at the time. Lust alone wouldn't have conquered his fear of having his virginity taken."

Harry smiled and nodded. He was so happy himself that nothing could break his happy bubble. Not even the thought of the owls on their way to all students with their exam results.

* * *

Harry's prediction came true. The next morning at breakfast three owls swooped into the kitchen through the open back door. It was an absolutely boiling day and the heat had already forced the five of them to wear shorts or loose trousers and vests. Harry was wearing a pair of small shorts and no shirt, his baby exposed and bare to his mates view. He was hitting his mates' hands away from his body every now and then as they tried to get a cheeky squeeze.

Draco almost choked on his bite of toast and Blaise sat perfected still. Harry was the first to move as he removed the ties around all three owls' legs, took the envelopes and watched the owls soar away. He found the envelope with his name on the front and snapped the wax seal on the back and took out the sheaves of parchment inside.

Along with his book list and required items for his last school year, there was also a note from Professor McGonagall welcoming him back to Hogwarts because he had gotten the minimum requirement to enter his seventh and final year.

Harry grinned as he looked at his marks. They weren't spectacular, but he had passed the majority of his classes!

"I take it from your face that you did well Harry?" Nasta asked.

Harry handed his letter to Nasta, who looked at them with Max hanging over his shoulder, a backup pair of oven gloves slung over his far shoulder, he hadn't missed his previous ones, he believed that he had put them in the wash and hadn't gone looking for them yet, Harry was grateful.

"Well done Harry." Nasta praised him and Harry swelled under the positive encouragement. "No real failures, except History of Magic."

"That was the exam that Professor Snape had to escort me out of before my bladder burst in the Great Hall, the one when Max had a chest infection."

"So a failure due to extenuating circumstances. Well done Harry, one T, one P, three A's, three EE's and two O's is brilliant."

"What did you get a T in?" Draco asked in horror.

"Divination because I dropped out last year. It's an automatic T because I never took any exams." Harry replied unconcerned. He was glad he had dropped Divination; it meant he wasn't in a lesson on his own with Ron.

"Are you two going to stare at those letters like they're Howlers or are you going to open them?" Max asked.

Blaise reached forward and plucked his letter from the table top; he snapped the wax and peeled open the envelope. He pulled out the sheaves of parchment and rifled through them until he came to the results. He read it through quickly, his eyes darting over the surface of the parchment, he read it through again only slower before his face split into a grin and he handed the parchment to Nasta.

"All Outstandings. Well done Blaise. I told you that you wouldn't get anything else."

Draco was nearly colourless in his dread at finding out his marks, he slowly snapped the wax and shakily opened the letter, he read it through with baited breath and when he reached the end he let out a sigh of relief. He handed the letter to Nasta proudly.

"Again all Outstandings, as if there was any doubt you'd get anything else."

"I have to go and show my parents." Draco said as he scooped up all pieces of parchment and the envelope and walked briskly out of the room.

He jogged back in and gave Harry a kiss to the cheek before leaving again. Harry chuckled and took another helping of sliced oranges.

"My Mother would want to know as well. I'll come back later." Blaise said as he kissed Harry softly on the mouth, which was full of orange segments, hugged both Max and Nasta before following Draco to the fireplace in the living room.

"Crazy the both of them." Max said as he shook his head.

"They're just excited to know that they have passed their exams and want to let their families know." Nasta said with a loving smile.

"Like Max said. Both crazy." Harry put in before swiping a handful of purple grapes.

Max laughed and clapped him on the back; Harry gave him a light glare as his handful of grapes went rolling around the floor.

"You'll soon join our way of thinking when they both come back and start arguing over who has the best marks, who got the exact top of what subject and who answered the most questions to what degree." Max reminded.

Nasta groaned and thunked his head on the table. Harry chuckled and patted Nasta's head.

"It's alright. I won't be joining them and it'll only last for a week or two."

Nasta pretended to sob into his arms and Harry laughed. He ducked under the table; duck walked the small space between him and Nasta and climbed onto his lap.

Nasta held him tightly and laid his lips against his neck and kept them there as Max walked around them clearing off the table, leaving the fruit bowls for Harry to nibble on. The large man sat next to Nasta, behind Harry, and began trailing his fingers over his back making him shiver and squirm. He let out a giggle as Max's fingers came too close to his side. Then Harry yawned and it was all over.

"Let's get you to bed love."

"It's breakfast time!" Harry complained. "I've only just gotten up! I don't want to go back to bed!"

"You're tired." Max told him. "The baby will be taking a hell of a lot of energy from you at this stage. You're five months pregnant."

"Yeah thanks, I never would have realised that." Harry snapped sarcastically, indicating his swollen stomach.

Nasta sighed and stood up and Harry wiggled to be put down.

"Stay still Harry. It'll just be a short nap for you to recover your lost energy."

"I'm not tired! I was just yawning!"

Nasta laid his mouth against his neck again, only this time Harry felt the graze of teeth. He stilled immediately.

"Why the hell am I being punished for not wanting to go to bed? How is that a fair punishment?" He demanded.

"Because we know you need the sleep." Max answered as Nasta bit down a bit harder.

They had reached the bedroom and Harry was deposited on the bed and held down as he moved to get right back off of it. Nasta laid his teeth against his wrist this time and bit down sharply.

Harry's Dracken came to the forefront of his mind and he huddled down in his skin, keening apologetically to his mate. Nasta took his mouth from his arm and tucked him in bed, kissing him gently.

"It seems unfair Harry, but you do need the rest. I want you happy, of course I do, but I want you collapsing even less than I want your happiness."

"I'm not going to collapse."

"You might." Max answered. "Many pregnant submissives seem fine one minute and the next they're on the ground with no idea what has happened to them, their unborn children injured. It happens nearly every year at the Dracken meetings, one submissive is too stubborn, too demanding, their dominant is weak to their mates wishes and whims and the next thing they are facing a miscarriage through their foolishness."

"The weakness and dizziness can come on at any moment Harry, you won't even have a second's notice to prepare for it, you'll just black out when your energy drops to nothing."

"Won't I feel my energy dropping though?" Harry questioned, a little less angry than before.

"No. The baby will sometimes take large chunks at any moment, if you don't have a large chunk left, you'll pass out."

Harry sighed and snuggled into the sheets. He wasn't tired, but perhaps if he just laid here quietly for an hour they'd let him get back up.

He got a kiss to the cheek from them and they left him alone to sleep. He hadn't meant to, but Harry found himself actually falling asleep in the peaceful, quiet warmth of the cocoon he had made for himself.

* * *

Harry was woken up on the thirty-first of July to a kiss on every part of his face and a laden down tray being placed over his knees.

He stretched and yawned as he looked at them all happily. He was a man now. He was seventeen years old and the restrictions for underage magic no longer applied to him. He snatched his wand from the bedside cabinet from in between what looked like Max and Draco's wands.

His first piece of manhood magic was summoning Blaise into a heavy, sloppy kiss. His first ever mate and lover was at the end of the bed and hadn't been able to get close enough to kiss him without knocking the breakfast tray flying.

"I take it you like being seventeen?" Max asked with a grin.

"Only because I can use magic now." Harry replied happily.

He spied the newspaper and just looked at it; he didn't really read the paper any more, not since his fifth year when the Ministry had been writing all that shit about him.

"You're going to hate it." Blaise said with a grin as he unfolded the paper and showed Harry the front page.

It was an entire front page picture of himself looking all girly and shy with nearly shoulder length hair from when he was about fourteen. Then it must have been from when he _was_ fourteen because these were most definitely his tri-wizard tournament photos taken in that stupid photo shoot, he didn't think the media had any other pictures of him. The headline banner was 'HAPPY SEVENTEENTH BIRTHDAY HARRY POTTER, OUR SAVIOUR.'

"Oh dear god." He said horrified.

"There's more." Blaise said as he opened the paper to the next page where a collection of collage pictures were scattered, including baby photos of himself with his parents, personal photos of him with his friends, the tri-wizard photo was there again, there was a picture of him pregnant, several photos that looked to have been taken under a table or around a corner as he wasn't even looking at the camera and in a box at the bottom was another headline 'Potter's Current Lovers' and underneath were snapshot photos of his mates, he was in some of them, holding hands, sharing a kiss or a laugh. He saw red.

"What the fuck is wrong with these people?" He shouted. "This…this is a blatant disregard for my privacy! How dare they!"

"My Dad is already on to the paper about it, he stopped around this morning to give us your presents from my family." Max said. "He's livid, especially as they included pictures of me, his one and only son, without my permission. He'll bring them down single handedly."

"Don't let it ruin your birthday love." Nasta told him. "Eat your breakfast; open your gifts and we will spoil you today."

"You spoil me every day." Harry said with a grin as he wolfed down his food and started opening his small pile of gifts, making sure to read the tags so he knew who to thank.

His small pile was soon demolished, only for Harry to realise that the small pile on the bed had only been from his mates, he had even more gifts from Max's family, from Blaise's Mother and from Nasta's Dad and brother. He was surprised to see a small gift from Narcissa Malfoy, not so surprised that he didn't receive anything from Lucius.

The Weasleys had gone overboard for his seventeenth and Hermione had really spoilt him rotten with her gifts. When he opened a strangely wrapped box that was from Luna Lovegood and Ginny he slammed the lid back on it with a face burning like fire. He opened a corner and peeked inside just to be sure of what he had seen before closing the box again and refusing to let his mates see the box full of sex toys.

"What is it Harry?" Draco asked curiously.

"Is it something naughty?" Max asked with a grin that split his face. "Can I see?"

Harry hugged the box close to his chest, not letting go as Max played tug of war with him and the box.

"No!"

"Please Harry."

Harry huffed and decided to get it all over and done with quickly as he shoved the box at Max.

"Here, just keep it away from me!"

"But you have to use them Harry. It's impolite to reject gifts." Max said lecherously as he went digging through the box, laughing and winking naughtily as he sifted through the toys and straps and even pulled out a bright red, little pleated skirt that would show more than it covered.

"Oh you have to wear this Harry." Max said with a giggle that did not suit him at all.

"How about you wear it!" Harry pouted.

"But it's just your size love."

Harry blushed so brightly he was afraid he'd pass out from lack of oxygen. Nasta shoved everything back into the magically expanded box and shoved it under their bed.

"Enough of that, we can't use them until after the baby is born anyway, there is no point in teasing him when he can't even receive sex." Nasta said as he fluffed up Harry's pillow and directed him to lie against it and reminded him to breathe normally.

Harry got up and happily showered with Draco, who washed every inch of his body with a soft cloth. He was dressed and exploring his gifts more closely, leaving the box under the bed where it was going to stay now forever.

The house was a myriad of activity as people came over and said happy birthday. Professor Dumbledore stopped over and gave him the biggest bar of fudge chocolate Harry had ever seen. It was almost as tall as he was, almost as wide and was an inch and a half thick. It came with a small hammer to break chunks off. Harry thanked his Headmaster profusely as he used his new hammer to crack a corner of the chocolate off and happily floated into heaven.

"You had better not be eating that chocolate!" Max shouted from the kitchen. "I'm almost done with lunch!"

"I didn't have much." Harry shouted back as he stuffed another large chunk into his mouth. Blaise smothered a chuckle with his hand as Harry pushed more and more chocolate into his mouth before Draco took it off him warning him that he'd be sick if he carried on.

After lunch Harry was very unhappily put down for a nap like a sleepy toddler and he protested vehemently until Max threated to give him a sleeping potion. Again Harry actually fell asleep for an hour or so and when he woke up he felt better, if a bit groggy.

He slipped down the stairs on his bum, clenching the banister bars as he slowly went down the stairs. The house was quiet. It unnerved him.

He peeked into the living room and no one was there. His mates wouldn't have left him alone; they wouldn't have, not with him being pregnant. It was quiet so perhaps only Nasta was home.

He went into the kitchen and it took him several seconds for his brain to register the sudden noise and colour. He was wrapped up in someone's arms and hugged and kissed and he started laughing as he realised they had thrown him a surprise party.

Everyone was crammed into Max's big kitchen, but still it looked too small, like there wasn't enough space for everyone. He got a double hug from the Weasley twins, a handshake from Mr Weasley and a crushing hug from Mrs Weasley.

Ginny grinned at him from over the table and Harry blushed deeply. Charlie was there as well and he clapped Harry on the back. Harry laughed and hugged everyone he came into contact with. He was so happy.

"You're finally seventeen Harry, do you feel any different?" Myron asked him wrapping him up in a strong, safe hug.

"No. I feel the same only I'm so happy! I can't believe you did this!"

"Of course we did." Richard said scratchily giving him another hug and kissing his forehead. "We love you Harry."

"I love you too." Harry answered back thickly. It was the first time he had told his mates family that he loved them and they held him tightly, Ashleigh hugging him from behind, giving him a three way hug that almost squashed him.

Max dug him out with a laugh. "We want the birthday boy still alive for his cake! We're not allowed to touch it until the birthday boy has blown out the candles!"

"Of course you'd only want to save me so you can eat cake." Harry teased. "Though if you had used Muggle candles you could have still eaten it because Muggle candles don't put a protective barrier over the cake until the birthday boy blows them out."

"That would ruin the magic." Max said. "Besides it gives us reason to save you, can't have you crushed by hugs can we?"

Harry laughed as he was placed in front of a cake that Max must have started making as soon as he went to bed, because it was not store bought. Harry could tell that just by looking at it.

He made his 'birthday wish' and then blew out the candles laughing happily as Max handed him a knife and let him cut the first slice out.

Harry was then given a second cake, this one pale, pastel blue with a baby on it that was wrapped up in a blue blanket so only the top of a pink, peachy forehead could be seen. It had no candles but he was urged to cut it anyway.

"The baby isn't due yet, why does the baby get a birthday cake?"

"It isn't a birthday cake." Max replied affronted. "It's a baby shower cake. The one birthday cake won't be enough to feed us all, so instead of giving you two, you have a birthday cake and a baby shower cake."

"A baby shower? Seriously?"

Mrs Weasley hefted a huge box wrapped in blue onto the table and Harry opened it to see so many little bodysuits, sleepsuits and onesies. The majority in baby blue, some in darker blue, there was a splash of green, some whites and yellows, a couple of bright reds and even a pair of knitted socks in a light purple.

Harry felt himself tearing up and he didn't want to. He tried to swallow past the lump in his throat as he hugged Mrs Weasley tightly. When Ashleigh gave him another box filled with baby things, only the clothes were store bought and not hand knitted, the tears came as he pulled out little dungarees, corduroy trousers and soft cotton shirts. Mrs Weasley's clothes were for newborn up to six months, but Ashleigh's clothes were from six months to one year. They had spoken about it before hand and decided who was going to get what. Between the two of them and the size of the two boxes he wouldn't have to buy any of his baby's clothes until he was past a year old.

"Thank you so much. This is the best present I've had."

"Because they aren't for you." Hermione said sadly. "You're too selfless sometimes Harry."

"What about my present?" Ginny demanded. "I thought mine would be the most appreciated."

Harry went pink and tried to control himself as he thanked Ginny politely; he threatened her silently with his eyes with a long, painful death if she mentioned the present again.

Harry got Max to take both boxes upstairs and put them with the rest and Nasta carried him upstairs as he claimed to need the bathroom. Harry went into the bathroom and listened as Max and Nasta laughed in the bedroom before going back down stairs. Harry then stole into the bedroom and started packing up his school book bag with some sleepsuits, bodysuits and one of the thick, knitted blankets. He added several plastic, already sterilised, baby bottles with their tops and teats, the pot of powdered baby milk formula and the two litre bottle of water that he would send a heating charm at and boil to make up the milk for his baby.

He put in the umbilical cord clamps that Max had gotten from one of the small chemists that his potions stocked, iodine solution that Max had also gotten to sterilise his stomach area before he cut into it and added the plastic, air tight, box that he had to place the placenta in to be weighed after he had pulled it from his body.

All he needed now was his mates' blood and his mates had promised to start making up a large bottle for him soon, he would have to steal it away and then he'd be ready for his baby to come. He would be prepared and ready, his nest just needed a little touch up and then he'd be ready to remain inside it and welcome his baby to the world. Just a few more things and everything would be perfect.

Harry stole out of the window with the book bag and flew to the roof. He dropped it into the nest and moved the scarf, that he had actually taken from Max's sister Alayla because it was so soft and fluffy he just had to have it, into position, also moving the third duvet he had stolen to make the padding on the floor more comfy and his nest was completed. He put the book bag down and happily basked in the feeling of pride and completion he felt at finally having his birthing place ready. He inhaled and nothing was amiss, the only scent around his nest was his own and the soft, lingering scents of his mates on the cloths and fabrics he had used to build his nest.

A strange feeling overtook him and he knew that he had to remain in his nest now that it was done, he wanted to start preening himself in preparation for birth in his nest and he flew down to the ground and walked through the back door. Everyone stopped and looked at him.

"Harry honey, how did you get outside?" Molly asked him and Harry cocked his head.

"I need your blood please." Harry asked of Nasta, whose eyes widened.

"Harry are you saying…"

"I need your blood please." Harry repeated.

"Harry, why do you need his blood?" Hermione asked.

Max pulled out one of the largest thermos flasks that Harry had ever seen, it was clear. Nasta split his own wrist and bled into the flask until it was a quarter of the way full before using his wand to seal the cut. Max cut his own wrist and bled into the flask until it was half full before handing it to Blaise and healing his own arm. Blaise bled into the flask before handing it to Draco, who filled the flask completely. Max took it back and put the clear thermos into a metal shell and twisted the top onto it to stop the blood from coming out and handed it to Harry.

"Thank you."

"What is going on here?" Molly asked as she watched with wide eyes.

Harry didn't even acknowledge her as he walked back outside, everyone following him. He took his wings out and before anyone could stop him he took off to the roof and landed in his nest, settling down and making himself comfortable.

His mates landed around the nest, not even trying to go inside it and watched as he wiggled around in the soft bowl shaped nest.

"You built your nest on the roof? Seriously?" Draco asked incredulously.

"Are those my best oven gloves?" Max asked as he spied the gloves making up the wall of the nest. "My rug, seriously Harry, my rug?"

Harry hissed at him and covered the rug with his body.

"I'm not going to take it from you, but really? Did you have to cut out a section of my favourite carpet?"

"You can have it back." Harry replied, his voice going deeper, rougher, different.

"As long as you don't get birth juice on it."

Nasta smacked Max's head. "Birth juice? What the hell is birth juice?" He asked the biggest man.

"You know, birth fluids and blood and stuff."

Nasta shook his head. "I take it that you aren't going to be coming out?"

Harry shook his head vehemently as he pulled off his clothes and tossed them out of his nest before he lay naked in the nest, rolling around in it to affirm himself of where everything was.

"That's just teasing Harry." Draco told him. "You know we can't step foot in your nest and you're sunbathing naked on the roof."

Harry hissed at him and his claws and fangs slowly and painlessly came through his fingers and gums.

"He's turning feral; it would be best if we didn't speak to him or get too close." Nasta said as he backed away. "He doesn't need anything now, he would have picked up enough food to last him a week or two and then we will have to start feeding him, but again we can't get near the nest and the longer he's in it the further away he will want us."

Max nodded and jumped from the roof and landed where his family and Nasta's Dad were telling Hermione and the Weasleys about Harry and them. It seemed to be going well; or rather no one had started screaming yet. Hermione was actually questioning them about their way of life and asking if she could get a notebook.

It seemed that Harry would have the baby before they went back to school after all. He couldn't wait until they had their baby boy. It had seemed like forever since Harry had first informed them that he was pregnant, but he was only five months, he had at least two weeks in the nest before he gave birth. It was going to be boiling hot as it would be August, Harry would be cranky, feral and aggressive. It was going to be one hell of a month, but it would all be worth it as soon as their baby boy was born.

* * *

**Mystery**: Harry won't have twins this time around. I've already explained that all Drackens have just the one baby on their first clutch; the only exception to this would be identical twins because they are created from just the one egg. I did this because I've already done a set of triplets in another story; I wanted to give him a nice, normal, one baby the first time around. But he's going to have a lot of babies over the years.

Voldemort is not alive, Harry defeated him in his fifth year, in the Ministry of Magic, it was explained in Chapter Eighteen – Survival. This story is going to be one hundred percent completed, I would never dare leave it on a cliffhanger like some others on this site.

**Dolphindreamer **and X**xMoonflower369xX**: Oh. I never knew any of that. I've never had a physical at all let alone once a year. If something's wrong I just walk to the doctor's and he finds out what's wrong and gives me medicine/tablets. I've had a blood test once to count my white blood cells but that was only because I had swollen lymph nodes and he was checking for cancer, I've had all of my vaccinations, the doctor just sends me an appointment card for when it is and that's it. I've never had anything of what you described and neither have my siblings, my friends, or my work colleagues when I asked them. I'm not sure if this full physical thing is an American medical thing or what, or if it's just Wales that doesn't do it, but I have no clue about it.

**VampireFan900**: Max is my favourite just because he is. Nasta was never meant to be a mate that idea took even me by surprise, but once I got it into my head I couldn't let go of it. I had an image of all five of them together and it was just perfect to me. I gave Max my all-time favourite colour for his wings. My favourite colour is blue and I gave Max blue wings _and_ blue scales because I never meant to include Nasta.

Snape will eventually find out what happened to Regulus, and no that part follows canon. Regulus was killed in the cave whilst switching the Horcrux with the fake locket in the hopes to destroy Voldemort once and for all.

**Millie**: The story starts splitting right after Sirius died. Harry killed Voldemort in the Atrium of the Ministry when Voldemort possessed him.

**PandaGaara**: Harry will automatically know from the scent of the baby at birth who the Father will be and whether or not his baby is a Dracken or human. No need for paternity tests.

**ArtemisEarth**: It hasn't rained so his feet weren't covered in wet mud that could be tracked through the house but more like his feet had a dry covering of mud dust on them that stayed on his feet. It was more like a paranoia that his mates would smell the dirt on him and realise he had been outside than leaving physical evidence on his body.

**sharii**: The Scaled Bits is not the sequel to Rise of the Drackens; it's a series of one-shots that are extra scenes that don't fit into the main story.

I'm doing an informal poll again by the request of **gobert**, who wants to know who other readers think the Father of the baby is going to be. This poll has no effect on the outcome of the Father as I have already decided; it's more for fun to see who will get it right and to see what you readers think, like I did back with the mate choosing.

It's out of Blaise, Draco or Max, so place your vote and see if you get it right, though it is a complete guess for you all.

StarLight Massacre. X


	39. Aggression

Dedicated to **cyne**! Who made me laugh and inspired the next chapters lemon scenes and made me curious as to how many guys are reading this story and have the guts to admit it. You're obviously one in a million cyne, just give me the names of the men you want to see together, a surface you want them on and I'll give it to you.

_Last Time_

_It seemed that Harry would have the baby before they went back to school after all. He couldn't wait until they had their baby boy. It had seemed like forever since Harry had first informed them that he was pregnant, but he was only five months, he had at least two weeks in the nest before he gave birth. It was going to be boiling hot as it would be August, Harry would be cranky, feral and aggressive. It was going to be one hell of a month, but it would all be worth it as soon as their baby boy was born._

Chapter Thirty-Nine – Aggression

Harry lay on the comfy patch of his nest that he had built up stroking his baby through the layer of his skin. He sniffed the air deeply again, checking it for danger, for any form of threat. There were Drackens nearby and he snarled, like he had done several times since he had reached his birthing place. He didn't like that they were so close to him, but as long as they didn't come any closer he wouldn't have to defend his nest, though when he went into labour, that was a different matter entirely.

There were humans around as well, he could smell them as well, magic using humans, they could be a potential threat to him and his baby. He'd keep an eye out for them. He'd kill them easily if they came near him, the other Drackens were not so easy to kill, but he'd manage, for his baby he'd do anything.

He stroked the bump over and over as he rolled in the nest, getting his scent over everything, he could feel the baby moving inside of him like a trapped butterfly, it wouldn't be long before he freed his baby from inside of him, soon, but not yet.

* * *

Blaise was anxious and worried as he paced around Max's kitchen, even knowing that Harry was only two floors above him, sitting on the roof, didn't ease the worry he felt. Harry would stay outside now for two to three weeks and in that time he would be very vicious and violent towards them.

It was hard to carry on as normal when Harry was sitting on the damn roof waiting for his body to prepare itself for the birth of his baby. He already felt an overwhelming urge to remain as close to Harry was possible. He couldn't go home; every time he tried he felt a tension run through his entire body, keeping him held here, near Harry, so he could protect his little lover when the need arose.

It was unlike anything he had ever felt before and he kept himself close to the older dominants, he didn't want to be seen as the weak dominant of the group, so he refrained from voicing his unease aloud, but he couldn't stop himself from huddling close to Max and Nasta, even Draco on odd occasions for support, without seeming like he needed it, it was a fine line he crossed, on one side was nonchalance, on the other was weakness. He missed Harry, he could cuddle Harry all day and not be seen as weak, but Harry was on the roof and cut up anyone who got too close. He couldn't wait for all this to be over, preferably before the stress of the situation killed him.

* * *

Hermione prided herself on being a very smart individual. She had refused to leave Harry's boyfriend's house, partially through worry of her best friend, but more out of curiosity. She had never heard of Drackens before and to find out that not only was her best friend one, but two other class mates were Drackens as well it puzzled her.

If Drackens were a common humanoid species that witches and wizards could come into on their sixteenth birthday then why weren't they told about them at Hogwarts? Was it supposed to be covered in Care of Magical Creatures? Or perhaps History of Magic. She couldn't recall a single time that she had read the word Dracken in any book from the library and she had been reading those books since she had first stepped foot into Hogwarts. Before she had befriended Harry and Ron she had spent every moment of spare time in the library reading any book that came to hand to cover the loneliness she felt and the acute isolation from her peers who ran around and played about like little children.

How many more Hogwarts students were actually Drackens? Were Drackens even a common inheritance to receive? Three students out of just under three hundred was a huge number in comparison to other magical creatures. There were no Veela at Hogwarts, except for the glancing visit from Fleur and her sister in fourth year, but Gabrielle had been underage and therefore hadn't come into her Veela inheritance at the time of her visit. There were no fairies or fey at Hogwarts though she knew there was at least one in Durmstrang and there were no 'diseased' creatures at Hogwarts like werewolves or vampires.

Were Drackens native to Britain? Was that why three Drackens had turned up at Hogwarts? Hermione knew that the Veela were protected in France and by French law, was that why all the witches and wizards with a Veela inheritance had been schooled in Beauxbatons? Was that similarly why all of the fey were schooled in Durmstrang? Were the witches and wizards bound to get a Dracken inheritance living in Britain and schooled at Hogwarts because they were protected by British law? She needed more information but baring the explanation she and the Weasleys had been given on Harry's birthday, after swearing an incredibly powerful and dangerous oath not to out any of them, like she would have, she hadn't had any further information. The house was milling with Drackens and people who were related to Drackens, had grown up with them, yet they all seemed to be so busy.

She had managed to decipher that Harry was nearing labour, how they knew this she didn't know, why they hadn't called a Healer she didn't know, all she knew was her best friend was sitting on the roof of one of his boyfriends' house and wasn't going to come back down. Said boyfriends were preventing anyone from even going into the front or back gardens as they snapped and growled at everyone around them, even each other!

She had watched in horror and part fascination as Malfoy took on the biggest of Harry's boyfriends, Max, and they began beating the living daylights out of each other! It was terrifying to watch and it only stopped when Harry's oldest boyfriend, Nasta, ripped them apart from each other and threw them at opposite walls.

Hermione had tried to talk to the three older girls that were at the house, they were Max's sisters and none of them were Drackens. In fact if Max's Mother, Ashleigh, hadn't have been a Dracken she would have wondered if Drackens were an all-male species of magical creature. The girls had answered a few questions as they painted the wall of a spare room baby blue in preparation for their Nephew and soon became too harried and busy to pay attention to her.

The one man, Max's second Dad, Richard, had all the patience in the world and seemed to be making the preparations worse, she had watched as Max's biological Dad, Myron, had picked the smaller man up and dumped him in a different room, twisting the other man's ear and making Richard let out a strange keening sound.

Richard had sat on the chair that he had been dumped on dejectedly for three hours before Myron had come back and took him off the chair, kissing and holding him. It was so strange! But it was also fascinating to see into the cultures of another species, how they reacted and interacted with one another.

Hermione was also very curious about the livid scar that bisected Richard's neck. How could anyone survive such damage to such a vital part of their body? Were Drackens incredibly strong skinned? Or could they heal massive damage like a blow to the neck before it had time to actually kill them? If the latter was true then they had to be super healers! Richard must have healed that neck wound within a few seconds or he would have died, the more she looked the more she noticed that it had been a perfect, deep, slit down the front of his windpipe; it should have killed him in seconds but he seemed no worse for wear, only that scar and a damaged larynx. Whatever had caused that scar had to have gone incredibly deep into the neck to have damaged the larynx and it made her all the more curious to know how Richard had survived, yet she had more tact than to just outright ask him, perhaps she should ask Max when he was a bit more level headed, or maybe one of the girls.

* * *

Remus Lupin sighed wearily as he finally stepped foot back onto British soil. He had spent some time travelling after finding a 'mysterious donation' in his practically empty bank vault. He had a feeling that Harry had been conspiring with Sirius.

He had first gone to France seeking information on lycanthropy. From there he had gone further afield to parts of Egypt and Pakistan; from there he had gone further into Asia and to parts of Transylvania. He had been gone for a little under a year and he was glad to be back. He had missed Harry.

He smiled as he remembered the boy he had taken to Kings Cross Station last September. He had seemed like there was a lot on his mind, but Sirius had only just died that June so maybe he was just grieving, either way he hadn't had an owl from Harry so hopefully he had worked out what was bothering him at the time himself or had asked someone else to help him.

Remus was on his way to Dumbledore's private house, not many people knew where it was located, but he knew. He, a werewolf, a dark creature, was considered trustworthy enough to know where Albus Dumbledore lived when the summer holidays were in place.

He had Apparated to the little town and knocked on the front door, like any normal person would, he waved to the elderly couple crossing the street and they smiled back, not knowing how close they were to a feared creature.

The door was opened and Remus was greeted happily by the elderly man and given consent to enter the house.

"Remus my boy. How did your travels go?" Dumbledore asked.

"Well, though I overshot it a bit, I was hoping to be back when Hogwarts let out so that I could perhaps take Harry for a part of the summer. It isn't right for a teenaged boy to be cooped up for so long in the same house. Plus I missed his birthday when I didn't mean to; he deserves to be taken out."

"I'm afraid that that is quite impossible Remus." Dumbledore told him softly and Remus grew angry.

"Why? He doesn't need the blood wards anymore Albus! Voldemort is gone! Vanquished by the very boy you are imprisoning in that Muggle house! The Death Eaters are few and far between, they wouldn't dare come out of the little holes they are hiding in when every witch and wizard wants their head on a spike!"

"Calm down my dear boy! You have misunderstood."

Remus was confused and he deflated, feeling a tad embarrassed that he had perhaps blown up on his old headmaster for no reason.

"Harry never went to the Dursley residence this year."

"He…he never?"

"No. I believe he stayed at the house of a very handsome, young man this summer."

Just like that Remus was angry again. "You let him stay in a house with an unknown person? How do you know he isn't a danger to Harry?"

"I have seen and spoken to Harry several times this summer Remus, the boy in question is also staying at Hogwarts."

"What's his name?" Remus demanded.

"I believe it is Maximilius."

"There are no Maximilius' at Hogwarts, at least not any older than Harry, I would have remembered such a name, but anyone younger wouldn't have their own house."

"I believe that Max is thirty-one."

"What is Harry doing with a thirty-one year old man?" Remus exploded.

"It is my understanding that they are dating." Albus replied mildly and Remus felt his blood pressure spike.

"Da…dating?" He choked. "There are fourteen years between them!"

"This is a classic example of age doesn't matter, how many years are between you and Nymphadora? Thirteen?"

"I…that's not the issue here!" Remus stated as his cheeks went red. "Harry has only just turned seventeen! He shouldn't be with a thirty year old man!"

"But Harry is seventeen Remus; he is considered a man now and can do as he wishes."

"Where is he? I have to speak with him; I have to see that this Maximilius isn't harming him!"

"I'm afraid that's quite impossible."

"Why?" Remus roared his patience at a dead end.

"Harry is currently pregnant." Remus's jaw dropped and his eyes popped in furious anger as every protective instinct inside of his body screamed for him to get Harry to safety. "I have been told that he is about to go into labour and doesn't wish to be bothered."

"Into…into labour? Just how pregnant is he?" Remus asked when he could breathe unobstructed.

"Six months, he fell pregnant in mid-February."

Remus mouthed wordlessly as he clenched and unclenched his hands so he wouldn't put them around the elderly man's throat and throttle him.

"You couldn't have sent me a letter?" He demanded. "I would have immediately come home! He was underage when he met this man, I would have protected him!"

Albus sighed. "He didn't need, nor want to be protected Remus. Harry is deeply in love and is terribly protective of his son."

"Son?" Remus croaked.

"Yes, he is having a baby boy some when in the coming weeks."

Remus swallowed and collapsed back into a chair, putting his head in his hands and his hands between his knees and just breathed evenly.

"Sirius will have my head when I pass into the afterlife. James will slaughter me and Lily will make sure there is nothing left to find. I've allowed them to become grandparents at thirty-seven."

"I'm sure Harry will disagree."

"I wasn't there for him."

"You have been there for him."

"I thought he'd be safe at Hogwarts."

"He has been safe."

"You call being seduced by a thirty-one year old and getting pregnant by said man safe?"

"It might not be Maximilius' baby." Dumbledore replied as he sipped on a teacup.

Remus felt his heart sputter in his chest. "What do you mean it might not be his baby? Who else's can it be? Oh please say he wasn't…that he wasn't ra…violated."

"Nothing of the sort. But Harry has four current lovers, and there are three potential fathers to the baby he carries."

Remus felt the world sway and grey spots danced in front of his eyes. What had happened to the sweet, innocent little boy he had spent a month with just last year, the baby faced boy he had seen off to Hogwarts last September? What had gone wrong?

"I want to see them."

"Very well. But please control yourself Remus, they are in a very emotional time and are very protective of Harry."

Remus nodded as he made his way to the fire, following Dumbledore. He felt numb and sort of floaty, that couldn't be a good sign.

He was pulled into the fire with Dumbledore and he heard the elderly man whisper something to the green flames before he was whisked away into the floo network.

* * *

Nasta felt his entire body pull into a stiff line as an unknown person came into the house. He snarled and found himself in front of the unknown man in an instant.

He had greying light brown hair, a scared face and neck, blue eyes and a thin moustache. He was also a werewolf and Nasta would die before he let this man anywhere near his submissive, his child, or his subordinate mates.

His wings burst from his back and his claws and fangs followed as the man's blue eyes flashed orangey-yellow before the blue settled back.

"Now now boys, calm yourselves. Nasta this is Remus Lupin, a dear friend and father figure to Harry. I'm sure he will be most distraught if you were to harm him."

Nasta breathed deeply and wanted to vehemently deny that his mate had anything to do with a werewolf, but he couldn't. He knew Harry was a very kind and caring person, he would probably befriend a manticore before killing it. It was something that he loved in Harry, that he was so indiscriminate about everything; if Harry had been at all prejudice about age during his meetings then he wouldn't be mated right about now.

"What are you?" The man, Remus, breathed as he stared at his wings, fangs and claws.

"I'm a Dracken, werewolf."

The man flinched and let Nasta know that he hadn't just touched a nerve but hammered at it.

"That is enough." Dumbledore chided firmly. "How is Harry today?"

"I went to visit him this morning; Blaise is with him at the moment. He is fine and is coping well."

"Any sign of the little bundle of joy?"

"Not yet, but he has a week or two before he gives birth. He's still preening."

Max came barrelling into the room and Nasta caught him around the chest, flinging the bigger man backwards, using his body weight.

"Calm down." Nasta soothed as he stroked Max's head and neck, laying his teeth at the jugular vein to show how serious he was.

Max stopped struggling and panted heavily.

"Werewolf!" He gasped.

"He's a friend of Harry's." Dumbledore assured.

Nasta stood back up and dragged Max up as well.

"You should still be sleeping." Nasta chided the bigger man.

"I felt the disturbance in the wards as an unknown person was dragged in by a known person. I couldn't take the risk of a threat harming Harry."

Nasta kissed Max and led him to a chair to sit him down. The bigger man had spent the night with Draco, protecting Harry from afar. They couldn't so much as come within five feet of Harry's nest before their little submissive started snarling and sizing them up ready for conflict.

He hoped that Harry gave birth sooner rather than later because he did not envy whoever had to feed Harry when he finally ran out of food, but as it looked like Harry had stolen half the contents of Max's cupboards, maybe he wouldn't even run out of food. Though this was an almost impossible wish seeing as Harry was continuously eating in his nest. Then he didn't really have much to do other than roll around, stroke his bump and eat. It must be very boring for him.

Everyone sat around in the kitchen and the man, Remus, looked like his heart was failing as he lay against the table top and practised breathing.

"Are you alright?" Max asked as he placed down four cups of tea, slipping a few drops of calming draught into three of the four cups. The one without the draught went to the Headmaster, who was already very calm and collected.

"I have just found out that the boy I consider a son is about to give birth and is in a relationship with four men, one of whom is a Dracken."

"Actually all of us are Drackens, including Harry."

The man started hyperventilating and clasped his teacup like a lifeline as he gulped it down like Vodka.

"How did Harry meet four Drackens?" He huffed out as Max refilled his teacup. "Where is Harry anyway?"

"Harry's on the roof." Max replied helpfully.

"The roof? Why, in all of Merlin's polka dotted pyjama pants, is Harry on the roof when he's six months pregnant?"

"That's where he built his nest."

"His nest? His _nest_? What nest?"

"Harry's a Dracken as well, when Drackens are ready to go into labour they climb into their prebuilt nests and stay there until the baby is born, no one really knows why, but it has been speculated that it's the dragon instincts in us."

"James and Lily weren't Drackens. How is Harry one?"

"The Dracken genes pick and choose which child they want to appear in. Harry's Great-Grandfather on his Father's side was a Dracken; his Father was a recessive carrier of the gene."

"Which side did the genes come from?" Remus asked. "James' Father or James' Mother?"

"His Mother, I believe the Dracken in question was named Cygnus Black. The Black family is riddled with Dracken blood. Three members of the Black family have been Drackens, two of them this generation; the third was from last generation."

"Who?" Remus asked incredulously.

"Harry obviously. Regulus Black and Draco Malfoy."

Remus felt the room getting far too hot. Sirius couldn't have known his brother was a Dracken or he would have said something. Was that why Regulus always stuck so close to Snape when they were younger, like these men were sticking close to Harry?

"Is Snape a Dracken by any chance?"

"Yes he is." Dumbledore answered. "I see you have made the connection between Regulus and Severus. They were mates as Harry, Max, Nasta, Blaise and Draco are mates."

"Draco? Draco Malfoy?" Remus had heard the blonde's name in the list of Drackens, but he hadn't for one moment thought that Harry would be mated to him. The two men opposite him said 'mate' like others said 'husband' there was an intimate inflection on it, a love that went deep between them, Remus swallowed. These men loved Harry, but he could not fathom that a Malfoy and Harry would willingly get on, he couldn't believe that Lucius Malfoy would allow his only son into a relationship with Harry.

"Yes Draco Malfoy. Such a confused young man." Dumbledore sighed and graciously accepted another cup of tea from Max, who was happy to be hosting again.

"Let me tell you that as top dominant of this family I will not accept anyone bad mouthing my subordinates nor my submissive." Nasta said as politely as he could, he even managed to take the growl from his voice.

"I wasn't bad mouthing anyone." Remus said affronted. "I certainly wouldn't bad mouth a former student of mine, though I find it difficult to accept that Lucius Malfoy is jumping for joy at this development."

Max snorted. "Hardly. He has tried several times to break Harry and Draco up, not that we've told Harry, it upsets him and in his delicate condition could cause more harm to him that acceptable. Draco has snubbed his Father's attempts, though his Mother, Narcissa seems fine with the relationship, though she was a bit startled at the beginning."

Remus couldn't even begin to imagine Lucius Malfoy ever being alright with his son in a relationship with Harry Potter, even if the man had been acquitted of all crimes he had still been a Death Eater.

"So Harry's alright?" He finally asked. "You treat him well."

The two opposite him looked affronted.

"Of course!" The biggest one said his tone full of offence. "We love Harry and he's perfectly fine. I've had my stomach almost torn out thanks to my love for him! Harry likes targeting the fleshy belly."

"What?" Remus asked.

The man lifted his shirt and showed a covered area of flesh with blood spots.

"You're bleeding through again." Nasta pointed out.

"I know. I'll change the covering in a bit."

"What happened?"

"I got too close to Harry and he tore into me. My own fault of course, I should have known better, but I thought he was sleeping."

"Harry wouldn't…"

"Harry is in a very primitive state of mind. He's gone feral, as all submissive Dracken's do when they go into the last stage of pregnancy. He doesn't recognise anyone and attacks everyone who goes near him as he classes them as immediate threats. He does this to protect the baby."

"So he'd attack me if I went to see him?"

"You can see him, but you can't get too close and he won't understand a word you say to him."

Remus sighed and cradled his cup, nursing the tea inside it to settle his nerves. This was too much, way too much and he wasn't sure if his blood pressure could handle the strain of finding out Harry was a magical creature.

"Here take this." One of the men, Nasta, said handing him a book. "It'll give you some more information on Drackens, actual factual information, not the rubbish that is printed in mass produced books."

"Thank you. When do you think Harry will be ready for visitors?"

"A few weeks I'd say. He's only been in his nest for a week, he's already run out of fresh food so we're having to try and get close enough to him to pass him fresh meat, it's how Max got cut up."

"He'll be alright?"

"He's going to be fine, we'd hardly let him starve in there." Max grumbled. "Would make my sacrifice yesterday for nothing."

Remus nodded and finished his tea. He'd read the book, get as much information as he could, let himself absorb the fact that Harry was a Dracken, let his anxieties settle and then he'd come back when Harry was ready to see him, when he had already given birth to a son. He swallowed, James, Sirius and Lily would blow their heads right off of their necks if they knew that he'd allowed their baby to become impregnated at just sixteen years old.

* * *

Harry hissed deeply as one of the Drackens once again tried to come into his nest. The animal he was holding was thrown into his nest and Harry lashed out, sinking his claws into the soft, fleshy belly, dragging his claws through and the Dracken howled in pain.

Harry went to strike the neck only for another Dracken to come and take the injured one away. Harry flumped down as his energy waned. He couldn't keep fighting like this, was that their plan? To wear him down until he fell unconscious due to lack of energy? Well he wouldn't let them! He had ways of getting energy. He was getting energy from the sun, but the blinding rays could only give him so much energy; he was sleeping a lot more than usual as well. He pulled the dead animal that the other Dracken had dropped and tore into it, noticing curiously that it was already skinned. He fed until he couldn't eat anymore and then threw the remains out of his nest because he didn't want it near him anymore.

It wasn't too much longer after he had finished his meal and he was cleaning his hands and neck of blood when a ripping in his abdomen had him doubling over his belly. It was time.

Harry burst into a flurry of activity, preparing himself for birth as he spread his body out over the floor of his nest, and tearing open his backpack to reach the things his baby needed, the things he needed. He would free his trapped baby from inside him by any means necessary. He wouldn't let his baby die inside of him.

* * *

A/N: The next chapter is the long anticipated birth!

I now have a profile on Facebook under the name StarLight Mass as Facebook wouldn't let me use the name Massacre, I wonder why. The link is also in my profile because FF probably won't let me put the actual link in my chapter, add me if you like to keep up to date and what not.

Coincidentally I've given up on HPFandom. I cannot get into my account no matter how hard I try. I've reset my password several times and then copy the password exactly as it appears in my email and it still says that my password doesn't match the one they have on file, so I'm ticked off at it and have refused to go near it as it just makes me feel like throwing my laptop out of the window.

**Psycho Poptart**: Harry will not get sunburn from lying naked under the sun. Harry is now in full Dracken form, which means wings, fangs, claws, scales the whole shebang. I can't believe none of you figured out that Harry's scales will absorb the heat and rays from the sun converting it to energy, I hinted at it with Nasta getting burns from the Dragons at his work place and them healing in days. But because Harry's scales cover nearly the entirety of his body, including his face, he can't get sunburnt.

**thedragonninjamurcury**: Lucius will eventually 'warm up' to Harry, though at first they will just tolerate one another on behalf of Draco.

**equestrianngirl**: The order of dominance has absolutely no effect on who will impregnate Harry. It's purely a lottery of luck. The same as if I went out and slept with four men tomorrow and ended up pregnant then any one of them could end up being the father. The only one who has no chance of being the baby's father is Nasta, because he wasn't a mate at the time of impregnation.

**MeridianofMisery**: Only the mates have a hope in hell of getting near the nest. If a human tried they'd die. As you saw in this chapter Harry gets very violent and lashes out, if a human were to go near the nest he'd likely kill them unless they were very lucky.

Harry's instincts are screwed to hell, he's feral, in a very primitive state of mind where the only thing he recognises are the base urges his body has and the instinctual knowledge of what to do when the time comes. He doesn't recognise anyone that approaches him and he sees everyone who does approach him as a threat on the off chance that they are actually threats there to harm him or his baby. It's a sort of take no chances thing or better safe than sorry.

Ron will not know about Harry and co being Drackens, as you read in Hermione's section she and the Weasleys were sworn to a very strong and dangerous oath not to reveal their creature status.

Harry couldn't go for physicals or check-ups by an actual Healer because s/he would have known he was a Dracken, or at the very least a creature, and Madam Pomfrey is a medi-witch, not a full Healer and isn't qualified in pregnancies, let alone Dracken pregnancies, so Harry's had to make do with advice from Ashleigh and the book Snape gave him. Also Harry was taking blood from his mates throughout his pregnancy, I just didn't write it, or sometimes edited it out if it didn't flow properly.

**Reader**: Teddy isn't born and Remus isn't with Tonks, though she wants him to be. This fic is currently in 1997 and Teddy wasn't even born until a year later in April of 1998.

I am not going to reveal the name of the baby until he's born and I'm still debating on last names, but he will have all of their last names in some sort of order. Harry was named the inheritor of Sirius's estates and vaults, the same as in Half-Blood Prince. I hinted at this when Harry ordered Kreacher around in chapter twenty-six.

**perfectlittlegirl28**: Blaise reverts to Italian in times of stress or emotion because he forced himself to learn it perfectly, fluently so his Father's family would like him. He grew up with French and English and can speak them both fluently as well, but it was Italian that he forced on himself, he would study and practise and learn it until he could read, write and speak it perfectly, so it sticks more in his mind than the other two especially under stress because he was under pressure when he learnt the language.

**Cassie616**: They won't need to make a new flask of blood because there are anti-congealing charms on it and stasis charms to keep it fresh.

The others will not be in the nest before Harry allows them in; Harry will be the only one to scent out his baby. It'll be a few hours before he lets the dominants in as he bonds with his baby. Harry would never treat his child any differently knowing his son was Dracken or human, his Dracken side will be just the same and won't discriminate the child just because he's human or Dracken, his Dracken will see his child as his, like a possession, it'll be his baby, someone to love and protect no matter what.

**DefineNightmare**: I'm sure I've answered this before, in the chapters and in review replies, but just in case, no there cannot be more than one submissive in one mateship, not ever.

I will get to your second question in later chapters, but I can say that yes a dominant can leave their submissive, they are in no way forced to be with one another and some weaker dominants do crack under the pressure of looking after a submissive and maybe subordinate dominates as well, but there are consequences to their weakness. A submissive will not let their dominant be with anyone else and will likely kill the other person, if anything happens to the submissive whilst the dominant is away then the counsel will execute the dominant, if the submissive is pregnant when the dominant leaves then the baby will die, usually taking the submissive with it and so the counsel will again execute the dominant, so they can leave, but it's in their best interests not to.

**Jesseka89**: Yes that young sixteen year old with bright blue scales and nineteen foot wings was a much younger Max trying to mate with the snobby Ravenclaw who overlooked him for the Dracken with the biggest wings, ironically he now holds the record for the longest wingspan, just my little joke at the expense of the Ravenclaw who was supposed to be intelligent but didn't see the potential Max had in him. Oh the irony of it all.

**Mauraileen**: Ah! I apologise for confusing you, when I was talking to **Princess Kay**, I was talking about giving the little model Horntail that Harry kept from the Tri-wizard tournament to Nasta as he would appreciate it more than Harry would.

When writing half six, I mean half past six. If I meant half to six I'd write it as either five thirty or half an hour till six.

When Harry had Draco spank him for the second time he enjoyed it immensely and it led to sex. Harry hasn't yet done anything to warrant another punishment and Draco hasn't spanked him again because of the pregnancy, but it will resume again once the baby is born. You want Nasta to spank Draco? I'm sure that can be arranged for you.

I never once referred to Snape's mate as female, in the beginning I used gender neutral terms that trick the mind into believing what we want to believe.

**Kelsi**: I am going to include the birthing scene, but it will be clearly marked because it will be a tad gruesome and more than a bit bloody.

**meggie3332**: I already know the baby's name and I can't give you any hints without giving away the baby's Father, sorry.

**RaeNSesshy4Life**: Hermione and the Weasleys will eventually come to know about the Dursleys. It'll be a bit hard to miss when the papers get a hold of the story, Harry will want them to know before they are informed of half-truths from the newspaper.

**Ginseng Overdose**: Different people grow to different sizes with different pregnancies, my Mam didn't show until she was six months with my sister, but she was four months pregnant when she started showing with my brother. I've seen a woman pregnant with a single baby and a woman pregnant with twins and I would have thought the woman with the single baby was having twins by the size of her. But no, Harry is just very slim and slender so he looks bigger by comparison.

Harry is by no means immobile; his mates are just so overprotective they won't let him do anything, knowing Harry he would have never stopped moving to give himself a break otherwise.

Dumbledore had the giant chocolate slab specially made for Harry; if I could have a chocolate bar like that it would by plain milk chocolate, filled with hazelnut praline.

**XxMoonFlower369xX: **It is illegal to take photos without someone's consent which is why Myron, Max's Dad, is shouting holy hell at the Newspaper editors and said he was going to sort it out. Hermione is going to help with getting the general public to accept Drackens, it helps that Harry is also a Dracken because he's such a positive figure head.

The counsel leaves it up to the Dracken in question to reveal his or her secret to family and friends, the Dracken can insist on an oath, but the counsel wouldn't push it to be a law, it would be too hard to keep track of for one and it would take away a Drackens freedom of disclosure. They leave it up to the Dracken in question to reveal their secret to whomever they deem trustworthy, it would be like the government trying to stop people from telling family or friends that they're gay or have a terminal illness. It's up to the person in question to decide who they want to tell, so the counsel has no say.

If Ashleigh had gotten an oath from the family friend, who betrayed her, then yes she'd have never been kidnapped, Richard would never have been injured, she'd still have her youngest son and perhaps even more children and it is that thought that tortures her daily, it is that thought that drove her nearly insane with guilt and forced her mates to put her in therapy.

Now for the information poll on who you think the baby Daddy is.

Blaise: 20

Draco: 45

Max: 37

So I think the majority of you want Draco to be the baby's Daddy. Thank you all for your reasons and explanations explaining your choice! It was very informative. Now you get to see if you were right in your guesses with the next chapter!

StarLight Massacre. X


	40. Welcome Baby Boy Oh

WARNING! This chapter contains blood, gore, self-mutilation (non-permanent for medicinal purposes) and overbearingly sugary sweet cuteness later on. Also contains a lemon.

A/N: The birth scene is not actually all that gory, well not as gory as the torture scene in chapter eleven, but it is very bloody. Harry is cutting himself open after all.

Dedicated to **cyne**, whose review helped me write nearly all of this chapter in one day.

_Last Time_

_It wasn't too much longer after he had finished his meal and he was cleaning his hands and neck of blood when a ripping in his abdomen had him doubling over his belly. It was time._

_Harry burst into a flurry of activity, preparing himself for birth as he spread his body out over the floor of his nest, and tearing open his backpack to reach the things his baby needed, the things he needed. He would free his trapped baby from inside him by any means necessary. He wouldn't let his baby die inside of him._

Chapter Forty – Welcome Baby Boy…Oh

Max grimaced as he peeled the covering away from his stomach. Harry had a hell of a reflex on him and he made a mental note to never get on his submissive's bad side.

"How is it?" Draco asked as he sipped regally on a cup of coffee to wake himself up a bit more. He hated having the night shift, but he had lost the fight fair and square.

"Painful, I don't think it went in too deep and luckily he hadn't coated his claws in acid, or I would have been in big trouble, but it still hurts and it's bleeding quite a bit. This is the second covering I've had to change today. Harry must have an anti-coagulant in his claws."

"Do different submissives have different properties to their claws?"

"Oh yeah, some submissives can kill you without ever having to secrete their acid, some submissive's claws are inherently poisonous, some, like Harry, have anti-coagulants and can bleed you to death without having to cut too deep, some have extra sharp claws and some have wicked curved claws that are designed for maximum ripping damage."

"Do any submissives end up killing their dominants?" Draco asked startled.

"Yep. But they're usually on purpose. Harry isn't really trying to kill us, he's just warning us away. Warning us not to come any closer to him, to his nest and his baby."

"Why would a submissive kill their dominant?"

"Any number of reasons, but most are in defence of their children. If a dominant so much as verbally threatens a child, then the submissive will kill them, no second chances, even if it's in jest, a submissive will kill the potential threat so they don't have a chance to actually harm the child. Another reason is if the dominant is abusive, the submissive will just crack and lash out, often very violently and won't stop until there is very little left."

Draco swallowed. "Remind me to never piss Harry off."

Max let out a throaty laugh, one which embarrassingly made Draco's stomach clench and things a bit lower tighten and twitch. He hated that he was becoming sexually aroused by the other dominants, especially as it was only a damned laugh! Damn he had more control than this!

"Don't worry, I don't think Harry will kill any of us just because we piss him off, he'll get stroppy and might shout and lash out with his fists, but he would never seek to kill us just for angering him. Just like none of us would ever kill him for getting stroppy or a tad bitchy now and then."

"Do you need help?" Draco offered; though he wasn't entirely sure why he offered to do such a menial task as change a wound covering, what if he got blood under his nails?

"Can you just get me a new covering please Draco; my hands are a bit too bloody." Max said as he indicated the blood on his fingertips.

"Sure." Draco put his coffee cup down and went digging in the first aid box, pulling out the white covering. He ripped open the packet and pressed the new covering to the cleaned and sterilised claw marks, he held it there with one hand as he pulled out the surgical tape and secured it to Max's skin, he never envied the bigger man when he had to change the covering and pull that sticky tape from the tiny hairs on his stomach.

"Thank you Draco. Where are Nasta and Blaise anyway?"

"They went to feed Harry lunch, little runt is eating more than we are." Draco stated as he packed away the tape and threw the empty packet in the bin. He washed his hands thoroughly.

Max chuckled again and Draco cursed his libido. He was not some hormonal little girl, so he hadn't has sex in a month or so, so he woke up every morning with at least three erections pressed into his body and his own erection throbbing. He was a Malfoy and he would control his own body!

All thoughts of sex flew from his mind when Nasta came in through the back door with a bloodied Blaise in his arms. Blaise had actually gone pale under his tanned skin.

"Oh dear Merlin." He breathed. "Did Harry do that?"

"Draco! Snap out of it and get the potions in the top cupboard. Max, get towels now." Nasta snapped.

He laid Blaise on the kitchen table and Draco didn't even mention that they had to eat off of it later, Blaise was more important; the table could always be washed…or replaced.

He grabbed the case of potions from the top shelf, only the strongest potions were kept up there and he knew it was serious.

Max came back with an armful of clean towels, he passed them to Nasta and opened the potions case, immediately administering the vials, rubbing Blaise's throat strongly to help him to swallow. Blaise moaned in pain and Draco found his childhood friend's hand, holding it and squeezing along with Blaise as pain seared through his body.

Nasta pressed the towels to Blaise's stomach and they soaked through quickly. Harry had done some real damage.

"I thought he wasn't aiming to kill us?" He gasped out as Blaise clenched his hand until the bones of his knuckles grinded together.

"Blaise got too close. I only just managed to get to Blaise before Harry tore out his throat." Nasta explained as he calmly inspected the wound on Blaise's stomach. "We need a Healer."

"Loppy!" Max yelled.

A sharp crack filled the kitchen as a little house elf appeared dressed in a clean, rose pink, pillowcase. Her large brown eyes took in the scene before her with slight shock before she recovered herself and bowed to her Master's grandson.

"Young Master Maxie called for Loppy?"

"Loppy get my Grandfather, get my parents and tell them to call Madam Pomfrey. Tell them it's urgent." Max ordered as he passed a topical paste to Nasta to apply to the wound which would hopefully help with the bleeding.

"Of course young Master Maxie." Loppy bowed and popped away again to do as bid.

"I hope she hurries." Draco said as he watched as Blaise's face went paler.

* * *

Harry was bewildered as he pulled out the little bottle of brownish-yellow fluid. It was important; something in the deep recesses of his human mind told him that it was important. Did he drink it?

A pain in his stomach had him screeching out and several rumbling growls answered. He felt reassured by those grumblings and he didn't know why. The Drackens that had been getting into his space for what seemed like ages were now very far away and Harry felt confident that his baby would be safe if he brought him into the world.

He couldn't remember what to do with the little bottle so he put it back down; he accidentally knocked it over as another ripping pain made his body jump and twitch. The brown stuff went all over his hands and he had no time to do anything about it. He rubbed his belly to sooth his agitated baby, reassuring his baby that he was still there, spreading the brown liquid over the expanse of his belly.

It smelt awful, it made him sneeze twice and it was irritating his nose badly, why was it so important? All it did was make his eyes screw up as he moved his claws to his belly, feeling around it gently, pressing delicately to feel where his baby was laying.

Another wave of pain struck him and he screamed, the high pitched sound startling birds from the trees. Those reassuring growls soothed him as tears cut down his cheeks without him noticing. How could something hurt so much with nothing physical to show for it?

- **Start of self-caesarean section, if you skip you will miss the actual birth** -

Feeling for his baby's head Harry carefully slid two claws into his flesh. It hurt and his body quivered with the need to move with the pain, but he held still, clenching his teeth together, the tips of his fangs biting into his bottom lip. He had to hold still or he could accidentally catch his baby with a deadly claw, a claw which was covered in his acidic poison. He could feel it numbing his skin where it touched, easing the sharp biting pain from where he was cutting.

Dragging in a deep, ragged breath, Harry carefully eased his two claws through the soft, meaty flesh of his belly, going through his body as easily as butter as his other hand continuously mapped out his baby's body. His son had gone still, like he knew that this was a delicate part of the operation that could ruin everything if he so much as twitched in the wrong direction.

Harry clenched his teeth as a fresh spark of pain almost had him jumping out of his skin as he spread his legs more and rebalanced himself on the balls of his feet. He continued cutting, knowing that every second counted as his nest flooded with blood.

He retracted his middle and ring finger claws when he reached the opposite side of his stomach, he inserted his index finger claw and delicately traced the bottom of the sac he could feel inside of him, he could feel his baby's head through the thin membrane, pressing on it, wanting to be freed.

He felt for a safe place, even as the bad smelling brown liquid pained his open flesh, even as blood poured out of his body. He needed to be quick! Yet he couldn't risk his baby's life.

He felt a part of the sac that his baby wasn't pressed down on and inserted just the very tip of his claw into it and pulled. It was like a balloon had burst. A balloon filled with water as a clear fluid gushed out of that little rip, his claw tugging on the thin membrane, making it wider. He stopped when his gut clenched and his claw immediately retracted before he even knew what was going on, a moment later his finger touched something solid. His baby's head. He had almost pushed a claw into his baby's head.

Harry used his one hand to guide the baby's head out of the slit he had made in the sac, his other hand pressing down on the top of his bump to expel the baby, he held his position as gravity also helped pull his baby out of his body.

He was shaking, blood coated thickly upon his lower body, hands and arms, his feet pooled in his own blood. Had he lost too much? He needed this baby out now, he needed the placenta out now, he needed to drink that bottle of blood now.

Harry ripped the membrane sac as he became frantically aware of how thickly the blood had plastered him, the membrane was thicker than he realised it had been and it had gotten stuck on his baby's shoulders. He tore it and he let lose an almighty screech of pain as his body clenched tightly, even as his baby fell gently to the blood soaked, fabric padded ground, guided by his one hand on his baby's head and shoulders.

Harry quickly clamped the umbilical cord and tore through it with a single claw; he wound the cord around his wrist and yanked it. The pain was unbelievable as he screamed until he felt his throat tear.

His baby was crying below him and Harry took reassurance from the sound, his baby was at least alive.

He dumped the placenta into the box and shoved the lid on it, before he used a claw to take the entire top of the flask off and gulped down the lukewarm liquid. He would have preferred it hot. Hot blood straight from his mate's veins, but this would do for now.

-** Safety line for the squeamish! You can come back now **-

He drained the bottle of blood and threw it away, before digging in the torn backpack for the towels he had borrowed. He wrapped his baby in one and rubbed him vigorously to keep him warm and to stimulate his breathing. His baby stopped crying when Harry had finished and settled him over his heart.

Harry picked up another towel and began the slightly redundant task of cleaning the blood from himself, but as the duvet under him was soaked with blood every time he set a limb back down it was immediately covered in blood again.

Harry caught a corner of the duvet and pulled it up; he shifted himself to the blanket underneath and rolled the duvet up before flinging it out of his nest and down the side of the house. The blanket underneath it was also covered in blood, Harry rolled it up and it followed the duvet down the side of the house. Harry continued this until the fabrics were free of blood. He cleaned himself up and threw the bloodied towel out of his nest as well before he set to carefully cleaning his baby, taking extreme care with the clamped umbilical cord.

Harry dressed his baby, who was undeniably a boy, in a clean nappy and carefully maneuvered his little limbs into a bodysuit, before overlaying it with a sleepsuit before wrapping him in a blanket and placing him in the knitted cosy toes that Hermione had knitted and place him in the soft, cradle shaped mini nest that he had made to hold his baby as he cleaned up his nest and double checked everything was as it should be.

Once he was cleaned up and feeling a little less shaky, even if he was incredibly tired, Harry plucked his baby back up and held him against his naked chest. He inhaled deeply and smiled as the baby's scent indicated that he was indeed a baby Dracken. Harry cooed to him and nuzzled his tiny little face.

His baby was bloated and swollen, red skinned and looked like he had been stung by a wasp and had a bad reaction to it, but to Harry he was the most beautiful baby in the world. He held a tiny hand and kissed it, letting a soft rumble start in his stomach before ending in his throat.

His baby son made a small noise back to him and Harry moved onto his back, bringing his baby up onto his chest. He was still very, very sore and his stomach was still swollen and bumped, even if the bump was turning soft. Harry hoped it was gone soon, he'd had enough of seeing that bump when he was pregnant, he didn't need to see it now that he wasn't.

Harry held his baby tightly yet softly as the baby boy fell in and out of sleep on top of him, Harry knew that he should probably get some sleep as well, but he just couldn't tear his eyes away from his son as he touched and stroked every inch of his baby, feeling the soft pink skin, the silky, baby fine, dark hair, those little lips, his tiny nose, but those eyes, those baby blue eyes that blinked at him, the way they were shaped, the baby definitely took the shape of his eyes directly from his Father.

* * *

Nasta smoothed Blaise's hair from his face as he tucked him up more firmly in the bed. Madam Pomfrey had cleaned him up to the best of her ability, which thankfully was enough so they could feed Blaise their blood and heal the rest of him. He hated the fact that Harry's anti-coagulant was not affected by the healing properties of Dracken blood.

Everyone that had come in the initial panic had left them in peace, had left to give Blaise time to rest and recover, to give the three remaining dominants room to look after and pamper him.

Blaise would be out of it for a while as he recovered, but the most important thing was that he would heal. Nasta sighed heavily as he laid a kiss against Blaise's head and let him sleep, Max had given him a strong sleeping potion.

He left Blaise to sleep with a sigh and went back downstairs to the other two dominants.

"How is he?" Draco asked concernedly.

"Sleeping." Nasta answered tiredly.

"I think this has brought home the seriousness of this situation." Max said sombrely. "We can't take stupid risks anymore, we need to feed Harry yes, but it'll destroy him to come out of that nest and find out what he's done to Blaise."

"It was an accident." Draco stressed.

"But will Harry see it that way?" Max countered and all of them slipped into silence.

A horrible scream broke them out of their thoughts and immediately all of them gave out a soothing rumble.

"Harry's in danger!" Draco gasped out, making to run to his mate. Nasta wrapped both arms around him and held him tightly.

"He's not in danger." Nasta growled back. "He's just gone into labour, the baby will be here in less than fifteen minutes, we need to prepare."

Draco nodded and calmed himself down; everyone had been running over 'the plan' for a week. He immediately set to his role in the plan, making sure Harry had clean clothes to wear, that a fresh bath was ready for him, with sufficient warming charms to keep the water hot, because he had been up on the roof for two weeks without so much as a shower, and that everything was easily accessible because Harry wouldn't feel like doing much after giving birth.

Max was setting out potions of all kinds for any sort of problem including a fever reducer, just in case, a strong antibiotic potion just to make sure there was absolutely no trace of infection, a blood replenisher, because he'd definitely need one and a topical salve that would reduce scarring if Harry hadn't taken the blood in time. He then set to making a hearty meal; Harry would most definitely be hungry when he came down from the roof.

Nasta was floo calling everyone to inform them of the situation and then he was going to make sure that the nursery was all ready and clean for their baby. He also took on Blaise's job of making sure there was nothing out of place, because the last thing any submissive Dracken wanted to see was mess. They had been curbing their messy tendencies for a few days, so there wasn't really much to put away, just a few odd books, a pair of shoes, Max had, of course, left his work case by the coffee table from where he had been doing his paperwork that morning and he flicked the corner of the rug back down from where it had been kicked up.

Harry wouldn't have to worry about a thing, everything was ready for when he gave birth, bonded with the baby and then came down from his nest in a couple of hours' time. All three of them gave periodical winces and soothing growls as a particularly loud scream or screech of pain met their ears. It was painful to listen to; no doubt it was even more painful for Harry to endure.

* * *

Harry snuggled his baby son, who was looking a lot less like he had had an allergic reaction to a bee sting and he was definitely a lot less water wrinkled.

Harry now had his son's scent locked in his mind and ingrained in the deepest, most primitive part of his brain. He would be able to track his son to the ends of the earth, not that his baby son was going anywhere without him, not ever.

The Dracken scent that had surrounded his son had dispersed within the first half an hour, but the scent of himself and one of his mate's remained on his son's skin, his son's biological Father.

Harry knew his time alone with his son was coming to an end, he could feel his mates' restlessness like something thick on the back of his tongue. They were anxious to meet the baby, were anxious to reconnect with him after however long it had been.

He sighed and finished feeding his son his first bottle, burped him awkwardly and a tad cack-handedly before he let out a small, questioning call. Immediately several strong answering calls cut through the soft day noises and the sound of rushing wind as three large bodies landed on the roof.

Harry smiled happily as Nasta entered his nest and pulled him into a big hug, being so very careful of the tiny body between them.

"It's good to see you Harry." Nasta breathed almost silently as the others all crowded around him and the baby, sniffing and licking. "We're so proud of you cariad."

"He smells like…" Max started as he inhaled deeply.

"I know." Harry answered with a smile, but it faltered when he realised someone was missing. "Where's Blaise?"

Nasta, Max and Draco all shared a look and Harry grew frightened. Had Blaise left? Had he been hurt? Killed?

"Where's Blaise?" Harry demanded shrilly.

"He got injured Harry love, he's sleeping." Max said softly, cupping the back of his head and pulling him forward to rest against his chest.

"Injured how?" Harry asked, though he could take a guess as to how Blaise had gotten injured and he had a feeling he had been the cause.

"It was an accident Harry." Draco assured him as he sniffed, licked and touched his baby in Harry's arms.

"How did he get injured?" Harry repeated.

"Let's get down off of the roof first love, then we'll tell you everything that has happened in the two weeks you've been up here." Nasta said firmly, leaving no room for argument as he scooped Harry up and instead of jumping from the roof like Max and Draco did, he opted for the smoother way of flapping his wings before he took off. It was slower, but much safer and less jarring for a newborn baby.

* * *

Ashleigh huddled against her most dominant mate as the young woman in front of her shielded the small baby from her. Snarling as if she would suddenly up and attack her and the baby.

Amelle had finally given birth to her daughter, Eleonora Dahlia Seppen after spending nearly two months in her nest. Ashleigh thought it was a beautiful name, if only she was allowed to see the beautiful baby that the name had been given to. Eleonora was a few weeks old, she was a magic human if Caesar was to be believed, though Ashleigh prided herself on knowing her son and she knew he wouldn't have need to lie about something like that.

Caesar was growling at his mate and trying to get his daughter from her, presumably to hand to her to show his mate that she meant the baby no harm, but Amelle had clamped her arms around her baby daughter and was not letting go.

"Stop it!" Ashleigh cried. "Caesar don't force her, you'll hurt the baby. It…it's fine, really."

Myron held Ashleigh closer to him and glared at his son's mate. His Wife did not deserve this! She had been through a terrible ordeal, that didn't make her deranged, unstable or dangerous! She had gone through therapy, she was fine, she wasn't going to hurt a baby just because she had lost one of her own. The way this little brat was acting made his blood boil, but he calmed himself, he would never strike a woman, not even his own mate, his preferred method of punishment was a simple, sharp twist to the top of the ear. If his mate persisted, he held on as he twisted the ear. But the anger he felt at this woman and her treatment of his Wife, he wanted to curl up his large hands into fists and beat her.

Richard slid an arm around Myron's bicep, as if he knew what his Husband was thinking. He was thinking similar thoughts, only his were more along the lines of boiling her alive in tar before coating her dead body in feathers and stringing her up for eternity so everyone would know that she was an eternal chicken, nothing but a lowly coward, unwilling to have a bit of faith in a good woman.

Richard hissed, but Ashleigh shushed him. She was being selfless, he could see how much it was hurting her, her first ever Grandchild, her first Granddaughter and she couldn't even see her let alone hold her. It wasn't fair. Caesar and Amelle had been here for two days and none of them had been allowed to see Eleonora, let alone hold her, Amelle was not letting go of her daughter.

"Amelle, we haven't come half way across the world just to fight." Caesar said strongly. "Our two week old daughter deserves to know her Grandmother!"

"No!" Amelle snarled viciously, turning tail and running to her and Caesar's room, in his parents' house that she had been forced to come and visit, slamming the door in her mate's face and locking it. She whipped out her wand and warded the door so not even Caesar's physical strength could open the door before curling up on the bed, her precious baby girl held safely in the curve of her body. She wouldn't let any harm come to her baby, she'd die first.

* * *

"Mum I'm really sorry." Caesar sighed sadly as he walked back into the living room. He felt so ashamed of Amelle in that moment and he felt guilty for being ashamed of her.

"It's alright Caesar." Ashleigh answered, going to him and hugging him to her. She hated seeing her children upset.

"It's not though, I love Amelle, I do, but I hate the way she's acting and no amount of punishment helps."

"It's because she feels that she is doing the right thing to protect her child." Myron spat. "No amount of punishment can break a parent's instinct to do right by their child."

"But it isn't right Dad!" Caesar answered sadly.

"She believes it's right." Myron reiterated.

"Mum! Dad!" Alayla came skidding into the room and almost toppled over her own feet in her haste, being caught just in time as Richard darted to catch her.

"Do be more careful Alayla." Richard wheezed out. Strong emotions, especially anger or sadness, always made the scar tissue on his neck tighter and made it more painful to speak.

"But Nasta just flooed us! Harry's gone into labour; the baby will be here soon. He wants us to come around in a few hours to welcome the baby."

"That's if Harry lets me near the baby." Ashleigh sobbed brokenheartedly.

Caesar let his Dad's take his Mum from him, though all he wanted to do was hold her and make her feel better, he hated that his mate, his Wife, the Mother of his daughter, had done this to his her. He was going to step up his dominancy over her, Eleonora was his daughter as well and it wasn't just Amelle who got to decide who saw their daughter and who didn't.

* * *

Harry was led into the bathroom as he had decided to bathe with his son as Draco washed him from head to foot, because the blonde didn't trust him to do it himself properly.

"What are you going to call him Harry?" Draco asked.

"I don't know. I never really thought of names, even when I knew he was going to be a boy I never thought of names, does that make me a bad Mum?"

Draco chuckled and kissed Harry lingeringly.

"No love. It just means you had other things on your mind. Though it would have been hard to pick a name when you had no idea who the potential Father was."

"He's so beautiful." Harry breathed reverently as he just stared endlessly at the baby cradled in his arms.

"Of course he is, he takes after you love."

"Really? I thought he looked more like Blaise."

"The eyes are Blaise's, but that is definitely your nose and your mouth."

Harry smiled up at Draco happily and kissed him again. He had missed them all so much. He couldn't remember his time in the nest, or rather he could, but not clearly, but he ached for his mates. He couldn't believe he had hurt Blaise so much. He had demanded to know what had happened and when he had been told he had gone straight to Blaise, the Father to his first child. Well, he had had to be carried as he was so very sore still, but Max's potion was going to help with that as soon as he had had something to eat.

He had stroked Blaise's face, looking for similarities between the man in the bed and the baby in his arms, he found them too. His baby was undeniably Blaise's even without the initial scent of just himself and Blaise on the baby, which had now started to include the other three mates as they licked and rubbed themselves on the baby's skin.

Draco had whisked him off not too long after that for a bath whilst Max finished up a late dinner. Harry was dried and dressed in soft, clean pyjamas, the feel of fabric on his skin felt strange after two weeks without wearing anything _but_ his skin.

The baby was dried so very carefully between them, taking such care with the umbilical cord and once again clad in a nappy and dressed up in a bodysuit and a sleepsuit, scratch mitts firmly on little hands and little hat pulled down over dark downy hair as he was slid once again into the cosy toes that Harry had taken to carrying his son around in.

Harry went into the kitchen only to be surprised to see Max's entire family, including Caesar, congregated around the enlarged table, numerous chairs added around it as Max served them all food.

"Harry sweet one, well done and congratulations!" Alexander Maddison, Max's awesome Grandfather, called out, having been the first to spot him.

Everyone else turned to him and shouted out their own congratulations and Harry grinned, albeit a bit tiredly, but then he had cut himself open to birth his son only a few hours ago.

"So tell us, is Maxie the baby's Father?" Alexander asked.

"No. Blaise is." Harry answered as he was helped into a chair and tucked to the table with his son in his arms.

"Oh well, maybe next time then aye Maxie? Maybe you should get in there quicker the next time around."

Nearly everyone choked on their lasagne, except for Harry who started laughing and couldn't stop.

"Oh ow! It hurts." He whimpered, pressing a hand to the incision site.

"Eat as much as you can and then you can have potions to help."

"Give them to him now!" Alexander chided. "You can't blackmail the poor boy with pain potions to make him eat Maxie. That won't put meat on his skinny chicken bones."

Max rolled his eyes good naturedly. "These potions can't be administered on an empty stomach Grandfather. It'll make him sick and give him stomach cramps."

Harry tucked into the first hot meal he had eaten in weeks and he couldn't hold back the small moan that rolled out of his throat at the first bite. He had missed Max's cooking.

"There's appreciation for you Max!" Caesar ribbed with a smile that was only fifty watts instead of his usual hundred.

Harry blushed, but as soon as his son made a small noise, all of his attention immediately diverted to the baby in the crook of his right arm. His son was still sleeping peacefully. Harry breathed a sigh of relief.

"Have you decided a name for my Grandson?" Myron asked even as he cut off another forkful of lasagne and placed it in his mouth; he'd never get over how good a cook his son was nor stop wondering where the talent came from.

"No, not yet." Harry answered back softly before biting into some garlic bread.

"Well hurry up, we can't go around calling him Baby forever."

Harry smiled, which turned into a yawn, which made his eyes water. His energy was flagging quickly.

"Here, you have enough in your stomach to coat it for the potions." Max told him as he studied how much he had eaten before passing over three uncorked vials of potion.

One was grey and watery, the second was green and marginally thicker that the first, but it tasted slightly better than the grey one had and the last was a dull yellow and had the same consistence of four-day-old, lumpy custard. It smelt vile, tasted worse and slimed its way down his throat slowly. Harry hoped to every deity he had ever heard of that he never had to take it again.

"To bed with you Harry boy!" Alexander shooed him and Harry chuckled, only a slight twinge in his stomach let him know that he really was going to be sore for a while.

"Are you leaving the baby down here with us?" Nasta asked.

Harry immediately shook his head. "He's staying with me."

His mates nodded understandingly, but Ashleigh looked very upset.

"Don't let my presence influence your decision Harry; I'll leave if my being here bothers you."

Harry cocked his head to the side and looked at the upset woman curiously. He felt the urge to shield his baby from her, to run and hide with his son so that this woman couldn't see him but he shoved it down violently as he moved forward and slowly and carefully eased his son from against his chest and transferred him into a surprised, but elated Ashleigh's arms.

"Why would you being here bother me? It never has before." He asked as he stretched out his arms and rotated his shoulders to ease the ache in them, his son did get quite heavy after a while and not being able to move his arms as he pleased made his muscles stiff.

He turned and went to get a drink of water as Ashleigh cooed and kissed his son, giving them some space to prove that he didn't mind her holding his son, her first Grandson, even if it hadn't been Max who sired him. It looked like he wasn't going to get an answer to his question.

His Dracken screamed at him to get back to their baby, to attack Ashleigh and get their son back where they could protect him, to hide from Ashleigh so she couldn't find them, but he shoved the urge down even further. It screamed at him that she was a danger and Harry stubbornly refused to listen, Ashleigh was a lovely woman and she wouldn't hurt his children, his senses must have been screwed from the trauma of his self-caesarean section, he'd asked Nasta about it later.

He finished his water and yawned widely behind his hand again. He hugged everyone, leaving Ashleigh for last so she could cuddle his son some more, before he hugged her and took his baby back, he waved goodnight and headed upstairs to bed. If Myron had hugged him tighter than normal and for longer than usual, nothing was said, if the loving, lingering kiss Richard had given to his forehead was out of place, no one mentioned it. Harry certainly noticed nothing as he laid his baby son in the bassinet by his bedside and climbed in beside Blaise, who was still out of it on sleeping potion and didn't even know that he had a biological son who was sleeping just feet from him. Harry felt guilt consume him, he had done this to Blaise, he was a terrible mate.

* * *

Max washed the mountain of dishes as Draco saw everyone out safely. Nasta was drying and putting away the plates and cutlery next to him.

"We have a son." Max said slightly awed.

"Is it just sinking in?" Nasta asked as he dried the last cup and placed it away, turning with the tea towel draped over his hands.

"I think it is. Seeing my Mum holding him, she was so upset because Amelle, Caesar's Wife, wouldn't let her near Eleonora."

"She must be a real piece of work."

"She is." Max replied as he emptied the sink of water and dried his hands on the tea towel Nasta held. "But I can't believe he's really here."

Nasta smirked and lent forward to capture Max's lips in a kiss. They broke apart slowly.

"Harry has been nesting for how many weeks and you only just accept that we have a baby."

"I think it's just seeing him for the first time, he's so tiny, so beautiful." Max whispered softly as he pulled the tea towel from Nasta's hands and threw it around his shoulders instead, using it to pull Nasta into another, more passionate kiss.

* * *

Sex scene has been removed and can be found on other sites!

* * *

"I'm going to be sterilising this counter all night." Max whined tiredly.

Nasta chuckled. "Go to bed Max."

"I can't believe all you can think about at the moment is the counters." A guttural voice spoke up from beside them.

Nasta looked over to a partially naked Draco, who was sat in a kitchen chair lazily stroking himself through his pushed down boxers, his recent release on his naked chest and stomach through his opened shirt which was hanging off of his shoulders.

"How long have you been there?" Max asked, his cheeks flushing a bit.

"About the time you started having a hissy fit over having sex on the counters, you do know that I fucked Blaise on them about a week ago don't you?"

"You did what?" Max yelled. "Did you at least wash them down afterwards?"

"No. We were too tired and the next morning you had already started breakfast, so we thought it best not to say anything."

Max mouthed uncomprehendingly for a few moments before Nasta took pity on him and kissed him.

"He's teasing you love. Draco, you shouldn't say things like that to poor Max, he might have suffered from heart failure."

Draco chuckled and wiped his hand on his discarded shirt, using it to also wipe up the mess he had made on his chest and stomach.

"You had better not have gotten anything on my table." Max threatened.

Draco laughed this time, such a smooth, cultured sound, made sexy by the hint of a growl from his own pleasure.

"Give me some credit Max, I'm a Malfoy. Malfoy's don't make messes like that." Draco answered, picking up his clothing and smirking to the two watching men. "I'll see you in the morning.

"Where are you going?" Max demanded.

"To claim the prized spot next to Harry in the bed of course. Blaise has one side, I want the other."

Nasta shook his head and let out a chuckle. Draco had certainly become more confident in the last few months and it wasn't the false confidence that he layered up as armour either, but a natural confidence that spoke of his comfort with them all.

"Going to claim the prized spot." Max scoffed. "His ass is mine."

"Be gentle with him love, he's new to bottoming, it'll only be his third time, we don't want to frighten him or scare him away. We can go easy on him until Harry goes into heat next, then his ass will be both of ours." Nasta promised.

Max chuckled darkly before he kissed Nasta and scooped up their clothing. He could leave the counters until the morning, he was going to be the one making breakfast anyway, he wouldn't soon forget what had happened on his counters, so he wasn't likely to forget to disinfect and sterilise the counters before he started cooking tomorrow.

They cleaned themselves up a bit in the bathroom before they slipped into the bedroom, closing the door behind them. They each peeked into the bassinet holding their son, swaddled in a blanket and sleeping peacefully, before they shared one last kiss before climbing into the bed, Nasta behind a potion laced Blaise and Max behind Draco, who shifted around to get comfortable, Harry deeply asleep in his arms.

* * *

Thanks to **FairyDust18** for being the **3,600th ****reviewer**!

So from your reviews I see some of you, quite a few of you, are asking why they didn't just levitate food up to Harry? Harry was in a feral state of mind and he could smell magic, as shown by the fact that he could 'smell humans, magic using humans' he wouldn't have trusted the food and wouldn't have eaten it and would have ended up starving anyway. Plus the boys were all in Dracken form and, as shown in chapter fourteen that Drackens are purely physical creatures, when in full Dracken form they often forget that they have magic, or rather prefer to do everything by hand.

Also I have confused a great deal of you with all the jumping around. In one scene Nasta mentioned that Harry had enough food to last him, but he also said that Harry was continuously eating, as in he was not stopping and was not rationing his supplies, so he inevitably ran out and his mates were trying to give him a bit of extra variety by giving him fresh meat. So in the next paragraph when Harry had no food, it was about a week later. Harry was in the nest for two weeks before in the end paragraph he went into labour at six and a half months pregnant, only two weeks from the full seven month Dracken gestation. Hope that clears it up for you.

**Bornfromtheashes**: Harry would not harm any child. It has nothing to do with his sensibilities or his morals, because when he's feral he doesn't have those, it has everything to do with a child being absolutely no threat to him. What can a child do to harm him or his new baby? An adult Dracken poses a very real threat, a danger to him and his child because there is the possibility that Harry won't be able to fight off the adult Dracken or be killed by said Dracken. A child that doesn't belong to Harry or his family would likely be warned off by Harry's scent concentrated in one area, if it's his own child, that has actually managed to slip the overprotective leash of four dominant Fathers that guard Harry and his nest, then that child would possibly be allowed in the nest depending on what stage of pregnancy Harry was in, if Harry doesn't want the child in the nest then he will hiss and growl to dissuade the child from coming closer, but he wouldn't lash out like he would with an adult Dracken.

**cyne**: So many ideas! You're like a fountain of inspiration. The next part of the lemons you requested will be worked into the next chapter. Thanks for the scenes! You certainly were not asking too much, too little in my opinion. As for your 'boy toy' tell him I won't ever stop writing so he has no need to come and kill me. I'm a willing typist slave, dedicated to finishing everything I've started.

I have no idea what your name is as you didn't leave one but your question was why Professor Snape only had the one mate. It's because Regulus only needed one dominant. Not every submissive needs a mate to stabilise their Dracken magic because many are not that powerful in that area, Regulus Black's excess magic was leaked into Grimmauld Place upon his inheritance because there were magical items to absorb it. Harry lived in a Muggle house with no magical items except the very few he had in his trunk. So his excess wizard magic converted to Dracken magic through his inheritance and he needed a grounding mate to soak it all up before he went completely crazy with the wild magic inside of him. Does that help?

**aurla0**: You mean if a dominant forced himself on Harry and forced him to love him because they have children together and then if the dominant turned around and sold Harry's babies to a Dracken poacher? He'd kill them. Nothing comes between a submissive and their children, not even a dominant that Harry loves very much, even if it is a forced love through the child they have. Suffice to say that if any dominant did that to Harry's children he wouldn't love them anymore; it would break the forced love because the child is no longer there to keep them together. The forced love through rape and impregnation situation only works if the dominant wants to keep Harry as a submissive when Harry doesn't want the dominant because as soon as the child dies then the forced love will revert back to an extreme hate which would likely leave the dominant dead.

**Taragh McCarthy**: It's basically the same way only to pick the Daddy I used three pieces of paper for each of them, so Max had three, Blaise had three and Draco had three. I actually left the box on my desk for about two days before I pulled a single name out. That name was the baby's Daddy and I did this right after chapter thirteen, before Max even came into the mateship, I knew then what I was going to do and how I was going to introduce Max.

**Rena the pirate jedi wizard**: This has been asked before. When Harry gets pregnant for the second time his nest will be in a completely different place, for the very reason that his mates know where it is. No one is allowed to know where the nest is before it is built and Harry climbs in it.

**NoirAnge**: It is impossible for a male submissive to become pregnant with a dominant female. The dominant female could get pregnant from the male submissive, but not the other way around. The dominant female would still top the male submissive, unless they want to switch roles, but if they were together with no other dominant then it would be she who would carry the children and they wouldn't have as many children as say Harry and his mates because dominants don't like being pregnant, they can't protect their submissive if they are heavily pregnant after all.

**BloodStreamOnFire**: The first question was answered right above, but for the second question of two female dominants with a male submissive when they are on heat, one female, likely the most dominant, will take the submissive first whilst the other female would either satisfy herself, the other dominant, or will play with the submissive.

For your third question of a submissive with a female and a male dominant, yes the male dominant can get the female dominant pregnant as well as the submissive. It's not that she won't allow herself to become pregnant, it's that she'd start feeling useless in the mateship if she's pregnant too often because she is a dominant and her primary duty is to protect her submissive, any subordinates to her and her children, she can't do that if she's constantly pregnant. Does that help?

**MiladyRedeem:** Glad to see you back! I remember your reviews from before the repost. Life and Trials isn't on a hiatus, it's just going through a rough patch. I'll work on getting the next chapter up in July, which is when I'm off from work next. I hope you can wait until then.

**chachamaru43**: You seem to be doing very well with your English! I can put in a scene where they all visit Mrs Zabini in France if you want, they can have a day in France out in the sun, I think they'd like that.

**Alice the noble**: It's fine for Harry to give birth at five months, the gestation period for a Dracken is seven months, but Harry is just in his nest, he actually gives birth at six and a half months pregnant, so he and the baby will be fine.

As for the Dursleys, they were forced subconsciously to go and pick Harry up because of an accidental compulsion charm Harry placed on them when he was younger which ensured that they would never leave him waiting at the Platform for the summer holidays. They were compelled to go and pick him up so subtly they don't even notice.

**Lientjuhh**: The answers to the review responses are old and new ones. I kept the older ones that were relevant and all the new ones are usually at the bottom.

Don't forget that you can add me on Facebook! The profile is under the name StarLight Mass, or you can just use the link below, just put an actual . where (dot) is.

www(dot)facebook(dot)com/#!/profile(dot)php?id=100002337123039

StarLight Massacre. X


	41. Five Men and a Baby

Last Time

_Max chuckled darkly before he kissed Nasta and scooped up their clothing. He could leave the counters until the morning, he was going to be the one making breakfast anyway, he wouldn't soon forget what happened on his counters, so he wasn't likely to forget to disinfect and sterilise the counters before he started cooking tomorrow._

_They cleaned themselves up a bit in the bathroom before they slipped into the bedroom, closing the door behind them. They each peeked into the bassinet holding their son, swaddled in a blanket and sleeping peacefully, before they shared one last kiss before climbing into the bed, Nasta behind a potion laced Blaise and Max behind Draco, who shifted around to get comfortable, Harry deeply asleep in his arms._

Chapter Forty-One – Five Men and a Baby.

Max groaned as he rolled over to the wailing baby right beside him. Why the hell had he picked the side of the bed that had a baby on it that would wake up every four hours for a feed?

He got out of the bed and scooped the screaming baby up to his chest and wandered down to the kitchen before the baby could wake up anyone else. He nodded to Nasta who was watching him sleepily, indicating that he would take their son to get a feed. He might as well seeing as he was already up.

Blaise didn't move from his spot, Draco rolled over and Harry made a small sound, blinking open his eyes and searching for his errant baby with sleepy, pain clouded eyes.

"Calm down love. Max has him." Nasta soothed in a whisper as Harry bolted upright in panic before recoiling in pain at the sudden, sharpness that had gone through his abdomen.

Harry nodded his understanding and rubbed his belly that had started aching as soon as the pain had receded from trying to sit up. His stomach muscles were on fire.

"You tore into your muscles, it'll be a while for them to heal completely, the blood and potions can only do so much."

Harry nodded and turned to face Nasta, cuddling up to Blaise and reaching for Nasta on the other side of him.

Draco moved over to his back and pressed against him, keeping his body temperature up. They all fell asleep again quickly.

Downstairs Max held a suckling baby tightly, swaying slightly as his eyes drooped with tiredness. He moved, startled, when he almost fell asleep standing up. He had had little sleep the night before, maybe it had been a mistake to offer to feed the baby tonight.

He clumsily turned on the tap without taking the bottle from the baby's mouth and put his elbow under the stream of icy cold water, his body shivering immediately as his arm broke out into goosebumps. He felt more alert, more awake, but he knew it was only a temporary measure until he could get back in bed.

The baby finished his suckling and Max hefted him over one of his bare shoulders and patted that tiny back as hard as he dared, which wasn't very hard at all, he had handled plates with a firmer hand, but the newborn boy let out a small sound which might have been a burp, but was confirmed when a warm wetness slid down his back, the baby had spit up on him.

Max groaned in annoyance and gingerly removed the baby from his shoulder, grabbing one of the soft cloths from next to his oven gloves that Harry had bought especially for burping the baby, he could have kicked himself for forgetting to use the azure blue burping cloth, Harry had put one in nearly every room of the house.

He wiped the spit up milk from the baby's mouth and chin and threw it onto the floor to sort out tomorrow, he was too tired to deal with it at the moment. He carried the baby back upstairs after swaddling him back in his blanket and placed him back into the bassinet, taking note that the others were all fast asleep again.

He could feel the spit up milk sliding further down his back and he pulled a face before going to the bathroom to deal with it. He leant over the bath and ran the shower head over it, shivering as the water hadn't had time to heat up and he was too tired, too impatient to wait. Max wiped the water off of his body before cursing as he had left his wand on the bedside table. He went back into the bedroom as quietly as he could, snatched up his wand and cast a drying and warming charm on himself before he sank onto the bed and scooted over to spoon behind Draco, he fell asleep almost as soon as his head touched the pillow.

* * *

Harry woke up at four in the morning, used to rising just before the sun came out and seared his eyeballs from his time on the roof.

He was happy to note that the bump had gone down some whilst he had been asleep, but there was still a considerable amount to get rid of, he made a mental note to remember to do some stomach toning exercises later to help shift the excess skin as his muscles slid back together.

Harry carefully extracted himself from the pile of bodies he was in the centre of before he stretched and scooped the tiny bundle out of the bassinet and carried him down the stairs carefully and into the living room to snuggle a bit.

"I have no idea what to name you love." Harry whispered softly. "You'll definitely have your Father's name, but not as a first name, you need some originality and an identity away from your Father."

The baby boy slept on peacefully, undisturbed by Harry's spoken musings or the gentle rocking movements he made.

"I know I should perhaps let the others in on the naming, have a discussion or something, but you're mine. I can't explain it, I carried you for six and a half months, you're mine, mine forever and I should be the one to name you. No one else."

Harry sighed and sat back in the chair, staring into space, wondering about his son, about his mates and what to name the little baby in his arms.

"Perhaps I should name you after Blaise's Father, I think he'd like that, but Maximiliano sounds a lot like Maximilius, I don't want anyone to ever confuse your parentage."

Harry sighed and stood up to go into the kitchen, there was a bassinet next to the kitchen table and Harry smiled happily at his mates' thoughtfulness to put a bassinet in the room that they spent so much time in, this way his baby wouldn't ever be too far from him.

Harry placed his son down carefully and looked around the kitchen, he spied the soiled burp cloth and grinned, someone had had a nasty surprise last night. He wondered if Max would mind if he made breakfast today, he was feeling a bit restless after spending so much time in his nest doing little else other than eating and lounging and now that he didn't have a baby to protect he was going to enjoy doing everything he had missed out on, like running, jumping, flying and having sex. Yes sex sounded absolutely amazing, but he'd have to wait for his mates, that and someone to take his baby for a few hours because he refused to have sex next to his baby and likewise he would not leave his son in a different room unattended, so sex would have to wait.

Harry peeked in the cupboards and the cold storage and decided that they were long overdue for a full English breakfast. Max refused to cook it, said that the grease that was left behind could plaster up wallpaper, but Harry had missed his fry-ups and he knew that both Draco and Blaise ate English breakfasts, even if Max didn't and Nasta's Dad would have rathered fed his son cyanide. It wouldn't kill them to have a fry-up once in a blue moon and after spending over six months eating healthily he wanted something unhealthy and laden with grease to sink his teeth into.

Harry pulled out the disinfectant wipes, not taking any chances with his son in the room and wiped down everything. He pulled out everything he needed to make breakfast and set to work, stopping only to make up a bottle to feed his wailing son. He made sure to use a burping cloth to burp his son, though thankfully it wasn't needed.

Harry was just plating up the first of the breakfast things with warming charms on them when Blaise groggily came into the room, he visibly startled at seeing Harry in the kitchen and it took him a moment to realise what it meant, when he did his eyes slid to the bassinet and the newborn it held.

"Morning Blaise." Harry greeted softly. "I'm so sorry I hurt you so badly. I didn't mean to, I love you so much."

Blaise came to him and held him strongly.

"I adore you mio amore. I love you Harry, with all of my heart. I don't care about a little scratch as long as you're alright. How long was I out to miss the birth of the baby?"

"Only yesterday evening and last night. I went into labour a few hours after I hurt you. I think it started just after I'd finished gorging myself."

Blaise smiled and kissed him, Harry was the one who added his tongue into the kiss and Blaise reciprocated, wrapping arms around him tightly.

"I missed you Harry love." Blaise whispered as they panted with their faces inches from each other's.

"I missed you too Blaise, come, come and see our son!"

Harry dragged Blaise over to their son and proudly stood by as Blaise looked at the newborn baby. Blaise gingerly pushed his arm under the baby's body and used his other hand to cup the neck and back of the head before he lifted the tiny baby from the bassinet.

"He's beautiful Harry; he looks so much like you."

"He looks like you as well."

Blaise's head snapped to him and Harry grinned.

"Don't tease me about that Harry."

"I'm not teasing, he's yours." Harry replied with a smile as he wrapped arms around Blaise's waist and cuddled up to him.

"Mine." Blaise whispered, bringing the baby to his face and inhaling the scent of the baby deep into his Dracken memory.

Harry kissed the baby before kissing Blaise and going back to the food before it burnt.

"I can't believe that I missed the birth." Blaise said sadly.

"Don't worry love, there will be many more to come, you can't possibly miss them all." Harry smiled as he plated up some more bacon before making Blaise a full plate and putting it on the table.

Blaise sat down in front of the plate, the baby still held in his one arm, the hand of his other arm delicately tracing the facial features of the baby, recognising his eyes and his chin now that he looked for them.

"He's got your nose and mouth."

"So I've been told." Harry replied happily.

"I hope he has your eye colour."

"As long as he doesn't get my hair I'll be happy."

Blaise chuckled. "I like your hair."

"Draco would throw a fit."

"Let him." Blaise said softly as he kissed the baby and let Harry take him from him. "What's his name?"

"I haven't thought of one yet." Harry said truthfully. "But I'll come up with one soon; I won't let him be baby boy Zabini for long."

"You want him to have my last name?"

"And your first."

Harry felt his heart ache as Blaise looked so happy and a tad tearful at Harry's declaration. He put the baby back in the bassinet and went back to cooking, giving Blaise more as he finished it.

"You're as bad as Max; I don't need any more food love."

"This is the first time since we've been together that I've been allowed to cook. Max won't let anyone near the kitchen and I like cooking sometimes. Not all the time and definitely not as much as Max, but I do like it now and then. I've got to make the most of it whilst I can."

Blaise chuckled and allowed Harry to put several more sausages onto his plate. Harry wasn't a bad cook at all and it had been so long since he had last had an English breakfast, he could indulge a little given the circumstances he was celebrating. He had a son; he was seventeen with a beautiful young man as a mate, three more men as lovers and a newborn son. He was so happy.

Nasta walked into the kitchen in just a pair of boxers and Harry quickly made him a plate of food and served him. Nasta pulled him into a passionate kiss and Harry smiled a bit dopily when he was released.

"Max will have your ass when he realises you've rendered him useless for the morning." Nasta told him.

"He can do the dishes if he wants to. I hate doing the dishes."

Harry was confused by the evil grin that spread over Nasta's face and the gleam of lust in those hazel eyes.

"I'm sure he'd love to do the dishes." Nasta replied with no hint of sarcasm as he started eating.

"Who'd love to do the dishes?" Draco asked as he sauntered into the room and sat next to Blaise.

"Max." Harry answered as he happily served him a plate of food.

Draco chuckled darkly. "Max would love to do the dishes."

Harry shared a look with Blaise who shrugged. At least he wasn't the only one left out of the loop.

"Does Max not like the dishes anymore?" Harry asked confusedly.

"Max loves the dishes still, not too sure he likes his counters though."

"Okay, I'm thoroughly confused so I'm just going to tend to the baby and perhaps go back to bed because I'm getting tired again."

"You over did it." Nasta sighed. "You've only just come out of your nest; you cut yourself wide open just yesterday, not even twenty-four hours ago."

"No." Harry replied thoughtfully as he looked at the kitchen clock. It was solar powered by the bright sunlight coming through the wide, unadorned kitchen window. "About fourteen hours ago. That doesn't seem too long ago when it's put like that but it feels like weeks."

"You shouldn't be pushing yourself so much, you should be resting, potions can't do everything, you need rest to recover fully Harry." Nasta told him seriously.

"Alright, alright. I'll happily go back to bed after I've eaten something."

"You haven't eaten yet?" Draco asked.

"No."

"Then park your arse and eat something." Draco told him.

Harry smiled and did as he was told, taking the seat next to Draco. The seat that was right beside the bassinet that was parked right next to the end of the table.

"Why is Max still sleeping?" Blaise asked curiously. "He's normally up early and I don't think he's ever slept in so late before."

"He woke up with the baby in the night." Nasta said, cutting over whatever Draco was about to say.

"Oh." Blaise had no idea how to take that comment. He didn't like that someone had gotten up to tend to his son when he himself had been sleeping, regardless of whether it had been potion induced or not.

"I still wouldn't have thought he'd sleep so late." Harry replied between bites of toast and fried egg.

"His family are coming around today so he'll be up. My brother went to get my Dad in Cairo and they will likely be here by this afternoon." Nasta replied.

"Your Dad went on another business trip?"

"He's always on a business trip." Nasta replied with a reminiscent smile.

"You miss travelling the world don't you?"

"Sometimes. I miss seeing different cultures, learning different languages and interacting with different people from around the world."

"Maybe we could all go on holiday together." Harry hedged a bit uncertainly. "I know the baby has just been born, but maybe in a year's time we could possibly go somewhere."

"We have no idea when you could start going on heat. You could start as early as six months' time; you could be pregnant again by next year."

"Oh." Harry replied down heartened. "I'm never going to be able to do anything again, am I?" He asked sadly.

"What makes you say that?" Draco asked.

"If I'm always going to be pregnant, then I'll never be able to do anything I want to do. If we can't even go on holiday together with our children because I'm pregnant, I feel like I'm ruining everything, everyone's plans. The kids are going to hate me."

The three men all made noises of disagreement and smothered him in strong hugs, soothing and reassuring him, but Harry couldn't help but feel that they were empty words. He had hated not being able to go on holiday when he was a child, he had hated being left behind at Mrs Figgs, he had hated the Dursleys for leaving him behind. If he was the thing stopping his children from going on holiday, then they were going to hate him like he had hated the Dursleys.

Harry smiled and thanked his mates for their hugs and kisses, he excused himself as quickly as he could which came in the form of his unnamed son suddenly emitting a smell that would wilt flowers.

"Dear Merlin what have you been feeding him?" Draco asked, who was second closest to the baby after Harry.

"He's only had a few bottles of milk."

"Circe was that milk spoilt and left to ferment for several years?"

Harry frowned as he scooped his son up. "You're going to hurt his feelings!" He chastised.

"Harry he's less than a day old! He doesn't know what we're saying!"

"He can pick up on your negativity!" Harry hissed as he left the kitchen to tend to his dirty son.

"Don't worry sweetie, Mummy still loves you. Mummy will change all of your dirty nappies happily, if only to torture you mercilessly with the knowledge when you're a teenager and bring a girl or boyfriend home."

Harry carried the baby into the bathroom and used the closed down toilet seat as a changing mat, because he had no idea where his mates had put the actual changing table they had bought. He pulled the poppers on the sleepsuit and the bodysuit and hoisted them above his son's waist before he peeled the fastenings on the nappy away from the front of it.

The smell increased and actually made his eyes water as he pulled the nappy from his son's body and set to cleaning him up, thankful that he had insisted on keeping a pack of nappies and wipes in both bathrooms.

"Hell I think Draco was right, we should call you stinky from now on." Harry said as he wiped his son's bum, pulling a face at the thick, greenish-black tar like substance on his baby's skin. "Oh ick! I got it on my fingers!"

Harry's pulled face remained all throughout the cleaning until he had powdered and covered his son with a new nappy. He quickly washed his hands and even used an extra pump of liquid hand soap.

"Your Daddy is seriously going to be changing you next." Harry said as he swaddled his son back in his blanket and headed to the bedroom after chucking the soiled nappy in the bathroom bin. He had handled it as much as he was going to, someone else could change the bins.

Harry smiled at the site of Max spread over the entire bed, sleeping happily on his stomach wearing absolutely nothing, the duvet pooled on the floor, yet hanging on by one foot, the corner twisted around his ankle.

"This is your Daddy Max. He's impossible yet adorable." Harry whispered as he swaddled his son up tighter and placed him in his bassinet before hefting the duvet onto the bed and covering Max with it.

Max grumbled and mumbled into the pillow, his voice muffled by the fabric.

"I didn't quite catch that love." Harry said softly with a grin.

A thickly muscled arm shot out and dragged Harry onto the bed and under the duvet and he was held prisoner there by the same arm and a leg that hooked over his back.

"I said it was on the floor for a reason." Max said more clearly as he removed his face from the pillow, darting forward to give Harry a kiss before dropping his face back into the pillow.

"What reason would that be?" Harry asked, though he could take an educated guess.

"Love it's the middle of August! It's got to be thirty degrees out there!"

"It's twenty-four actually, but there is absolutely no wind, makes it seem hotter." Harry replied as he snuggled up to Max.

"Still too hot for blankets." Max replied, but he made no move to dislodge the duvet that was covering himself and Harry. "It's alright for you, laying on the roof in nothing but your birthday suit, tanning yourself in the sweltering heat, probably feels cool in here to you."

"Keep your voice down or you'll wake the baby."

"Baby's here?" Max asked as he tried to look over his own shoulder to see into the bassinet.

"The baby has been here since yesterday evening yes."

Max flicked his cheek. "You know exactly what I meant. Has Blaise met him?"

"Of course he has, seemed a bit shell shocked really."

"I can't imagine why, he went to sleep and when he wakes up, poof you're back in the house and the baby's here. Poor sod must think he's going mad."

"He seemed fine, like I said a bit shell shocked but he's taken to Fatherhood really well."

"He is the more mature out of the younger doms, no matter how much Draco tries to kid himself and act older he just comes across as…I don't know, naïve isn't really the right word for it, but he just acts younger, like he's been sheltered for his whole life."

"I think he has been sheltered his whole life, his parents really love him. He misses them."

"They'll come around Harry, this isn't your fault. Draco loves you; he wants to be with you. If you gave him a choice between his Mother and Father or you and the baby, he'd choose you."

"He shouldn't have to choose between his lovers and his parents."

"No, no he shouldn't, but his Father pressed the issue and Draco chose anyway. He's made it clear to them that he is with you and isn't leaving, it's up to them now to decide if they want their only son in their lives."

Harry made a small noise of acknowledgement and snuggled into his pillow and further into Max, who groaned and cuddled up tighter.

"I really should be getting up; the others will be wanting breakfast." Max groaned.

"You can stay here with me." Harry purred into Max's ear. "I made breakfast this morning, so you don't have to."

Max shivered before something he thought of made his eyes widen. "Did you wipe down the counters?"

"Max seriously, you wash those counters several times a day! It's not healthy!"

"No! No, no, no, no." Max bolted out of the bed, taking the duvet with him, and ran out of the bedroom, presumably to the kitchen.

Harry sighed and sat up; it looked like he wasn't getting any sleep this morning. He scooped his son up and went to the source of the ruckus.

He found Nasta holding Max with his teeth biting into his neck. It was obvious why as Draco was helping a stunned and slightly pained Blaise from the floor.

"Maximilius Diadesen Maddison, what the hell is wrong with you?" Harry demanded as he went to see if Blaise was alright.

Max shuddered. "You sounded just like my Mother when she was angry."

"I will act like your damned Mother if you carry on, you could have hurt Blaise even more! He doesn't need any other injuries on top of the ones I gave him!"

"It was my fault Prezioso, I should not have gotten so close, I just had to see you, smell you. I was foolish."

Harry smiled at Blaise and kissed him.

"You don't understand!" Max panted as he looked at all the dishes and splotches of food on his countertop, on _that_ countertop.

"Then tell me so I do understand. You were asleep, I was awake and I was hungry, so I made breakfast for once, it's not the end of the world Max. I like cooking too now and then!"

"But the countertop, it's…we…I."

Harry started getting upset and it showed. Nasta stepped in smoothly and held Harry tightly to comfort him.

"What Max is trying to bumble out of his big mouth is that we had sex last night on the countertop, he thought he would be cooking so he didn't wipe it down last night, thinking he'd do it this morning. I believe he is less concerned with you actually cooking, but more with if you actually sterilised the counter before you started cooking."

"It would serve you all right if I hadn't! Having sex without me."

"I was still out of it on sleeping potions." Blaise shrugged. "I had no idea either."

Harry looked to Draco, who went faintly pink.

"I watched them from the kitchen table."

"I feel a bit left out, don't you Blaise?"

Blaise nodded to Harry's question, but he chuckled slightly as he caught on to what Harry was implying.

"You're going to be too sore for sex for a few days." Nasta shot down immediately. "Either giving or receiving." He added as Harry opened his mouth. "You'll do damage to your healing stomach muscles."

Harry huffed and cuddled his son tighter. "I know when I'm not wanted. I'm going to bed; at least my baby will still touch me."

"Harry…"

But Harry carried on up the stairs. He grinned to himself, perhaps in a few days his mates would be wound up enough to give him what he wanted, until then he'd play the sexually frustrated submissive to a tee, he was going to tease his mates into a sexual frenzy, or insanity, whichever one came first.

* * *

Nasta was getting a headache. Draco and Max were arguing in the kitchen and Blaise had gone off to another room after Harry had sulkily gone to bed. He needed a headache potion, or some pleasurable release, whichever came first, though if Harry had his way he'd be taking headache potions for the rest of his life.

He had to get away from the two twits in the kitchen, he hoped their argument didn't escalate or get louder, the last thing he wanted to hear right now was the shrill cries of a newborn baby. His head wouldn't be able to take the pain.

He wandered into the living room to find Blaise sitting on the settee a bit dejectedly. He hadn't thought for a moment that Blaise would feel hurt by him, Max and Draco having sex, even if Draco had only been watching and masturbating.

He sat down beside him and threw an arm around his shoulders, but Blaise pushed him off before turning to look at him with such a look on his face. Nasta felt his stomach drop, he liked Blaise, loved him even, he didn't want to be on the receiving end of such a look from one he loved.

"Do you think I'm a submissive?" Blaise demanded, his accent going thicker in his anger.

"No, of course not Blaise." Nasta replied immediately.

"Don't lie! You all treat me as lesser, you treat me like Harry, like I'm easy to break, so I got hurt. I can handle it! I don't need to be mollycoddled! So I like receiving as much as giving, does that make me a lesser man? A lesser dominant that the rest of you?"

Nasta sighed, he knew now what this was about and he twisted to face Blaise.

"We don't see you as a submissive Blaise, we don't see you as lesser, I certainly don't. I take care of you because I love you. I pamper you because it makes _me_ feel better, I pamper Harry, I pamper you, I pamper Max as much as he allows me to and I'd pamper Draco if he'd let me. It has nothing to do with seeing you as lesser or more submissive, you are just more secure in who you are and what you want than the other two hot heads in the kitchen, so you allow me to do more, which makes me happy."

"So you don't think I'm a lesser man just because I like being topped? Because I wouldn't fight for dominance and willingly allowed the three of you to become more dominant than I am?"

Nasta chuckled and pulled Blaise forward with a hand to the back of his head, resting their foreheads together.

"You are not a lesser man for going after what you want. Fighting doesn't prove that you're a man Blaise; it proves that you're an idiot by having your head knocked around by other idiots. You said it yourself, you allowed us to become dominant to you, we didn't earn that place. For all we know you could be a martial arts genius and hand our arses to us in a fight, but you didn't fight us, so we'll never know. That doesn't make you weaker, lesser or submissive, it makes you smart."

Blaise smiled and relaxed against Nasta. He felt better knowing that the older man didn't see him as weak, that he didn't consider him lesser. An arm came around him and pulled him into a cuddle. He went to break the hold, but then thought better of it; he was not an insecure woman! The other man had said he wasn't weak, was having a cuddle really such a weakness?

Nasta smiled happily as Blaise settled down in his arms after a moment of tension. Perhaps now Blaise would accept his cwtches more readily. He was a loving guy, he liked hugs, he likes kisses, he had four men around him and it pained him that only one of them readily accepted his shows of affection and love. He wanted to be able to walk up to Draco and hold him from behind like honeymoon lovers, he wanted to hold hands with Max now and then just because he liked the contact, he wanted to sit cuddled up with Blaise like he was now, but they often snubbed him, brushed him off or turned him away, not always, but often enough that it upset him. He wanted to care for them, to love them to his fullest extent and he would, if only they'd let him.

Nasta shifted his body to lay on the settee and pulled Blaise on top of him, still holding him tightly, slightly afraid that if he let him go he'd move away from his hug. He grimaced as his movement caused a spike of pain to sear through his head.

"What's wrong?" Blaise asked.

"Headache." Nasta grunted.

"Why don't you get a headache potion for it?"

"I locked Max ad Draco in the kitchen because they're fighting like babies."

Blaise grinned and Nasta felt his heart speed up just a bit. "I heard that really good sex cures headaches, it's apparently what Muggles use instead of potions."

Nasta chuckled and pulled Blaise into a kiss. Usually Blaise let him take claim to his mouth, but today, today Blaise fought back with everything he had and Nasta found himself panting, out of breath as Blaise mapped out his mouth with his tongue.

"You want to take the dominant role today Blaise?" Nasta asked, or rather offered to the younger man.

"You…you'd let me top you? Why?"

"Because I'm thirty-seven Blaise. I know who I am and what I want out of life, I don't mind bottoming to those I love because it won't change anything for me. Making love to those you love so deeply is making love to those you love no matter who is on top or who is on bottom, it'll still be love making. I'm not half as insecure as the rest of you, I don't care, I don't try to find a deeper meaning to it, I don't over analyse it, it's love making and I love you, there's no need to analyse anything, there is nothing _too_ analyse. I love you, end of story."

Blaise smiled and moved to kiss Nasta more forcefully. Nasta shoved his knee under Blaise's body and lifted the smaller and lighter man until he was fully on top of him, proving that he had absolutely no problems with the other man dominating him, and he didn't. Nasta really could care less if he was on top or being topped as long as he was connected to those he loved.

Blaise was slightly unsure of himself, he had topped Harry, of course, but Nasta was a lot different to the small and slight Harry. How awkward would it be to have sex with a man bigger than he was?

"Stop thinking so much about it." Nasta coached him. "You do love me don't you?"

"Of course." Blaise replied immediately. "I love all of you."

"Then let your love dictate your actions."

* * *

**Sex scene has been removed! Located on other sites.**

* * *

"Now that was love making." Nasta said with a grin, pulling Blaise into a kiss.

Blaise moaned his protest at being moved.

"I feel like I've been hit by the Knight bus."

"That's how real sex should feel after every coupling, that ache is how you know you've pleasured your lover to your fullest capacity."

"No wonder your abdomen is like steel if you do it like that every single time you have sex."

Nasta laughed full throatedly and made Blaise shiver.

"It's not just the stomach that gets a work out." Nasta said with a grin, indicating his muscled arms and thick thighs.

"I ache all over so I can't tell which areas I've worked out, but if I keep this up and end up looking like you, I'll be a very happy man."

Nasta laughed again and pulled Blaise into a cwtch.

"I think I took all your aches into my own body." Blaise moaned.

"What do you mean?"

"You don't have your headache anymore do you?"

Nasta startled at that. "No. No I don't." He laughed again in wonderment. "All those women that said no to sex because of headaches, they should have just accepted the natural remedy. Muggles have it right, fuck potions; I want sex every time I have a headache."

"In this house you'd never be out of bed." Blaise teased.

"Maybe that's the point."

It was Blaise's turn to laugh and Nasta lay on the settee and watched the laughter light up Blaise's eyes; transform his face into a young, happy man. He looked gorgeous with his face lit up with laughter.

He pulled a startled Blaise into a long kiss, more of a snog really as he pushed his tongue into Blaise's mouth, his body twitching with renewed heat.

"I don't think I can do that again." Blaise said a hint of regret in his voice.

"You can't, but I can." Nasta purred as he grabbed Blaise and rolled them off of the settee and onto the floor.

* * *

**More sex which has been removed! **

* * *

Harry woke up to a noise that he didn't recognise. It took him several moments to realise his baby son was crying. He rolled out of bed, stumbling with his grogginess and scooped his son into his arms.

"Are you wet or hungry love?" He croaked his mouth dry. He looked around for a glass of water before realising that he hadn't brought one up with him. He cursed silently.

He lay back on the bed and brought his crying baby with him, he checked his nappy to find him wet. He looked around before noticing the changing table in the corner of the room. He sent a silent thanks of gratitude to whoever was looking over him and got up and walked to the changing table. He put his crying baby gently down and pulled apart the poppers to the sleepsuit and the bodysuit.

He changed his son and double checked that he hadn't missed any part of his body with the wipe, he never wanted his son to suffer with nappy rash, he had heard from Mrs Weasley that it could get quite bad and quite painful. He powdered his son's little bottom and clad him in a new nappy, taking the sleepsuit and bodysuit off of him completely, now he knew where the changing table was, he could change his son's clothes.

He pulled open a draw and got a new bodysuit out, carefully slipped his baby's head into the clothing before shimmying it down his body, pushing the poppers together before digging around to find a tiny pair of light blue cotton trousers and a tiny little white tee-shirt, the both of them bought by Nasta.

Harry fought to get a pair of socks onto his son's tiny feet and finished the outfit off with matching scratch mitts and a little hat.

"That was a struggle wasn't it love?" He asked as he swaddled the little boy back into a blanket and scooped him to his chest, making obsessively sure that he supported his baby's head.

Every step was carefully measured, he made sure he had his full weight on his foot before he moved his other foot, making sure he kept his balance. It was slower to get anywhere this way, but he was so paranoid it was worth it.

"You sweetie, need a name." Harry told the blinking baby boy, those huge baby blue eyes tracking every curve of his face. "I like the name Braiden. Do you want to be a Braiden? Braiden Blaise Enzo Zabini."

Harry grinned, feeling proud of himself for coming up with the name by himself.

"Braiden Blaise Enzo Zabini, a name all for your own, a name after your Father, and one after the grandfather you'll never know and the Father your Daddy never knew." Harry said sadly, his heart going out to Blaise.

He went down stairs and as he past the living room door he stopped and did a double take at the entwined bodies in front of the fire.

"Seriously?" He asked and their heads snapped to him. "Maybe I should just lock myself in the bedroom and keep myself company with Ginny's new toys. I thought we had an understanding Blaise? You would take me first, the first one in how many months has it been? I'm bound to be virgin tight again, oh well your loss."

Harry carried onto the kitchen as the other two scrambled to get into their clothes. He grinned. He wasn't upset at all, a bit hot under the collar at seeing two very handsome, gorgeous men spread out together on a rug in front of a lit fireplace, but not at all angry, he'd get sex one way or another, he just wanted to know who would snap first.

He opened the kitchen door and the noise from behind it startled both him and the baby that had been quiet in his arms.

"SHUT UP!" He yelled, holding his son to his chest protectively. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

Max and Draco were red cheeked and shouting hell at each other. Nasta came to his shoulder and held him around the waist, one hand on the top of his baby's head.

"You're still at it? What on earth has you riled up enough to shout for two hours at one another?"

"Draco said Harry's cooking is better than mine." Max pouted.

"That is what you're arguing about?" Harry asked incredulously as he bounced the baby in his arms lightly to sooth him, moving to make a bottle for him but being beaten to it by Max.

"I just wanted to rile him up." Draco admitted with a pink blush.

"For Merlin's sake, why?"

Draco mumbled and Blaise, who was closest, burst out laughing and Draco went an even brighter pink, the brightest Harry had seen him.

"Come on, spill, I wanna know what has you blushing so brightly."

"Max looks sexy when he's angry." Draco bit out in a rush.

"So you deliberately wound him up with something you knew would anger him just to arouse yourself?" Nasta clarified.

"I guess."

"Oh you are so going to bend over for me." Max growled as he shook the bottle to mix the formula powder and the hot water.

Draco's receding blush came back and Max's face lit up like a kid on Christmas Day.

"You _want_ to bend over for me, don't you?"

Draco tried to struggle for nonchalance but the blush gave him away.

"Does no one want to be with me anymore?" Harry pouted as he held the bottle for his suckling baby son, Braiden. "I know I had a baby, but I cut him out, I didn't actually birth him, I'm still as tight as ever, perhaps tighter as I haven't had sex in months!"

"I'd love to have you." Draco put in.

Harry grinned. "You take me whilst Max takes you, Nasta and Blaise can have each other as they've so recently been sated."

Draco chuckled and came over for a hug, kissing the baby on his full, apple cheek as he suckled the milk from the bottle.

"Have you thought any more on names Harry? He can't remain nameless for much longer."

"I have thought of a name, I think it's perfect." Harry answered.

"Well don't leave us in suspense Harry, what's his name?" Max asked.

"Braiden." Harry answered. "Braiden Blaise Enzo Zabini."

Harry watched Blaise as he said the name, watching his face fall slack with shock before tears welled up in his eyes as he came to hold Harry and his son tightly, wrapping his arms completely around them.

"Ti amo mio amore. Ti amo." Blaise whispered lovingly, laying his head on Harry's.

"I love you Blaise. I don't feel like I say it enough, but I do. I love you. I love all of you."

The baby was eased from his arms and held to Max's huge chest, one large hand completely covering the baby's head and part of his back.

"Braiden huh? Welcome to the family little one. You don't know us yet, but you will. We love you so much; we will always protect you and look out for you, even when you're old and grey. I'm your Daddy Max; this knucklehead is your Daddy Nasta, that's Daddy Draco, Mummy Harry and your wonderful Daddy Blaise."

Harry chuckled as Max turned the baby's body to face each of them, the baby blinking slowly at them as if he thought they were all fools.

"Either he's constipated or he thinks you're a dim-witted ogre." Draco commented as he carefully took the baby from Max and went to sit at the table, the morning paper open on the wooden surface.

"Shall we go with dim-witted ogre?" Harry asked with a grin.

Max launched at him and hefted him over one massive shoulder so he was upside down staring at Max's bum.

"You're not pregnant anymore Harry, you're mine."

"Stop laying claim to all of us like we're dogs!" Harry tried to chastise, but he was laughing so much it ruined the effect; instead he took to pinching Max's bum, which was more effective seeing as Max was only wearing a pair of small shorts and a tight tee-shirt.

"When did you get dressed anyway? Last I saw you; you were in your skin, ranting about your counters."

"You were sleeping like a baby with Braiden; you didn't hear me come in."

"Oh! Am I interrupting?"

Harry looked to the doorway, where Blaise's Mum Marianna was standing, looking as tall as ever, muscle bound yet flawlessly lovely in a practical summer dress made of a light, earthy blue cotton which brought out hints of the colour in her violet eyes.

"Mum!" Blaise cried out happily as he embraced her and let her hold him back.

Harry smiled happily at the scene, having being righted by Max. It warmed him to know that Blaise was still so affectionate to his Mother; he hoped his son was that affectionate towards him at seventeen.

"I heard my little grandson was born, where is he?"

Blaise grinned and accepted Braiden from Draco and, after a look from Harry, who nodded his assent, passed the baby over to his Mother.

"Oh he's gorgeous Blaise. I can tell immediately that he's yours, he has your eyes." Marianna said.

"Harry named him." Blaise told her as Marianna bounced the day old baby in her arms.

"Well are you waiting for me to beg Blaise? Tell me my little grandson's name."

"Braiden Blaise Enzo Zabini."

Marianna's arms stilled as she heard her mate's middle name. She swallowed and smiled bravely as she resumed her bouncing.

"I think your Father would have been very smug to hear that you had named his grandson after him."

"I hope it makes him happy."

"It would have darling. It would have made him very, very happy."

"Where's Josiah?"

"He's still in France; I left as soon as I was showered and dressed when I was told this morning that Braiden had arrived, I forgot to inform him. I'm a bit late as I popped over to Toulouse to get you a gift Harry."

Harry went pink as he was presented with a box wrapped in bright blue paper and tied up with a white ribbon. He quickly opened it and smiled happily at the assortment of baby clothes inside the box. He didn't really need any more, but he would make it a point to dress Braiden in the clothes his Grandmother had bought him.

Blaise chuckled and brushed his fingers against his son's cheek. His heart ached with love for the small baby in his Mother's arms. Braiden, his son, a part of his whole world.

"My Dad will be coming over today, I sent Sanex to Cairo yesterday to get him from his meeting." Nasta said.

"You shouldn't have dragged him from his work meeting, won't he be angry?" Harry fretted.

"Cariad, he'd be furious if I _hadn't_ interrupted his meeting with the news of his first grandson's birth. This is something that he'd want to be disturbed over, family first, everything else second."

"Did you floo call my parents?" Draco asked in a small voice that didn't suit the blonde one bit.

"I did, I spoke to your Mother, she assured me she would give us space to bond with the baby and then come over today." Nasta answered.

"My family will be back over today as well; they were never going to leave us alone for too long. Maybe it would be better to set up a few tables and chairs on the back lawn? I could get a gazebo to protect the baby from the sun." Max said thoughtfully.

"That's an idea; do you have more than the kitchen table?"

Max snorted incredulously. "I have a large family, a large family that comes over often. I have four picnic benches in the outbuilding."

"Go set them up, Draco go and help." Nasta ordered.

"What are you going to be doing?" Draco grumbled.

"Getting blankets to put on the grass and tablecloths for the benches." Nasta replied with a raised eyebrow.

Harry chuckled and hopped onto the kitchen table.

"You get your peachy behind off of my table!" Max hollered from the back garden.

Harry full out laughed as he wiggled his bum around instead of removing it. Marianna let out a tinkling laugh as she handed Braiden back to Harry.

Blaise lifted him carefully from the table and set him on his feet. Harry covered his baby as much as he could; made sure his hat was pulled over his head and went outside, he opted to sit on the blanket covered ground with Braiden rather than the picnic benches with Marianna, Draco and Max. Nasta sat behind him, cradling his body with his strong legs; Harry reclined against him as Blaise sat beside them both. The soft noises of the summer, the light conversation and the soothing feeling of Nasta drawing patterns on his arm with his fingertips lulled Harry into a peaceful, tranquil state as he held Braiden reclined against his chest. His gut clenched lightly and Harry got the feeling that the peace wouldn't last much longer as he spied two heads of platinum blonde hair being led out of the back door by a house elf.

* * *

Thanks to **reviewer** for being the **3,700th ****reviewer.**

**gobert**: Any of them can discipline the children, but they won't use the same punishment techniques as they do with mates, for example Nasta won't bite his children, Max won't pull their hair or anything like that, they will likely just put them in the 'naughty corner' or take away a favoured toy, something like that. No I don't have kids yet, just two half-nephews and a half-niece that I babysit often. I also had a job from the age of sixteen to eighteen working as a private nursery nurse, the youngest child there was eight months old.

**HariSan712**: The babies being Drackens are completely random, it's been mentioned several times that the Dracken genes pick and choose who they want to show in. Harry's power has no effect on his children becoming Drackens, after all I would have said that Sirius was smarter and more powerful that his baby brother Regulus, yet it was Regulus that got the Dracken inheritance and not Sirius.

**Dolphindreamer**: It was explained in a previous chapter by Nasta himself that his Dad was so protective because his submissive died. He had lost his mate, he would not lose his children as well, it only got worse after Angharad, his daughter, died, he was left with his two younger children, his two sons, who he became so over protective of it was a miracle that he never attached bells and GPS locators to them, or the wizard equivalent of them.

I've also mentioned that Dracken pregnancies are incredibly delicate and fragile, any jolting around, like sex, could dislodge the sac that carried the baby causing a miscarriage. Which was why his mates were so protective of him and wouldn't let anyone push into him.

**DreamsofPurpleRoses**: It's already been said that the baby will go to a family member. They would most certainly not feed the baby a sleeping potion and leave him in another room for six days. The baby would likely be poisoned, would die well before the six days were over from lack of food and water and just no. The baby will be looked after properly by a family member.

**Tambry**: Huh, that's a good idea actually to avoid that new law. Using the Dementors to suck the soul from offending dominants that are mated, yet it makes me think that having their mate as a soulless shell would cause the submissive more distress and would essentially depress them and drive them to suicide.

**cyne**: Of course your suggestions, very, very good suggestions at that, were taken seriously, I take all of my readers criticisms', requests, scene ideas etc. seriously. I'm glad that the kitchen scene was how you pictured it; I was aiming for your approval. Any more ideas you have throw them at me and I'll try and work them in, you're a source of inspiration.

**Siblings-Curse**: I was gifted the idea of the Drackens by Beautiful Kaos. To my knowledge she is the creator of the Drackens and I have no idea where they came from, I just adopted them. All of the little tid-bits for the Drackens comes straight from my imagination, from my perception of them and how I wanted them to turn out to be.

A Dracken will always want fresh meat; they prefer it warm, the blood still hot. It's the difference between eating a freshly cooked steak and eating the same steak that's been left on a table for three days stone cold. Plus the dominants want to feel like they're doing something.

**MommysSissyGirl**: I thought it was obvious that Myron was the top dominant in his triad.

**angelsarah22**: This has already been answered in a previous chapter. I've explained several times that if Harry gets pregnant with multiples that any of the dominants can be the Father, for example if Harry got pregnant with a clutch of five, two could be Max's, one could be Draco's, one could be Blaise's and one could be Nasta's or any variation in between and they would still be considered quince because they were all born from the same clutch that was conceived together, but one baby will never have more than one Mother (Harry) and one Father (One of the Dominants) for example if Harry had one child, Draco and Max couldn't both be the baby's biological Father, only one of them could.

**lil joker**: No, Harry wouldn't get jealous. He's not really the jealous type, at least not between his own mates, but if someone tried hitting on one of his mates then that person had better run.

**Erinicus**: Yes children, babies, toddlers of Drackens that go into heat are looked after by family members or friends of the family if a family member isn't available.

**ZoeMalemba**: No one stitched Harry back up after his Caesarean; it was mentioned several times throughout the story that his mates' blood would seal the wound he had created. The duration of time that passed between Harry cutting himself open and drinking the blood would dictate if he had a scar or not, Harry drank the blood in time so he has no scar.

**Asteria Riddle**: No, Harry will not have any more mates now. Those four as his all. The baby was born on the fourteenth of August. Harry's mates will indeed be going back with him to Hogwarts; they already have their rooms there from the previous year. Harry has no scarring from the birth; he drank the blood in time. You'll learn more about the baby in later chapters, including what he looks like. You can consider this an early birthday present if you'd like because I will not be able to get another one out in two days. Happy Birthday.

**Libra9396: **No, what was actually said was that certain wizards could get pregnant, I explained my theory that Male submissive Drackens are 'created' if you will by being born wizards with the ability to become pregnant, so become submissive Drackens.

Harry can get pregnant out of heat if his body temperature is raised high enough, for example if he has sex in a hot tub, heated swimming pool, sauna etc. But it is easier and much more likely that he'll get pregnant whilst on heat as his body heats up to the perfect conceiving temperature.

**GrasshopperKnight: **I can't remember if this has come up before or not, but a submissive cannot have sex with a human without losing their ability to conceive, their Dracken magic won't let them conceive a 'weak' child so it shuts down their reproductive organs, the same goes for dominant females, like, as you guessed, with Blaise's Mum Marianna. A dominant male however can have sex with whomever he wants and get whoever he pleases pregnant. A male submissive wouldn't be able to get a human girl pregnant, again his Dracken magic wouldn't allow it, the magic would turn him sterile, effectively just wiping out his sperm until he fired blanks.

If a Dracken was sexually assaulted that resulted in rape, they would still be barren. Their Dracken wouldn't be able to differentiate between forced and consensual, but bear in mind that a Dracken has magic, fangs, claws, wings for flight and venom, a human attacker is not likely to ever be able to sexually assault a submissive in this manner, they wouldn't be able to get close enough to do it before they'd be killed.

**Emerauldessence**: How did it not make sense? You are the only reader who seems to think so; do you seriously think that I 'forgot' about levitation when it is perhaps the most fundamental spell in the entire series? Everyone who even knows of Harry Potter knows of the levitation spell. Harry can smell the magic around him, in the air, on the people and he'd definitely smell it on a dead animal that suddenly appears in his nest. He knows the meat given to him 'by potentially hostile Drackens' is alright to eat because he can smell that it's alright to eat, what could possibly have been done to it? He'd smell poison, he's pick up on a potion, I'm sure he'd notice if there were knives imbedded in it, he wasn't going to pass up on free food when it was given to him.

You obviously weren't reading closely enough as I never once said they spent the entire of Harry's time in the nest in Dracken form, just that they pulled out their Dracken forms when going near Harry as he can very easily kill them in their human form, in Dracken form they have more protection from his claws, teeth and more importantly his venom, what's hard to understand about that?

You wanted them to stand on the other end of the roof and throw things at him? A heavily pregnant, very protective Dracken whose about to give birth? They might as well cut off their own heads and roll it to him whilst they're at it, what you seem to not get is that Harry _can_ leave his nest if absolutely threatened, he isn't going to sit pretty in his nest whilst he's attacked and he would have attacked any of them if they had stood there throwing things at him, even if it was food.

As for Amelle, that is exactly the point I was trying to make. She cares for her baby enough to refuse her own Mother-in-law visitation rights, which all Grandparents have. Her instincts tell her that Ashleigh is a threat and she reacts to that and shields her daughter, it was never about the baby. Amelle is a bit of a snobby bitch and Caesar knows that because she's his Wife, Amelle has never liked Ashleigh, they just clash like some people do, Caesar thinks that Amelle isn't letting Ashleigh near the baby through spite, he'd never abuse her, he loves her, it's all a misunderstanding, though Ashleigh knows exactly what she's doing, she doesn't like Amelle and doesn't think she's the right woman for her youngest son.

**Nachtnelke**: Harry followed the advice of an elder Dracken; you can't blame him if Snape gave him a sinister bit of advice to follow. Harry didn't mean to make his mates guilty; he just wanted them to see that they were harming the baby in a way that would stick in their minds so it didn't happen again in the future. Oh and it was Chapter twenty-two and I'm never too busy to read each and every review sent and give a reply if it's required.

**unneeded:** The submissive instinct tells them that Ashleigh is unstable and is a possible threat to their children and they react to that, Amelle listens to her Dracken instincts and shields the baby from the possible threat, Harry uses logic and his human mind to weigh the possibility of risk and decided that Ashleigh wasn't a risk and shoved down his instincts. If there was an active threat, say a male wielding a knife, their Dracken instincts would completely take over and they wouldn't have a choice, but because Ashleigh is a possible threat and not an active one, they keep their human minds, but their Drackens try to butt in. Hermione got booted out along with everyone else, Max didn't want anyone there.

**Sanity**: It's mostly an age thing. Draco has never been comfortable with the older dominants and tried to stop Harry going near them when Harry was looking for potential mates, he's getting better. His distance is mainly due to having other things on his mind, like gaining the acceptance of his parents. Also both Max and Nasta work, so they are often out of the house. Blaise is just a quiet, reserved person, he gets on better with the older dominants and he loves them, but he isn't a very social person. Ron will not be finding out any time in the foreseeable future, the others have been sworn to secrecy oaths.

**Jazz**: The fluid that came out of the sac that Harry punctured and ripped to reach the baby was amniotic fluid, the stuff that cushions the baby and protects it in the womb, feeds the baby in the first weeks of conception through osmosis, aids the growth of the foetus and also helps the foetus' lungs, muscular development and helps insulate the foetus from heat loss, so it's very important. It's amniotic fluid that comes out when a pregnant woman's 'water's break'.

**chachamaru43**: I'll give you your scene, but first I need to know about the place you live. Tourist attractions, any scenery, places to visit, what it looks like, if there are any famous buildings, museums or statues, if there are any beaches etc. Any help you could give would be appreciated!

**reviewer**: Thank you so much for all the wonderful reviews! Some stuck out more than others though especially the song your philosophy professor made you listen to. Du hast from the album Sehnsucht. Rammstein are a band very close to my heart. I have all their albums, listen to them religiously and have been to four live shows. No one does a live show quite like Rammstein!

As for the words are only words and only hurt if you let them. I fully agree. How can a word, a bunch of letters, hurt anyone? They say words can cut as deep as a knife, but I've never known this to be true, though I've never been stabbed, so either being stabbed doesn't hurt, or whoever made up that saying was a liar. Words only hurt if you let them. People can only verbally hurt you if you give them the power to let their words hurt you and I'll never let anyone tell me otherwise.

StarLight Massacre. X


	42. I Promise The Truce

_Last Time_

_Blaise lifted him carefully from the table and set him on his feet. Harry covered his baby as much as he could; made sure his hat was pulled over his head and went outside, he opted to sit on the blanket covered ground with Braiden rather than the picnic benches with Marianna, Draco and Max. Nasta sat behind him, cradling his body with his strong legs; Harry reclined against him as Blaise sat beside them both. The soft noises of the summer, the light conversation and the soothing feeling of Nasta drawing patterns on his arm with his fingertips lulled Harry into a peaceful, tranquil state as he held Braiden reclined against his chest. His gut clenched lightly and Harry got the feeling that the peace wouldn't last much longer as he spied two heads of platinum blonde hair being led out of the back door by a house elf._

Chapter Forty-Two – I Promise; The Truce

"Draco." Harry called out softly and nodded to the two approaching blondes as his only blonde mate turned to look at him questioningly.

Draco let out a sigh as he spotted his parents and stood from the bench and went to meet and greet his parents. Harry held Braiden tightly, leaning against Nasta as the elder Malfoys walked towards them with Draco.

Harry was very, very tense as Draco led his parents over to him and Braiden, it was only Narcissa who looked even remotely interested as she primly folded her skirt under her knees and knelt down to chuck Braiden under his chin.

"He is not Draco's." She announced surely.

"No. He's Blaise's. His name is Braiden." Harry answered as politely as he could, Nasta rubbed his back, part in comfort, part in praise and Harry relaxed slightly.

"It's not too late to end this…_relationship_, Draco." Lucius Malfoy drawled. "The baby isn't yours. You have no obligation to stay."

Harry felt his heart stop and his stomach take up residence in his knees. He couldn't believe the audacity of this man, to walk into his house, well Max's house, and actually suggest that Draco should leave them in front of all of them, in front of him.

"It was never about the baby." Draco answered a bit stiffly. "I love them, the baby was just another person for me to love and though Braiden isn't mine, I love him like my own, I treat him like my own."

"I do not understand your reasoning Draco. You have no reason to stay here with them and feel second best. Astoria was willing to be the only woman in your life, she would bear your children, you wouldn't have to guess which baby had your blood."

"He wouldn't have to." Harry hissed. "We're Drackens, we can scent out who has fathered our children."

Lucius Malfoy clenched at the mention of Drackens and Harry felt his anger go up a notch. He breathed in deeply and coached himself to remain calm. He did not want his baby son to witness his Mother go ape shit on anyone, it didn't matter that Braiden couldn't possibly ever remember it happening.

"Would you like something to drink?" Max asked politely, but very stiffly and there was a glint in his eyes that said he would rather pour their preferred drinks over their heads, but he had offered none the less.

"Tea would be acceptable." Narcissa answered as she stood up again, tall and proud next to her Husband.

Max nodded and made a hasty retreat, Harry would have called it cowardice, but it wasn't, not really, Max couldn't trust himself not to punch Lucius Malfoy in the face if he stayed, so he left before the temptation became too great.

Draco offered his parents seats, but neither of them moved, they replied politely when Marianna greeted them, but didn't offer up conversation. The fresh, outdoors air was thick and heady with tension by the time Max came back with a teapot covered by a tea cosy and a tray full of porcelain cups.

"How do you like your tea?" He asked distantly.

Harry was so tense that he could feel each muscle tighten under his skin. He hated dancing around anyone, hated stepping on egg shells, he wanted the tension gone and if the Malfoys had to go for that to happen then he wanted them gone.

Braiden fussed for his feed at midday and it was about that time when Max's garden was suddenly flooded with every member of his family. Harry finished feeding the baby, burped him and let him be passed around, watching with amusement as he was carefully, but viciously fought over like he was the only slice of cake at a birthday party.

Aneirin and Sanex were there next, seemingly like they had popped up out of the ground whilst Harry had been talking to Talia. Aneirin hugged him right off his feet and it made Harry laugh happily, but what really surprised Harry was when Caesar showed up around two in the afternoon, pulling a tall, pretty woman who had her arms clamped around a pink shawl.

Harry shifted and assessed the woman through narrowed eyes, before he turned his head and the need to show off Braiden to her was gone. His son was not a prized horse to be tugged around and scrutinised by strangers.

"Pushing away your natural instincts again?" A deep, dark, rich toned voice asked.

Harry smiled up at Myron and looked back at the woman who could only be Amelle.

"I have nothing to prove to her." Harry answered. "I have my baby, she has hers. I'm obviously going to think Braiden is the best, the cutest, the smartest, the most adorable and she is obviously going to think the same of her daughter. There is no competition; it would just be a waste of time and energy which I really don't have at the minute."

Myron slung an arm the size of a tree branch around him and held him tightly.

"That's what I love about you Harry, you think with reason, you don't let your animalistic tendencies take over, too many of the natural Dracken instincts are outdated, even archaic in today's modern era, yet you use your human logic to overpower your instincts. It gives me hope that finally submissives are moving into the twenty-first century."

"Are dominants in the twenty-first century?" Harry asked curiously.

Myron let out a deep chuckle. "Yes. We had to be or we'd either all be dead or in prison. In the past a dominant would not have allowed anyone to look upon his submissive, he'd take it as a challenge for his mate and he'd kill them, how many people have looked at you, given you eye contact, touched you since you became mated? All of them would be dead right about now a few hundred years ago. He wouldn't have allowed his submissive the freedoms that they have now. A submissive would not be permitted to leave the home for any reason, some dominants refused to allow their submissives from the top floor of their homes."

"Why?" Harry asked appalled.

"Protection and safety were the main reasons, we are a very secretive race Harry, perhaps not with one another, but with strange humans, that was for protection as well, they began fearing us, hating us, they came after us with weapons and fire." Myron turned his head to look into the captivated eyes of his son-in-law. "They wanted to exterminate us. So we hid ourselves, we became distrustful of them, of course this was thousands of years ago, but much hasn't changed in that regard. Humans still don't accept us; they still seek to exterminate us."

"Why do they hate us so much?"

"Because we can kill them Harry." Myron told him. "Humans fear death; they kill everything that threatens to wipe out their tenuous existence. We are so much more powerful than they are, so much faster and stronger, so very deadly and aggressive. Plus we make great trophies."

Harry looked at Myron aghast.

"Think about it Harry, humans hunt the tigers and lions into extinction, the white rhino, the elephants, it doesn't matter the rarer the animal the more they want one in their collection, the more they want the fur, the tusks and the skin. We are rare creatures Harry. Like the tiger or the lion, we are hunted, poached for our scales, some collectors, who don't want to sell our scales for money, will just harvest us as we are, they will hack off our whole wings from the shoulder joint and put them on display."

"Not scaring the boy are you Myron?" Aneirin asked a hint of warning in his voice as he hugged Harry tightly.

"No, I'm just explaining why humans fear us and why they would kill us if given half a chance, whether directly or indirectly."

Aneirin snorted. "Not hard to work it out. What with the Ministry imposing tighter and tighter leashes on 'dark creatures' others are bound to lash out and then our whole race is coloured by one person's actions. We don't judge them for all the murderers, rapists and kiddie snatchers their race has, why are we any different?"

"It's that foul woman Umbridge that's the problem." Myron stated. "And Fudge, if we didn't have such completely incompetent politicians who can't see past their own noses and discriminations the world would be a much better place."

"Why don't you run for Minister?" Harry asked curiously.

"I can't. My name is linked to an unsolved murder." Myron replied mildly.

Harry frowned and just looked at Myron curiously, willing him desperately to carry on.

"There's not much to tell Harry. I was accused of murder twenty-one years ago, but through lack of evidence I was never convicted. Because no one else has ever been imprisoned or even accused over it, the case has gone cold, but it's still open. My name is the only one linked to this murder, the opposition would rip me apart, I would lose all votes of confidence from the public and I would endanger myself and my family."

Blaise walked over with a sleeping Braiden tucked into the crook of his arm. Harry couldn't keep the grin from his face as he watched Blaise be an overprotective, loving Father as he brushed aside one of Max's sisters gently, exclaiming that he just wanted to hold his son for a while longer. Julinda practically melted with suppressed squeals.

"How are you Blaise?" Harry asked as he kissed Braiden, making no move to take the baby from his Father, which made Blaise grin.

"I'm soaking up the love and warmth that seems to surround our son on a permanent basis."

Harry chuckled and hugged Blaise, carefully sandwiching Braiden between them.

"He is a cute little one." Aneirin praised stroking a pale cheek peeking out from under the little visor of the soft cotton hat that Harry had put on Braiden's head.

"Where is Draco?" Harry asked as he once again scanned for the blonde, but the only blondes that seemed to be in the garden were Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy, Julinda and Ashleigh.

"Nasta took him into the orchard to calm down. His Father is upsetting him more than he wants to let on to others."

Harry steeled his face into a grimace and he felt his already tight muscles, tighten up more. He let out a soft hiss of anger.

He ignored the others and strode over to Lucius Malfoy and tapped him on the shoulder. The tall man turned to look, before he exaggeratedly looked down at Harry, implying he was shorter than he actually was and beneath the man's notice.

"Can I have a word with you in private?" Harry ground out from between clenched teeth.

Lucius Malfoy raised a perfect eyebrow and let his eyes rove over his person. It was only the thought that a few hundred years ago his mates would have torn his head from his shoulders for looking at him at all, let alone for how the man was doing now, that helped Harry keep his anger in check.

"I presume it will not be for long?" Lucius drawled.

Harry swallowed back the slew of insults and the blinding rage as he looked past Lucius Malfoy and picked out a spot of platinum blonde pillowed on a speck of light grey in the distant orchard. The same light grey that was the colour of the tee shirt Nasta was wearing.

"It'll take as long as needed." Harry replied, his voice cracking under the strain of keeping back his anger.

Lucius made a noise in the back of his throat and started walking towards a deserted part of the garden. Harry cleared his throat and motioned into the house.

"When I said private, I meant it."

Harry had expected a fight, but Lucius followed him without a word. He looked faintly amused and was likely only humouring him, but Harry had a point to get across and by god he was going to get it across to the stubborn man.

Harry led Lucius into the more private of the living rooms which was opposite the first, more used living room which was connected to the floo.

They stood there staring at each other and Lucius raised an eyebrow, but Harry couldn't find the words he wanted to say.

"Did you bring me all the way in here just to look at me Potter?"

Harry bit his tongue and looked at the man, holding back his glare by the skin of his teeth.

"No. I came here to tell you that you're upsetting Draco. He loves you and Mrs Malfoy, but he also loves us. Me, Max, Nasta, Blaise and the baby. You being the stubborn, pig-headed man that you are, are only hurting Draco. He shouldn't have to choose between his parents and his lovers; it's not fair on Draco!"

"We are his family!" Lucius seethed.

"You will always be his family. You can't help who your parents are, you don't choose your parents, but you can choose your lovers, your future family and like it or not Draco chose us as his family! He loves us and we love him back! How can you call yourself a Father when you are making your only son as miserable as sin!"

"I'm not…"

"You are!" Harry roared. "He's in the orchard with Nasta crying because of you! He's crying Malfoy, _crying_, does that mean nothing to you? Do you feel nothing at making your seventeen year old son cry because of your actions? He's desperate to make this work, but whilst you remain so hard headed it never will! He knows what he wants, he's trying to overcome a lot of his own fears to become comfortable with all of us and he's succeeding, would he even bother if he wasn't in love with us?"

Harry panted, red faced and out of breath, his stomach aching from the amount of heavy breathing and jostling around he had done in a short space of time. Lucius Malfoy stood in front of him, seemingly unaffected and stoic faced.

"Draco has accomplished so much in the past few months and you've missed it all. You weren't there for him when he needed someone other than us to talk to, you weren't there to ease him into his transition of becoming a Dracken, you weren't the one to help him accept himself for who he is. Draco struggled on his own for six months before anyone even knew that he needed help and it was Blaise and I who helped him! Blaise and me who were there to hold him when it became too much, hell even Professor Snape was there to guide Draco back onto the right tracks when he hit a brick wall. How does that make you feel as a Father Mr Malfoy? To know that two teenagers and another man had to help _your_ son because you weren't paying close enough attention to him to realise that he needed help?"

A punch to the face was his answer and Harry stumbled into the settee, rubbing his jaw. His first instinct was to call to his mates, to let them know he was being attacked, that he was in distress, but under that was the urge to maim the one who had hurt him himself and grim satisfaction that he had gotten a raise out of Malfoy. It proved that the man still loved Draco very much and hearing that others had had to fill in his place of looking after his child angered him enough to lash out 'the muggle way' with his fists.

"I suggest a truce." Harry got out through his aching jaw. "For Draco's sake we try and make it work, he deserves more than this, so Braiden isn't his, the next baby might be. The next baby might be a Malfoy, if family means anything to you, then you will know how important it is to see the next generation of your family because Draco won't leave us. We love him and accept him for who he is, can you say the same?"

Lucius Malfoy looked like he was struggling to swallow a whole watermelon as he closed those steel grey eyes and breathed deeply. He held out a perfect hand towards Harry and it was only as he grasped that hand with his own that he realised how big those hands actually were. They were not the first thing he noticed when he looked at the man, not over all that platinum coloured hair or those steel eyes that commanded the utmost attention, but now that he had noticed he couldn't stop looking. It wasn't that they were ill proportioned to the rest of him, because they weren't, it just wasn't noticeable how big they were until you had your own hands to compare to.

They shook hands and Harry felt lighter. He and Lucius would never be bosom buddies, but they would get along with one another if only for Draco's sake.

"I am only doing this for Draco." Lucius stressed.

"Rest assured that I'm only doing this for the same reason. We both love Draco and he loves us both. By being stubborn brats we are only hurting him. Now I think we've been gone long enough."

Harry made his way outside to see everyone getting along fine; Narcissa was actually holding Braiden, chatting happily with Marianna, Kimberly and Ashleigh. Draco was fresh faced, dry eyed and happy as he watched his Mother with baby Braiden. It seemed it really was Lucius that was the problem.

A terrible roar made Harry look startled to Max, whose blue wings were framed against the cloudless sky, he was glaring at Lucius like he would tear him to pieces and it was only his Father holding him back.

Draco stepped forward and he looked horrified at his Father.

"Tell me you didn't hit Harry, Father." He pleaded. "Tell me that you didn't hit him!" He yelled when they remained silent.

"It was my own fault." Harry assured quickly before anyone could jump in and it was Nasta who stepped forward his hazel eyes catching the direct sunlight and appearing fully golden and fierce.

"You never deserve to be struck Harry." He growled out with force.

The atmosphere changed as those who knew of his past, looked to him with renewed horror and shock.

"It's not like that. I went too far. I did it to prove something and I found what I was looking for."

"You never deserve to be struck!" Nasta replied more forcefully. "To prove a point or otherwise."

"It's over and done with." Harry stated, even as Draco pulled him away from Lucius, looking at his Father like he had never seen him before.

"Harry is a month younger than I am." Draco told his Father. "If you can hit him, then you can hit me."

"I would never strike you." Lucius said surely.

"But you could hit Harry? My younger lover and carrier of my child?"

"It isn't your child!" Lucius hissed.

"He's as good as!" Draco bellowed and Nasta slipped his arms around Draco's torso and easily held him.

"Do you not remember our truce?" Harry asked. "Have you forgotten what our little chat entailed?"

"Truce?" Draco questioned.

"Potter and I have agreed to be…civil to one another from now on." Lucius answered.

"Was this before or after you hit him?" Blaise hissed.

"Before the truce was made. But the truce stands, we have one and that's all that matters now." Harry answered.

"You, you have?" Draco asked, deflating in Nasta's arms.

They both nodded and looked at Draco, who just stood there with an unreadable look on his face.

"Why did you hit Harry?"

"He stated a few home truths that I wasn't ready to hear."

"You're ready to deal with them now?"

"No. I will never be ready to deal with them, nor accept them. The only thing I can do is put it behind me and move on."

The silence stretched between them, needing to be broken, yet none of them knew what to say. Luckily they didn't have to break it as Narcissa gracefully moved towards them and passed a wailing Braiden to Harry.

"I believe my grandson needs to be changed Harry." She told him before pulling Lucius over to Kimberly and Alexander Maddison.

Harry sniffed his son's bottom and pulled a face. "Oh he definitely needs to be changed, which one of you will volunteer?"

Nasta and Draco both took a step back as Harry held the baby out to them.

"Come on, I've changed every dirty nappy he's had! I need a break some when!"

Nasta stepped forward and 'bravely' accepted the smelly baby, taking him inside the house to change him for the first time.

"Harry. What…what you did with my Father, the truce, did you mean it?" Draco asked as they made their way slowly back to the gazebo.

"Of course I did Draco. I love you. I'd do anything for you and if making a truce with your Father makes you happy, I'll find a way to make it work."

Draco grabbed hold of him and swung him into a hug, holding him tightly and pressing his lips to Harry's forehead.

"I love you Harry. I love you so very, very much." He declared.

"I love you too Draco, never forget that."

"I won't, I promise."

* * *

Thanks to **reviewer** for being the **3,800th ****reviewer** and the **3,900th reviewer.**

Thanks to **Lizzosaur** for being the **4,000th reviewer** and **4,100 reviewer** - I loved your love stories, especially your number 2, number 7, 28, 52 and 54 and your Baby's Words made me think so much of Braiden.

Thanks to **Zept** for being the **4,200th reviewer**.

To **reviewer** again who was the **4,300th reviewer**.

To **Lizzosaur** who was the **4,400th reviewer** and the **4,500th reviewer.**

And to r**eviewer** once more who was the **4,600th reviewer**.

Many of you are confused over the heat periods and when Harry can get pregnant again. You really need to read more closely, I'm sick of answering this question when the answer is actually in the story and has been mentioned several times. I believe the best answer is in chapter 24.

Harry may not be able to conceive again until X amount of years have passed depending on how quickly his body repairs itself after giving birth and how quickly his hormones settle down. None of them know when this is going to happen or how quickly, it could be a few months, it could be a few years, either way they are preparing for the earliest conception date which would mean Harry gets pregnant in a few months' time and yes he could very well be pregnant again within a year. Does that help any now?

**FlungFromOrbit**: I had absolutely no idea that the stomach muscles moved out of the way, it sounds obvious now that I've been told, so that mistake is my ignorance. I'm trying to keep Harry's pregnancies as close to the mark as I can with him being male, a different species etc. So I'm going to say his stomach muscles moved out of the way as well and he's doing stomach toning exercises to get rid of the baby fat he stored up. Is that better?

**NotSoInnocentSpecialKit**: Blaise never fought for dominance because he didn't want to. He was far from a virgin when he met Harry and through his teenaged experimentation he found that he liked bottoming as well as topping. He was already topping Harry in the bedroom, he wanted someone who would top him, so he didn't fight for dominance because he had no idea a dominant could chose to bottom if he so wished. He also has the excuse that he hates fighting unless it's necessary because it was a fight that killed his Father. He didn't want to fight with those he loved in case it got out of hand like the fight between his Mother and his Father did.

**myrkky**: Any submissive Dracken would become barren from sleeping with a human. I would hope that none of the submissives would sleep with anyone before their inheritance which is on their sixteenth birthday as it is illegal as it is under the legal age of sexual consent in Britain, but I know it happens. Either way it would be the same, they are born Drackens so it doesn't matter if it's before or after their inheritance sleeping with a human will make them barren. It is hoped that the parents of said Dracken would warn their child about the danger of becoming barren, as not very many Drackens are lost to the Elders like Harry was, but if they for some reason don't warn their submissive child, or the child doesn't listen, then they will be barren.

Max and Harry have been together, but not on their own, just the two of them. There are some off-screen scenes that are implied, but not written, but I'm saving a Max and Harry scene for a little later on.

**Unknown Brilliance**: When Harry has multiples each baby he conceives could have a different Father, unless in the case of the multiples being identical. Example, if Harry had four babies and two of those babies were identical twins, the identical twins could only belong to one Father, say Blaise, but the other two remaining babies could be Max's and Nasta's.

**Brielle**: No. Harry can't control anything he does on a heat period so he wouldn't be able to prevent himself from getting pregnant. The only thing he could possibly do to stop himself from having children would be to sleep with a human, in which case he becomes permanently barren, never to have a child again. So unless he takes drastic measures, he can't control when he has a baby or how many.

**hpslashrules**: A cwtch is a Welsh word that has no English translation. It very, very loosely means safe place. The idea is that it's a lingering hug that makes you feel safe in the arms that are holding you. A cwtch makes you feel like nothing can touch you, that you are so very loved and cherished. It can be between parent and child, between lovers and to a lesser extent, friends. It is essentially pure comfort from someone you love and trust and represents giving all trust to the person holding you so they can comfort you, like we used to do as children after a nightmare and we'd run to our parents for comfort, that safe feeling as they wrapped their big arms around our small bodies and held us. Cwtch has many meanings and means different things to different people, but you wouldn't give a cwtch to a stranger or just any old person. To me personally it's something I do with my boyfriend on the settee when we're watching films, I wouldn't give a cwtch to a friend though I know some people do, to me it's too intimate, too personal to share with friends. When I was younger I would cwtch up with my Mam when she was reading to me, it represents love and comfort and I just can't explain it. Whenever the word cwtch is mentioned to me I always smile and remember back to being held by my Mam as I fell asleep on her lap as she read to me, the memories of being cuddled up with my boyfriend on the settee, laughing and giggling like kids at dopey movies. I hope this helps, but as it means something different to everyone, I don't think so.

**Aven Blackblood**: No, there is no way to tell if a baby Dracken is submissive or dominant before their sixteenth birthday. Sometimes it's obvious, like if a Dracken is small and willowy they will be a submissive, or is very tall and excessively muscles they will be a dominant, but not always.

**RavenNightwing17:** If it is just a submissive male with a dominant female, which likely wouldn't happen as a pairing in the first place, it would be the female dominant carrying the majority of the children, but like with a female/female pairing, the female dominant can rub her liquids up near the neck of the sac that holds the male submissives children as they form and grow. This is incredibly difficult however and takes a lot of practise, intelligence and the use of hot tubs or steam rooms as the submissive needs to keep his body temperature at a certain level before he can get pregnant.

**Akamuna**: Nasta does have Valkyrie and Fae blood in his line and therefore his genes so he could potentially have a Valkyrie or Fae child. The genes go very far back as Dracken genes are more dominant than the recessive Faerie blood and once the Dracken gene was introduced to his bloodline it all but knocked out the Faerie genes, but if he and Harry were to have a child that wasn't destined to be a Dracken, instead of the child being a human, squib etc, it could potentially be a Valkyrie or a Fae instead. Huh, guess you've given me a new idea to potentially play around with, cheers!

**Slightly Puzzled**: It's been mentioned that Amelle was already mated to another dominant and pregnant with a child when she and her family was attacked. Her mate was killed protecting his family and her child miscarried. She went through therapy, healed her body from the damage done to her, had a mate meeting, met Caesar and got pregnant with Eleonora. It took her some time before she felt ready to find another mate, not to mention the time it took her body to repair the damaged reproductive organs, so it took her some time before she was able to conceive again, which is why she is twenty-six and has only just had her first child.

**Ashley luvs you**: It was mentioned in the first chapter that Sirius is dead. Yes Remus will be back in the next chapter and they will be going back to Hogwarts for their seventh year, baby Braiden in tow.

**Mitsu: **Every child will know who their biological Fathers are; even if they chose to call each of the dominants 'Dad' they will know which one sired them. I wouldn't have thought it would cause any problems if each one had multiple children as they would all look out for every child, teach and raise each other's children etc. As for it fracturing the children, not at all. They will all be raised as brothers and sisters no matter their parentage.

**Unneeded: **A Scaled Bits chapter involving Henley the baby dom will be coming up soon. I've got a list that I'm going down and there are a few before Henley to do first. Arsenio is again further down the list.

**Elyse**: It has been mentioned before that Blaise and Draco are new Drackens, they don't know everything. When Draco said that Harry would get pregnant with his next heat, two months after he had given birth, he was wrong because he didn't know the submissive had to wait between each pregnancy whilst their bodies healed and their hormones settled down again. In the middle chapters it was Nasta who said that it could _potentially_ take Harry between a year and five for his body to fully heal, but anything excessively over three years is an extreme taken from the possibility of Harry conceiving four of five babies and being bedridden for months as his stomach expanded drastically to house four or five rapidly growing babies which could possibly stretch so much in a short space of time as to rip his skin and his insides. The reality is, as explained above, if that it could take Harry a few months to a few years for his body to repair itself and for his hormones to settle down again depending on how quickly Harry adjusts and repairs himself.

**Ladilyn**: Cygnus Black is Harry's Great-grandfather and Draco's Great-Great-Great-grandfather. If you look at J. K. Rowling's Black family tree, you will see where Harry and Draco come as I'm going on the assumption that Charlus Potter, who married Dorea Black, were James Potter's parents, therefore Dorea Black was Harry's Grandmother and her Father, who holds the Dracken genes, is Harry's Great-Grandfather.

StarLight Massacre. X


	43. Harry Versus Amelle

_Last Time_

"_Harry. What…what you did with my Father, the truce, did you mean it?" Draco asked as they made their way slowly back to the gazebo._

"_Of course I did Draco. I love you. I'd do anything for you and if making a truce with your Father makes you happy, I'll find a way to make it work."_

_Draco grabbed hold of him and swung him into a hug, holding him tightly and pressing his lips to Harry's forehead._

"_I love you Harry. I love you so very, very much." He declared._

"_I love you too Draco, never forget that."_

"_I won't, I promise."_

Chapter Forty-Three – Harry Versus Amelle

Harry grinned as he spied bright red hair come from inside the house. He ran the full length of the garden and hugged Mrs Weasley tightly.

"Oh Harry dear, you are glowing!" She said approvingly. "Having a baby has certainly brightened you up dear."

"I feel better now that he's been born." He admitted. "More like myself and less like an alien."

"Well where is he? Where is my only grandchild?" Mrs Weasley gave a pointed look to Bill, who cowered from his Mother's glare.

"Fleur and I aren't ready for children yet Mum! We've only just gotten engaged."

"You got engaged?" Harry asked. "Congratulations! Where is the lucky bride to be?"

"Thanks baby brother. Fleur is happily visiting her parents and little sister in France for a few weeks, but I've been told to take pictures of the baby for her, that is if you'll allow it of course." Bill winked at him and Harry laughed as he bounced to Blaise, who was once again defending his son from advancing relatives.

"Do you think I could have a turn holding _our_ son?" Harry asked Blaise teasingly, who smiled at him a bit sheepishly as he carefully handed the baby over.

"You are the Father dear?" Mrs Weasley asked Blaise distractedly.

"Yep, Blaise is his Father. Mrs Weasley, this is Braiden Blaise Enzo Zabini, the first of many."

Harry handed the baby over to Mrs Weasley who cooed and cuddled to her hearts content, tears gathering in her eyes as the rest of the family crowded around. Hermione came over and hugged him tightly.

"You must be so proud Harry." She stated into his hair as she held him.

"I am. He's so beautiful."

"He's adorable, how much did he weigh?"

"He was four pounds two ounces. Less than I thought he was going to be, but he's fine and healthy. He's got an appointment booked in with Saint Mungos tomorrow just for a check-up to make sure everything really is as dandy as it seems."

Ginny came over and hugged him tightly, slapping his bum which made all four of his mates stop what they were doing and look over. Harry waved away their attention with a bright red face as he glared at Ginny.

"What was that for?" Harry demanded as he rubbed his sore bum.

"Why aren't you using my present?" Ginny demanded in return.

"I've only just given birth! I'm under a sex ban for another week at least."

"Please! I don't need to hear this Harry." Hermione stated with a cross look covering her face.

"What? I _am_ on a sex ban, here I am surrounded by four men who are all indulging in each other's bodies and I'm stuck watching them."

"Harry!"

"Tell me more." Ginny grinned as she tugged Harry's arm into her own and away from everyone else, heading towards the orchard.

"No Ginny. I've told you that my sex life is mine."

"I'll share mine; including the threesome I had with those two gorgeous, muscly Hufflepuffs."

Harry yelled out and covered his ears with his hands.

"I'm not listening you devil!" He cried and ran to Max, letting his mate scoop him up into his arms. "She's being evil Max."

"Stop being evil Ginny." Max demanded, even though the smile threatened to split his face in half.

"Are your hormones not settled yet?" Ashleigh asked him.

"I don't know. I think I'm just being childish." Harry admitted with a grin, Max laughed.

"You can be childish all you want to." He said.

"You can't exactly tell anyone not to be childish." Draco shot at Max as he walked past them.

Harry grinned up at Max who pouted.

"I am not childish." He whined.

Richard chuckled and threw an arm around Max's waist as he couldn't reach his shoulders. Then again only Myron, Nasta and Draco could throw an arm around Max's shoulders.

"You are childish." Richard stated. "You get it from me."

Myron snorted. "Of all the traits you possess you had to give our children your childishness."

"I gave them my sense of fun and adventure." Richard countered.

"You made them eternal children." Myron stated dryly.

"Well who wants the kids to grow up anyway." He huffed and wandered away.

Myron sighed as if this was a long fought battle in which he was double teamed, outnumbered and was losing.

Harry looked to Ashleigh who was giggling and jumping up and down with Alayla and Talia and to Richard who had gone off to headlock Caesar. He grinned. It looked like Myron _was_ losing a battle after all. He had two young at heart, childish mates who, in his eyes, were corrupting their five children. There was only so much one could do to counteract all of that bad influence and it seemed Myron had done his best, but it wasn't enough to overshadow both Ashleigh and Richard's childishness.

"Harry? How are you feeling?"

Harry turned in Max's arms at the sound of that familiar voice and he leapt at Remus, but ended up kicking Max's stomach, who sucked in a lungful of air, but said nothing as he handed Harry over to the other man instead.

"I'm fine. How are you?"

Harry scrambled to get his feet on the floor so he wasn't being carried; only his mates could carry him.

"I've been alright. I've mainly been thinking of you Harry."

"Why?" Harry asked curiously.

"Why? Harry you are seventeen and have a newborn baby."

"I'm considered an adult man in the wizarding world." Harry pointed out stubbornly.

"Do you feel like a man?" Remus asked seriously.

Harry opened his mouth to say of course he felt like a man, he had four lovers and a baby, but he stopped and thought about it, having lovers and a baby didn't make you an adult, kids could have sexual partners and children, that didn't make them adults. Did he actually _feel_ like a man? He felt overwhelmed, like he was stuck in quicksand which had just reached his neck and was climbing ever higher. He felt lost without a guide to help him through these new experiences, his mates were no help, this was new to them as well, which made him think, did they feel like men or lost little boys thrust in at the deep end?

"I feel…lost sometimes, like I'm drowning in my own panic, before Braiden was born, I was always worried about making a mistake, but now I know that I'm obviously going to make mistakes and have lapses in judgement, I just have to make sure that they aren't so bad that they screw Braiden up for life. I do feel like a man. If I was thrown into a house I'd know how to take care of myself and those around me, I know about money management, I know how to cook and clean, I know how to do laundry and how to change bed sheets, but on the other hand, this is all new to me and I feel like a little boy whose just discovered the endless dark hole at the bottom of the garden, excited and adventurous, with a hint of fearful adrenaline at the new experience and the possible dangers ahead. So I feel like a man at times and like a little boy at others." Harry shrugged and looked up at Myron, Max and Remus.

"That was a good answer." Myron told him with a smirk.

"If you had just said yes straight off, that you feel like a man, that you never get scared or feel overwhelmed, then we would know that you are still just a child." Remus answered, looking happier. "A true adult can admit they're frightened and overwhelmed by new experiences, a child pretending to be an adult thinks that nothing frightens or gets to us and acts the same."

Harry rolled his eyes and hugged Remus tightly. "I didn't know I was being tested."

"I needed to know if you were adult enough to be in this situation Harry."

"Braiden is very safe with me!" He hissed.

"This isn't about the baby Harry, this is about you. I'm not worried about anything happening to the baby because I know all five of you love and care for him; it's you I'm worried about. James was an amazing Father, loving, doting, I don't think he left you alone for more than five minutes, we used to go around and visit him and you'd always be tucked up in his arms sleeping, on his lap playing or on the floor with him sitting right behind you. He grew up well and knew how to deal with a baby and the emotions and responsibilities that came with you. But if you were given to Sirius…" Remus shook his head sadly. "Completely hopeless. He loved you so much and he'd rather have eaten his own arm than hurt you, but it was always clear that he was overwhelmed when near you, he didn't know how to act, what to do or say. He was very awkward around you because he'd never had to deal with responsibility before and, I say this in the nicest possible way, his mind was too immature to cope with a baby. He got better the older you got, grew up more, but it wasn't until he went to…to Azkaban that he really grew up. It's tragic really that it took going to that _place_ for him to grow up, but it was the hard kick up the backside that he needed to finally become a man."

"Even that didn't really mature him; he still acted like a big kid."

"No, it did mature him Harry. Sirius was always going to be a big kid at heart, but he could be serious and responsible when the need for it was there, before Azkaban he wouldn't have known how to. He was a very clever, intelligent man, but he was quite dim as well. He was emotionally stunted by his dark, hatred filled family, hugs and kisses from family members that most of us take for granted weren't offered to Sirius when he was growing up, his parents hated him, his brother rejected him, he had no one, no one except his imaginary friend."

"Sirius had an imaginary friend?" Harry asked shocked.

"Yes, he had needed one growing up. He was surrounded by blackness, by dark, cruel people who sneered at him and hated the air he breathed, but he was the Black Heir, he was not to be touched. Deprived of any sort of contact or communication except from his hired tutors, Sirius made a friend who liked him, who spoke to him without loathing in their voice. Sirius could very well have snapped from his upbringing, but because he was clever enough to invent someone he could vent all of his feelings, dreams, wants and fears at, he survived with his mind intact until he found James at Hogwarts, Pettigrew and I came later, but together we were just what Sirius needed to root him to his sanity."

Harry thought about how similar he and Sirius had grown up. Only he had never been deprived of touch or communication. His communication from the Dursleys may have been cruel words, spiteful hisses and demands and his contact with them was usually a slap or a kick, but he had still gone to a public school. He had gotten praised by his teachers, pats to the head, smiles and on occasion's even sweets. They spoke kindly and encouragingly to him, he couldn't imagine what he might have turned out like if he hadn't gone to school, if he like Sirius had been barricade in number four Privet Drive with stuffy tutors who had been hired to teach him and nothing else. Not that the Dursleys would have ever wasted money on him, they wouldn't even buy him clothes or food.

"Anyway, enough of this. Where is the baby, Braiden did you call him? I haven't seen him yet."

Harry grinned. "We're going to have to wrestle Mrs Weasley for him." He laughed.

"On second thoughts, why don't I just get a drink instead."

Harry laughed again as he scanned the back garden for his son. He couldn't contain his grin when he saw that Blaise was cradling him again as their son drank deeply and greedily from a bottle.

"I should have known you'd stolen Braiden again." Harry told Blaise as he approached.

Blaise drew his eyes slowly from Braiden's face, as if he couldn't quite bring himself to stop looking at that smooth, sweet face, baby blue eyes closed, little mouth pouted around the bottle teat sucking strongly.

"I adore watching him feed." Blaise admitted. "I would wake up with him every single night just to watch him feed."

"I wonder how long that'll last." Draco commented, peering over Harry's shoulder at the baby. He kissed Harry cheek and Harry rolled his eyes, turning to face Draco for a kiss to the lips. "My parents will be going soon; Father has a prior engagement at five o'clock."

"That's fine Draco, I take it they want to see Braiden one last time before they leave?"

The blonde nodded. "Mother wishes to buy him more clothes, I told her that he has enough clothes but she insisted on buying something."

"If she really wants to buy clothes tell her to get them in a bigger size, he has enough clothes for now, but he will outgrow them all soon, he's getting bigger every time I see him."

"I don't know why, you and Blaise made him and you're the shortest of us all."

Harry huffed and shoved Draco away from him. "Tell your parents they can have Braiden to say goodbye after Remus has met him."

"But he's…"

"If you say one bad thing about him Draco, I will kill you." Harry hissed threateningly, his claws coming out of his nail beds.

Draco growled and Harry felt the urge to submit. He shoved it aside violently and hissed again, keeping his eyes pinned to Draco's and his neck hunched to his shoulders to show he wasn't submitting.

Draco leapt on him and Harry fought back. Kicking and scratching and biting as Draco tried to bite down on his neck.

Strong hands forced them apart and Harry found himself being held by Nasta, who wrapped a leg around both of Harry's own to keep them pinned, held both of his wrists in one hand and held his head still with his other hand.

Max was sitting on Draco, pinning the snarling blonde to the grassy ground.

"What the hell happened?" Max demanded his own wings and claws out as Draco tried to bite him.

"They were fine a moment ago." Blaise answered holding Braiden tightly, even as he finished feeding the baby and burped him.

"He was saying bad things!" Harry hissed.

"You said you'd kill me!" Draco snarled back.

"I'm going to!" Harry assured the blonde as he struggled against Nasta.

"What is going on?" Lucius Malfoy demanded as he was blocked from getting to his feral son by Richard Seppen. "Why are you manhandling my son?"

"You must understand that Drackens are very physical, violent creatures." Richard informed the other man. "They will fight often and usually for the most stupid of reasons."

"Max, get Draco inside." Nasta ordered as he carted Harry towards the house. "We will be back shortly."

Harry was sat on the living room settee and Draco was sat beside him, they were both held tightly as they hissed and growled at one another.

"What happened?" Nasta asked calmly.

"He wasn't going to let Remus near the baby!" Harry growled.

"Braiden is as much my child as yours! I will not see him in the arms of a werewolf!" Draco exploded.

"You were going to let the werewolf hold Braiden?" Max demanded.

Harry glared at his biggest mate and launched himself at him, trying to cut out his eyes. Nasta held him around the chest and pinned his head back to his shoulder, whispering soothingly into his ear whilst glaring at the other two.

"It is Harry's right to allow whomever he wishes to see and hold his child." He explained patiently.

"But a werewolf?" Max demanded. "A werewolf is a danger to our children!"

"Remus is no more a danger to Braiden then anyone else!" Harry yelled.

"Your instincts should not have allowed you to take Braiden within a hundred yards of a dangerous creature like a werewolf!"

"Well I'm not exactly listening to my instincts now am I? If I was I wouldn't have let your Mother hold him. You can't pick and choose you know! Either you want me to listen to my instincts in which case Remus and your mother won't be allowed near Braiden, or you don't want me to have them and let _me_ decide who I trust enough to let Braiden near."

"My Mother is not a threat to Braiden!" Max roared.

"And neither is Remus!" Harry yelled back. "I trust you when you say your Mother isn't a threat to our children, do the same courtesy for me and trust me when I say Remus isn't a threat either!"

Harry broke away from Nasta and stomped outside. Everyone was staring and he realised that they must have heard every word that had been shouted and screamed through the open back door. He felt heat flare up his cheeks but he pushed it back. He wouldn't be embarrassed, he would not be ashamed of how he felt.

He went to collect his son off of Blaise and after glaring his mate into handing the baby over with no fuss; he took Braiden to where Remus was sat alone at a table and dumped the baby, gently, into the man's arms.

"I've caused problems for you." Remus whispered.

"No you haven't. They've caused problems for themselves. I trust you Remus, with my life and my son's. You aren't dangerous just because of what you are. You're a werewolf one night a month Remus; I'm a Dracken every hour of every day. Besides you must have held me as a baby, Dad and Mum would have trusted you with me and I'm very sure you never once thought to hurt me. I'm more of a danger to my son than you are. I almost gutted Draco and Max, you couldn't do that to me as you are now, you aren't strong enough, nor do you have it in you to hurt me or Braiden. The sooner they learn that the happier I'll be."

Remus said nothing. Harry got the idea that he was holding back tears and left him to his thoughts as he held and cuddled Braiden.

"He's gorgeous Harry." Remus finally said his voice slightly choked. "You were a very cute baby as well. I'll bring you photos the next time I come and visit. You had bigger eyes than your son though, huge, brilliant, bright green eyes that could stop any stranger dead in their tracks."

"He has Blaise's eyes." Harry said. "Though we don't know the colour yet."

"You're eyes started changing a week after you were born, they started going darker and James was certain you would have his hazel eyes, a complete clone of your Father, but then they started going bluey-green, getting greener every day and we all knew whose eyes you had taken at that point. Lily was ecstatic."

Harry smiled at the story, hearing about his Mum and Dad always made him smile. He brushed Braiden's hair out of his little face and scooted closer to Remus. He hated fighting with his mates, but he would not be told who to entrust with his child.

"Is there something wrong with you?" A soft voice asked from behind him.

Harry looked over his shoulder and saw the woman who had come with Caesar, his Wife and mate, Amelle. She was still holding the pink shawl; she hadn't put her daughter down all afternoon.

"Not that I know of." Harry replied a bit confused as to what she meant.

"You're letting a dangerous animal hold your son. I mean, I know he's not as good as my Eleonora, but that's no reason to kill him, he'll just have to settle for being second best."

"Excuse me?" Harry demanded, already riled up from his previous fight with Max and Draco.

"That's alright, you can't help having second best children, you are after all, not me." Amelle let out a little laugh and Harry saw red. He would have liked to have ripped her arms from her body and stomped on her head, but she was holding a baby and he was hesitant to put the baby in harm's way, no matter how angry this woman was making him.

"You should apologise." Remus coached, looking at the woman in front of them. "No child is second best."

"What would you know werewolf, you can't even have children." Amelle stabbed.

Remus looked crushed and Harry got even angrier. What the hell did Caesar see in this woman? Surely he could have waited for a better submissive to turn up, but then he realised that most of the submissives acted like Amelle if the horror stories his mates had told him were true, they truly believed they were Princesses and the men around them were just more gifts, no more than slaves. It made Harry sick to think that Caesar was being treated like a servant, he liked Caesar a lot.

"You're a vile woman." Harry scathed.

"There's no need to insult me because I have the better child." Amelle answered airily and Harry realised that Amelle was a very hard woman to insult because she'd just turn everything around and assume that the person insulting her was just jealous.

Harry took Braiden from Remus because if he didn't then he was going to attack Amelle. He cradled his son and turned his back on the woman behind him, he would not be drawn into a pathetic fight over who had the better child. He knew he did, just as Amelle thought she did, there was no competition, of course they were going to favour their own child. He just kept chanting that Braiden was better in his head, but there was no keeping Amelle's voice out.

"Hiding your inferior son isn't going to help you know." Amelle told him from behind.

Harry could feel the anger that had been bubbling inside of him spike into a raging inferno, he ached to defend his baby son, to lash out and rip the woman's tongue from her mouth, but it would be pointless, she would argue back and he'd just get angrier and angrier until he got himself punished or did something unforgivable, he'd never forgive himself if he hurt Eleonora and he'd doubt if Caesar, Max and the entire Maddison-Seppen clan would forgive him either.

"How can one person be so cruel?" Remus asked rhetorically as he stared at Amelle.

"You're one to talk werewolf, eat any babies lately?"

Harry shivered with suppressed anger and pressed Braiden onto Remus, he stomped up to Amelle who looked faintly amused, she was taller than him by two inches and used them to pull herself up to her full height. She foolishly didn't see him as a threat, which is why when he gently, but swiftly pulled Eleonora from her arms to get the baby out of the line of fire she took a few moments to react.

Harry had already pushed the baby into Remus's arms when Amelle attacked him with a screech, riding his body to the floor and began hitting his head into the ground. Harry snarled and grabbed a fistful of all that prissy hair and yanked it. Not like the girl on girl pulling that constituted as a catfight, but yanking as if he'd pull half of her scalp away with it. He heard screams; distant yells and Alayla's voice calling out 'Get her Harry! Take out her bitchy tongue!'

A large hand grabbed his arm and Harry sunk fangs into it before he even knew who it was, they let go with a yell, cursing him. Harry twisted around, pushed the woman off of him and then got on top of Amelle and with a hand in her hair holding her head in place he threw a mean punch at her face, feeling that perfect nose breaking under his fist.

More hands grabbed him, but as they pulled him off of Amelle, he refused to let go of her hair and dragged her with him even as her claws sunk into his stomach. He screamed, part in anger, but mostly in pain, his stomach was still very tender.

He kicked out at her and caught her thigh, she would have fallen but he still had her hair in his fists, he could hear more yells and then a very familiar hand in his own hair. Max was behind him. Even as Max clenched his own hair and demanded he let Amelle go he refused, kicking out at the woman again as he held her hair tightly. She couldn't kick him because she couldn't lift her legs from the floor without pain to her scalp, so she clawed at him instead, cutting up his stomach and chest, but he didn't care, he had gone past pain, all he thought about was her slagging off his baby son, the cruel words she had spat at Remus and he ignored the pain in favour of causing her as much pain as possible.

He could see Caesar behind Amelle, his arms were around her middle trying to pull her away from him, but Harry had her hair bunched in his hands and he was not going to let go. Myron and Richard were trying to unwind his fingers from her hair, whilst Aneirin was trying to stop Amelle from causing more damage to his stomach and chest, getting cut up himself in the process.

"Harry, let go!" Max growled tugging harder on his own hair, forcing his head back. There was a thread of fear in his biggest mate's voice.

Harry hissed in denial and wound all of that hair around his wrists and yanked Amelle off of her feet, kicking her as she went down. Max kept him on his feet, but he also allowed Harry to cause more pain to Amelle because he still had her hair by the scalp and he was now digging claws into the top of her head.

"Let go Harry!" He heard Nasta's voice yelling, there was a demand in there somewhere as well, but he didn't care how angry he made his mates, he _hated_ this woman and she would not get away with insulting Braiden and Remus like she had.

"Get him off!" Amelle screeched thickly in pain from her broken nose. There were tears in her voice. Harry could see her face, it was dry and she was smirking at him even though the lower half of her face was covered in blood. "Caesar! Caesar get him off me! Please!"

The next thing Harry knew his jaw was on fire, his whole body had gone numb and slack with shock and Caesar was standing over him looking horrified with his fist raised. It took four seconds for what had happened to sink in before Max let out a terrifying roar and tackled his brother to the ground and started battering the shit out of him.

Harry was clamoured and hugged; Nasta held a bleeding arm to his mouth and Harry sucked it up deeply. He noticed that no one was helping Amelle as Myron, Richard and Aneirin were now trying to split up the fighting brothers. It looked like Max was winning.

The cuts in his stomach and chest made by Amelle's claws were not healing as well as the other scrapes and bruises he had gotten and it was with a groan that he remembered that submissives had certain toxins in their claws that could stop the cuts made by them from healing properly; he hoped he didn't die from them.

He noticed that Ashleigh was cradling a beautiful little girl and he smiled. It seemed Grandma had gotten to hold her granddaughter after all. Braiden was still being held by Remus and Harry sighed in relief. At least his son was alright.

He wrapped his injured body around Nasta and snuggled in, hoping to avoid punishment. He felt any punishment would be unfair and he'd react against it, but he was done fighting for now. He'd done what he had said he wouldn't and gotten dragged into a fight with Amelle, he had fought with Draco and Max, he didn't want to fight with Nasta as well.

Max and Caesar were eventually split up and Caesar was definitely the worse off, which angered Amelle again who started screeching at Caesar for not being a proper dominant and him not being strong enough to protect her. Caesar grabbed Amelle's wrist and bent her arm behind her back, holding it in an uncomfortable position, but not a painful one, not yet, but Harry watched as Caesar inched that arm up further the longer Amelle yelled until she whimpered in pain and fell silent. He frogmarched her away and into the privacy of the house.

Harry feigned sleep as Max approached him and stroked the place where Caesar had hit him, something wet and sticky clung to Max's fingers as he pulled them away, Caesar had made his lip bleed. Nasta moved him into a more comfortable position and held him tightly; as if he were afraid he would either disappear or fall apart.

"How is he?" Blaise's concerned voice asked. Harry felt awful for worrying him, for worrying them all.

"Alright as far as I can tell. He's exhausted though, he overdid it, I told him to be careful." Nasta answered softly, his hand caressing his cheek.

"Are the cuts healing?" Draco asked.

"They will in time." Nasta answered. "Amelle doesn't seem to be overly poisonous or have too dangerous a property to her claws, Harry'll be fine."

"It could have been so much worse." Max said with such pain in his voice Harry considered showing he was just pretending to be asleep and comforting him.

"It wasn't." Nasta soothed. "Harry will be fine. Amelle will be fine as well." He added as an afterthought and Harry grinned into Nasta's shoulder.

"What happened anyway?" Draco asked.

"Amelle insulted Braiden and myself and Harry felt the need to defend us when she went too far." Remus explained. "I had no idea a fight between two submissive Drackens would be so violent."

"Oh fights between any Dracken, no matter if they're dominant or submissive, can be very, very violent, sometimes to the point of death." Max replied seriously. "I'm just glad Harry wasn't killed. If so many of us weren't here they could have done serious damage to one another."

"They weren't so it's best not to think about it." Nasta stated as he adjusted his arm to cuddle Harry even tighter belying, if only to a sleep feigning Harry, that Nasta had been frightened for him.

* * *

Harry woke up and it took him several seconds to realise where he was. He was snuggled up in bed alone. Braiden was not in the bassinet beside the bed and the amount of sun coming into the room from behind the closed curtains was the reason why. It was still daytime.

He rolled over and off the side of the bed and padded out of the bedroom and down the stairs, the smell of cooking food made his belly rumble and he smiled as he realised it must have been dinner time.

"Should I go and wake Harry for dinner?" Draco's voice came from the kitchen.

"Let him sleep a bit longer, those cuts were nasty. I'll keep him something for later." Max answered.

"No need." Harry told them as he walked into the kitchen, smothering a yawn, letting himself be pulled over to the table by a concerned looking Nasta, who sat him on his lap and licked and sniffed at his bare skin.

"Nas, 'm fine." He complained half-heartedly.

"Just…just let me do this. Please." Nasta whispered into his ear as he stroked gently over his skin with a brush of fingertips.

Harry sighed and settled himself back into Nasta's arms and watched as Blaise rocked Braiden to sleep. He smiled as he realised that Blaise was being incredibly possessive of the baby, it was cute.

Max plated up ten chicken breasts, two per plate, and smothered it with a white sauce that had been bubbling in a saucepan, he added a large amount of salad from a pre-prepared bowl, making sure there was no cucumber on Draco's plate and no spring onion on Blaise's, that Nasta had extra tomatoes and there was plenty of red onion on all of their plates as it was a food that they all enjoyed, he finished it off with a large spoonful of mashed potatoes and served them dinner.

Harry once again ate whilst sitting on Nasta's lap, leaning slightly to one side to give his oldest mate room to eat his own food.

"Is this white wine sauce?" Harry asked as he licked it off of his fork.

Max smiled. "Yep, you aren't pregnant anymore, so I've seen fit to start cooking with wines again."

"I'd forgotten how nice your sauces were." Harry grinned as he cut off another chunk of chicken, slathered it with sauce and put it into his mouth.

"Smaller bites Harry!" Max warned him. "I don't want you choking."

"I'm starving."

"Your body is expending energy to heal you." Nasta told him. "You need to eat and sleep as much as possible."

"Eating I can do, but I don't think I can sleep anymore." Harry answered. "I'm wide awake."

"You are now, but you might not be in a few hours' time when it's later." Draco replied, cutting off a polite sized bite of chicken and putting it carefully into his mouth.

"You do know that if you shoved your face into your plate and ate with just your mouth none of us would think anything of it Draco." Harry told the blonde, who was actually cutting up a leaf of lettuce to make it bite sized.

Draco looked like Harry had told him to strip naked, roll in red paint and run streaking through Gringotts.

"I certainly will _not_ eat like a pig Harry." He answered as he cut a cherry tomato into quarters, scooped a small amount of potato onto his fork with it and placed it delicately into his mouth.

Harry rolled his eyes and shoved a whole baby beetroot into his mouth and chewed happily. Draco grimaced, but said nothing, likely thinking that at least Harry was eating something.

Max had only just finished and put his knife and fork down when Braiden started crying in his bassinet. Blaise made to move to grab him, but Max bopped his head and indicated that he should carry on eating as he scooped Braiden into his arms and turned to boil the kettle to make a bottle. Harry had insisted on using Muggle means as much as possible after he had read an article that had made a connection to magic and the health of a baby. He had asked Blaise and Draco, who had both grown up as Purebloods without Muggle means and they had admitted that the house elves that had looked after them on occasion used Muggle means to do so right up until they were five and their magical cores had settled down. Harry had forbidden anyone to use magic around Braiden and had taken the opportunity to fill Max's house with even more Muggle things, much to Myron's disgust, but his two mates were able to sooth his ruffled feathers over the Muggle stuff appearing in his son's life, especially as they had used Muggle means to raise their five children, not as much stuff as Harry was demanding be used, but enough.

"How is Amelle?" Harry asked casually, every one of his mates stiffened and Draco let out a rough growl.

"Fine." Max replied tightly. "Caesar finally took charge and let her know that her behaviour is unacceptable. He forced her home without Eleonora, who is spending the night with my parents while Caesar asserts his dominance over Amelle."

"She's missing clumps of hair and her nose didn't heal straight." Blaise told Harry with a sadistic smile.

"Don't encourage him Blaise." Nasta chastised.

"I'm not encouraging him." Blaise answered. "I'm telling him the damage he did to Amelle to counter the damage she did to his chest and stomach. We all know that he almost got an infection."

"I didn't know." Harry replied with confusion.

"You were asleep." Draco told him with a conflicting smile that was part reassurance and part worry.

"I feel fine." Harry said confused.

"Max has been applying potions and pastes to you since you fell asleep to aid healing and block fever and infection."

"Thank you Max." Harry said with a little smile to the man who was feeding Braiden.

He grinned at the stiff posture of Max as he watched Braiden feed, the tenseness in his muscles and face as he held the baby tightly, but not crushingly. Harry sighed, he knew it would take some time before Max was comfortable with such a tiny person around, but he hoped that he did finally come to trust himself and relax around Braiden, if not he'd have to step in and talk to Max about his inability to trust himself around the baby.

* * *

Harry was lying on the fur rug in front of Max's huge fireplace. They were settled in the second living room, the one where the fireplace wasn't connected to the floo network so anyone who came to visit wouldn't stomp on him when they came through.

He was cuddled up with Blaise and Draco as Max was doing paperwork and Nasta was reading one of his books in a strange language that Harry had no hope of recognising.

The fire was large, bright and oh so very warm as he twisted over once again as the side of his body facing the fire got too hot to stand.

"I think this fire is cooking me." Harry complained as he moved.

"Make sure you turn yourself periodically." Max replied with a grin on his face. "It'll ensure you cook properly and evenly."

Harry let out a surprised burst of giggles. "You wouldn't want to eat me. I'm all skin and bone, Draco however has more meat on him."

"Are you saying I'm fat?" Draco asked affronted as he opened an eye to glare at him.

"Draco is mostly all muscle, he'd be tough. Blaise is too lean, he'd be hard to digest, but you, you Harry still have all that gorgeous baby weight, you'd be soft and juicy."

Max slipped off of the settee and crawled over to them and covered Harry's body with his own, giving long licks and little nibbles to his skin making Harry giggle uncontrollably.

Max worried a patch of flesh on Harry's belly; sucking on it and making Harry thrash with laughter. Max pulled away to grin proudly at the bright red love bite he had left on Harry's stomach.

"There. I've branded you. No one touch my meat!"

Nasta chuckled as he watched all of them. Draco rolled his eyes before he closed his eyes again and went back to a peaceful almost sleep state, but Blaise growled at Max with a smile on his face and leapt playfully at him.

"I challenge you for your meat!"

"What do I get if I win?" Max asked pompously. "You are too lean to hold my tastes."

"You get my meat." Blaise indicated a resting Draco.

Harry started laughing and couldn't stop as Draco was unaware that he'd just been called Blaise's meat. Nasta shook his head, but put his book aside to watch as Blaise and Max circled one another on their knees.

They embraced like they would kiss, but Max flipped Blaise over and onto his back, pinning him to the ground and started tickling him whilst sucking a love bite onto his skin, just above his left nipple.

Harry startled as arms wrapped around him and started pulling him backwards. He looked up into Nasta's hazel eyes, which looked darker than they actually were because of the firelight, there were golden hints in them that captivated Harry and made him twist his head back for a kiss.

Nasta complied as he pulled Harry behind the settee and began caressing him and licking him. He sucked his own love bites onto him and Harry moaned his appreciation, gripping onto Nasta as the game turned into something more.

"Ha! I win!" Max yelled out, breaking through Harry's hazy lustful fog. "Hey where's my meat gone?"

"He's my meat now!" Nasta shouted out. "I've claimed him! You foolishly left your meat alone and unprotected where anyone could come along and take him."

Max crawled around the back of the settee and let out a false roar of anger, charging at Nasta on his knees and tackled him, making Harry tumble harmlessly onto the carpet.

Harry was confused as his trousers were painfully restricted. He had hoped that Nasta's ministrations would lead to something a bit more gratifying, instead he had been brushed off.

"Hey! I wanted sex!" He cried out.

"You can't have sex yet Harry; you're under a sex ban for another two days." Max answered as he stopped play grappling with Nasta to look at him.

"But…but I want sex now!"

"You can't." Draco replied calmly from the rug.

Harry's shoulders fell and he bit his lip. He was ashamed to realise that his eyes were tearing up. He turned away and left the room with a called out message to his mates that he was going to bed.

He climbed the stairs and after checking on Braiden, went to wash his face and dug around for a pair of pyjamas. It was too hot for pyjamas, but if they didn't want to have sex with him then they sure as hell couldn't look at him.

He was feeling irrational and hurt by their rejection, he felt fine, he was back to his normal self, nothing was going to get damaged if he had sex a few days earlier than the Healer had recommended to them.

It was as he was pulling his trunk from under his bed to get his winter pyjamas, a bar of fudge chocolate in his mouth, that he pulled out Ginny's toy box. He was going to push it back under again but curiosity got the better of him. If his mates wouldn't have sex with him, he could have sex with himself. Or rather with some helpful toys. He opened the box and saw all of the toys inside and he blushed even though there was no one there to see it. He didn't know what half of them were for and knew how to use even less. He spied the little red, pleated skirt and remembered how Max had loved it. He took the skirt out and hurried it away to the bathroom. He tried it on after locking the door and looked in the mirror. It only just covered his bits, but the back was shorter than the front, half of his bum cheeks were on show as the skirt rose up with the curve of his bum. It was then that he found the tiny pair of matching lacy knickers that were attached to the skirt. They wouldn't cover much more, but they would at least keep his bits in place and keep his bum partly covered. He grinned as an evil idea formed in his head. His mates wouldn't know what hit them tomorrow. He was going to show them what happened when they denied him sex. He was going to make them suffer for denying him.

* * *

I have completely lost count of who had what review target, but I do know **Aisling-Siobhan** was the **5,200th reviewer.**

We are on 5,900 reviews. I thank each and every single one of you for helping me and I'm sure you can all wait a few more days for a brand new chapter. It'll be well worth it, I swear.

**wishyful**: Not every Dracken needs a stabilising mate. Harry needs one because the two mates he needed to get him pregnant, couldn't hold all of his magic inside of them, so he needed another one to soak up the excess.

**Someone's Ghost**: Myron and Richard will be talking to Lucius about hitting Harry. Aneirin will likely catch up to him at some point as well, but as Harry is unconcerned about the issue nothing more will be done about it, though Draco will be having words with his Father about it.

**miss quirky bookworm**: Narcissa is accepting it well because she loves her son. She can see how happy Draco is and it helps that she adores her grandson. She is close to the Zabini's and has known Blaise since he was a baby and when Draco and Blaise had play dates at Malfoy Manor she was the one who would look after them, so she has some feelings towards Blaise as well, that it is his baby helps.

**sshp4ever**: No I can't see me writing sex scenes for two hundred year old men. Shudders violently. I think if I did end up writing Harry's entire life I would imply that there was sex, but not actually write it because I doubt my mind would survive such horror and I wouldn't want to inflict that horror onto anyone else. At the moment I am planning on continuing the story throughout Harry's life until his death.

**GothicVampire69**: Harry's hair is short both in his human form and his Dracken form. Max and Nasta are strong, but don't forget that Myron, Richard and Aneirin are Dracken's too; they would have been able to hold their sons back without too much of a struggle.

**matie1995**: In human form they are mammals, but when they are in Dracken form they are more of mammal/reptile hybrids. They aren't truly human, but they aren't truly dragons either.

Thank you to everyone who read, reviewed, alerted and add this story to their favourites list, oh and also thank you for adding me to your C2 communities for spreading my story around ! I appreciate it.

Don't forget that I'm on Facebook and the side story The Rise of the Drackens: The Scaled Bits is published!

StarLight Massacre. X


	44. Little Tease

Warning: Sexual themes run heavily throughout this chapter, but actual sex scenes will be removed.

Dedicated to two very loyal, facebook followers, who helped me find the most stupid, ridiculous chat-up lines in their arsenal. You two know who you are, thank you!

_Last Time_

_He spied the little red, pleated skirt and remembered how Max had loved it. He took the skirt out and hurried it away to the bathroom. He tried it on after locking the door and looked in the mirror. It only just covered his bits, but the back was shorter than the front, half of his bum cheeks were on show as the skirt rose up with the curve of his bum. It was then that he found the tiny pair of matching lacy knickers that were attached to the skirt. They wouldn't cover much more, but they would at least keep his bits in place and keep his bum partly covered. He grinned as an evil idea formed in his head. His mates wouldn't know what hit them tomorrow. He was going to show them what happened when they denied him sex. He was going to make them suffer for denying him._

Chapter Forty-Four – Little Tease

Harry woke up with a frown and after stretching, he looked around him. He was in bed and his four mates were surrounding him, Draco and Blaise on one side, Max and Nasta on the other.

Harry wormed his way out of the bed, thankful that they didn't have a footboard so he didn't have to clamber over it to get free and stretched again, properly, popping the vertebrae in his spine with a satisfying crack.

He plucked up a still sleeping Braiden, he hadn't woken up last night so one of the others had to have woken up with the baby, it made him feel a little less vindictive about yesterday, but when he saw all the love bites that littered his body, he firmed himself, he was going to go through with his plan and he'd dare them to touch him because if they did they would lose a hand, after all, they didn't really need their hands to give him more children.

Harry ambled down the stairs and went into the downstairs bathroom, he started running a bubble bath for himself before moving over to the living room to floo call the in-laws and tell them that he was going to be spending some quality time with his mates to 'recover from his sustained injuries the previous day' he only got the family house elves, who swore to tell 'Masters and Mistresses, little Master Harry's message' and Mrs Weasley, who, of course, 'understood that he needed some alone time to recover from yesterday's theatrics and that she would owl over some biscuits for him later.'

Harry thanked her and the house elves and grinned sadistically as he went into the bathroom to turn off the taps and headed into the kitchen to feed a stirring Braiden a bottle of milk.

"You gutsy little boy." Harry cooed proudly as Braiden finished his bottle in record time.

Bright, baby blue eyes opened to look at him and Harry grinned widely at their appearance, he had seen Braiden's eyes perhaps a handful of times since he had been born. Harry quickly swiped the ever present camera from the kitchen counter and snapped a quick photo of those gorgeous, cornflower blue eyes before Braiden closed his eyes again. Harry wanted to remember the colour of his infant son's eyes for the rest of his life.

Harry burped Braiden and rocked him back to sleep before strapping him into the brand new, previously unused carrycot and took the baby into the bathroom with him. He took the nappy bag and a spare set of clothes for Braiden as he planned on giving his son his first ever bath that wasn't Ashleigh or Molly Weasley supervised. Which reminded him that he had an appointment at St Mungos in the afternoon for Braiden's first ever check-up.

Harry settled Braiden on the floor close to the bath so he could easily reach him and the nappy bag whilst he scrubbed his entire body clean ready for his revenge.

Slipping into the water made Harry's breath hitch, he hadn't realised it was quite so hot, but as he lowered himself gingerly into the water and remained sitting still, it was bearable. He just sat and soaked for a while, just laying back and relaxing. It had been a long time since he had been able to relax like this; his life seemed too hectic at times.

Harry sighed as he had enough of lying around doing nothing and sat up again to reach for his favourite shower gel. He squeezed far too much into his hand and lathered up his body very generously. His mates loved him smelling like chestnuts.

Harry scrubbed every single millimetre of skin, making sure to soap up everything, from his little toes, to behind his ears and everything in between. He dunked himself in the water, fully submerging himself for a few moments before coming back up for air. He grabbed his two in one shampoo and conditioner and poured it generously into his hand before vigorously scrubbing his head and scalp.

A knock on the door made him pause.

"Harry, are you in there?" Max's sleepy voice called out.

"Yep. I decided to have a bath down here instead of upstairs so I wouldn't wake any of you this morning." Harry answered.

"Is Braiden with you?"

"He certainly is. He's been fed and he's sleeping at the moment. I'm going to give him a quick bath and then I'll join you."

"Alright love. I'm going to go make breakfast, is there anything you fancy?"

"Anything's fine." Harry replied. "Are any of the others up?"

"Nasta's up, Blaise is still asleep and Draco was just stirring as I got up. Do you want eggs and toast?"

"Sure."

"How do you want your eggs?"

"Scrambled!" Harry replied back enthusiastically.

"Alright love." Max answered with a hint of amusement in his sleepy voice.

"See you in half an hour or so." Harry called out as he heard Max pass the bathroom door and go into the kitchen to start preparing breakfast.

Harry grinned as he sunk back under the water to wash off the shampoo. He got out of the water and pulled the plug, grabbing the towel he rubbed his body dry before picking up something that had been in the box. Body moisturiser. He had never used the stuff but apparently it was supposed to make his skin 'touchably soft', 'silkily smooth' and 'irresistibly kissable.'

Harry snorted at it before dumping a load onto his hand and smoothing it over his skin, leaving on a thin white layer as the back of the bottle instructed, letting it soak into his skin, before he rubbed it in and wiped off the excess.

Harry touched himself and frowned as his fingers actually glided over his skin. That stuff actually worked! Harry grinned as he put it on 'his' shelf of the bathroom. Max and Nasta had installed five shelves and they each had one shelf to put their shampoos, shower gels and razors and things, though Nasta always had stubble on his chin and cheeks, he shaved every morning, it was the only time he didn't have hair, but it always grew back in the afternoon.

Harry picked up the plastic baby bath that was Braiden's and put it under the tap. He run the water into it and obsessively checked the temperature with his elbow. When he believed it was at the right temperature, he cast a quick spell just to double check, before he picked up Braiden and stripped him. He got a baby soft wash cloth and dipped it into the water and began washing Braiden's face. His son woke up and started whining.

"Oh I can see now how much trouble we're going to have getting your bum into the bath when you're older." Harry sighed as he finished washing Braiden's face and neck before starting on his hair, using the wet cloth to wet it and the baby shampoo to clean it. Once Braiden's head was clean; Harry lowered him into the water and was unprepared for his son to start wailing and crying at the top of his lungs. Harry quickly checked the temperature, but it was fine. He quickly washed Braiden's body and took him out of the water, wrapping him in a towel and cuddling him.

"Are you alright Harry?" Nasta's voice asked through the door.

"Fine. I don't think Braiden likes baths."

Nasta chuckled. "Max almost has breakfast ready, are you almost finished?"

"Yeah. Are Draco and Blaise up yet?"

"Yes, they're in the kitchen awaiting breakfast like the teenagers they are."

Harry snorted. "I'll be there in a minute, I need to get myself and Braiden dried and dressed."

Harry finished drying Braiden and clad him in a clean nappy, pulling his head through the stretchy neckline of his bodysuit, popping it closed under his nappy before he pulled on a plain white, long sleeved cotton shirt and a tiny pair of blue and white checked cotton dungarees. He finished off the outfit with matching white socks, scratch mitts and summer hat with sun visor and his four day old son was ready for the day.

Harry looked at the bright red, pleated skirt and swallowed. Suddenly he didn't feel like wearing it and exposing himself as much as the skirt allowed. This was a stupid idea, of course it wasn't going to make his mates suffer, they'd just relieve themselves with each other if he denied them.

Harry was about to put on his dressing gown and run upstairs for some proper clothes when he mentally slapped himself. He'd sworn he would go through with this and he would. Where was all that Gryffindor bravery he was known for? If they tried to relieve themselves with each other he could just hex them.

Harry pulled on the lacy knickers that were more like very small, lacy boxer-briefs now that they were on and giggled slightly at the inside pouch thing where his bits were kept in place so they wouldn't be visible from the outside. They were made for men with the design of women's lingerie.

He pulled on the skirt and buttoned it up tightly on his left hip. It again rode high over the curve of his bum, but the lacy knickers covered his more intimate parts and held him in place. He grinned at himself in the mirror a bit bashfully.

"I can't believe I'm actually going to do this." He put his burning face into his hands and breathed deeply. He couldn't go out there whilst his face was bright red; he wanted to portray confidence and sex appeal, not shyness and blushing bashfulness. He didn't want to flaunt the fact that this had been planned so much.

"Harry? Are you alright? Everyone's finished breakfast." Max's concerned voice came through the door.

"I'm fine Max, honestly. I'm just finishing dressing and then I'll be out. Promise."

"Alright, but don't be too long, your breakfast is getting cold."

Harry chuckled and cleaned up the bathroom with a spell, put away Braiden's bath and picked up the carrycot handle after making sure Braiden was strapped in securely.

He left the bathroom and headed to the kitchen before he had a chance to change his mind. Blaise saw him first and he dropped his half eaten slice of toast onto the table top, his mouth hanging open.

"Really Blaise? Close your mouth when you're eating, I don't want to see your half chewed breakfast." Draco complained as he folded his fork over his knife and pushed his plate away.

"Blaise?" Nasta asked puzzled and a little concerned.

Blaise's eyes never left Harry's little skirt or the multitude of love bites that littered his bare body, standing out like vivid bruises on his pale skin and he seemed to be having problems swallowing and breathing. As one the other three turned to look at what had Blaise so transfixed, Harry smirked as he saw their eyes go wide as they took him in, their own eyes going from the love bites, to the tiny skirt and the edge of the lacy underwear that was just visible underneath.

Harry ignored them as he put Braiden on the table top and began eating his breakfast slowly and calmly as if nothing was out of the ordinary.

"Harry…what?" Nasta asked, finding his tongue first even as he continued to stare.

"What?" Harry asked as he finished chewing and swallowed his bite of food.

"You…you're wearing…a skirt?"

"I know. Really Nas, I thought you were intelligent."

"Is there uh… any particular reason you decided to wear the skirt?" Max questioned as he continued staring at the tiny scrap of red fabric.

"It's comfortable." Harry answered with a straight face as he took another forkful of scrambled eggs.

"Are you going to wear it all day?" Draco asked his voice oddly strained.

"If it doesn't get too cold. I'm thinking of writing off to the company who made this skirt and asking them to make a matching top, also I'd like it in blue."

Harry finished his breakfast whilst none of his mates moved from their seats; he slapped Blaise's hand as it moved to touch his leg.

"Oi! I'm trying to eat here." Harry chastised as he finished his last bite of toast. He was quite pleased with himself; he had eaten everything, including his crusts this morning. None of his mates noticed.

"Do you need help with the dishes Max?" Harry questioned innocently as he indicated the table full of dirty dishes and the counter next to the sink which held two frying pans, one saucepan and numerous spoons and knives.

When Max didn't answer Harry looked to his biggest mate and saw him sat there staring at the skirt still, he rolled his eyes and stood up. He walked normally to the sink, no extra swaying or unnatural movements, no need to give everything away so early into the game.

He did bend over a bit further than normal to reach the washing up liquid and the taps of the sink and someone behind him groaned. He smirked wickedly and began running the tap, 'accidentally' spraying himself with water.

"Oops." He exclaimed, turning around with his chest dripping wet, one droplet clinging to an erect nipple. What a damn stroke of luck that was.

He flicked the droplet from his nipple, flicking his actual nipple in the process and there was a sharp intake of breath. He grabbed a tea towel and rubbed his body dry slowly.

"This is why I don't do the dishes!" Harry pouted at the table of transfixed men. "I always get the water everywhere."

Harry acted as normally as he could, pretending that he was wearing jeans and a tee shirt rather than an indecently short skirt and his mates love bites.

He started washing the dishes by the sink first and heard someone get up and collect the dishes from the table. That person came closer to him and pressed right up against his back. He could feel the hardness of who was most definitely Max pressed against him, almost crushing him into the countertop, the rough material of his jeans stretched tight against the strain of him against his zip and scratchy against Harry's bare skin.

"Hey! Max if you're not going to be helpful with the dishes go and do something else! How am I supposed to wash up with you crushing me into the counter?"

Max didn't answer but pressed into him harder, he put the dirty plates down and wrapped his arms around him, one hand moving to pinch and twist the nipple he had flicked the water droplet from.

Harry almost forgot what he was supposed to be doing, almost let himself sink into the pleasure that Max was offering, but he steeled himself. He would not give them sex or pleasure on demand when they denied him when he wanted sex.

He slapped Max's hands away and pushed him away, Max let him push him because there was no way Harry could have moved him otherwise, but he didn't go far and those hands kept moving to touch him.

"Will you stop molesting me and do the damn dishes?" Harry sighed in exasperation.

"How can I when you look so damned fuckable." Max growled.

Harry's eyes dilated and his lower body clenched tight. Max's voice was so deep, so guttural that it was arousing. Harry breathed in deeply, trying to calm himself, but all he could smell was Max's aftershave and it made his legs go weak. A shiver went down his spine as he let out all the breath in his body in one shuddering gasp, the tiny hairs all over his body standing up on end as goosebumps broke out on his fever hot skin. He needed to be stronger than this.

"I don't care, now do the dishes whilst I sort out Braiden, I can smell him from here." Harry answered, holding himself firm and scooping Braiden up and moving to change him on the plastic covered, foam mat that was stored in the cupboard at the far end of the kitchen. It was yellow and had little pink and white bunnies on them, Harry was sure Mrs Weasley had wanted him to have a girl.

Harry sat down on the floor; his legs spread either side of the changing mat as he went through the process of undressing Braiden so soon after he had dressed him for the day. He was sure he was flashing the matching underwear to all of them as the skirt was too short to pool between his legs. The thought almost made him blush, but he staved it off viciously.

He sneaked a quick peek at his mates through the corner of his eye and saw that the only one who had turned away was Nasta; he seemed to be avoiding temptation by not looking at it. Harry chuckled lightly, he couldn't have that. He finished cleaning up Braiden and dressed him again, throwing the dirty nappy and the used wipes into the bin before laying his son into the bassinet.

He went around the table and happily hefted himself onto Nasta's lap with an evil little smile. Nasta's hands automatically went around his waist to steady him, but Harry could feel the tenseness of Nasta's muscles, the hardness that he was being held against rubbing at his bum. He repressed a shiver; he couldn't let his mates know how much they were affecting him, it would ruin everything.

"What time was Braiden's appointment Blaise?" Harry asked casually, wiggling around on Nasta a bit to 'get comfortable.' Behind him Nasta let out a soft moan.

"Four." Was the clipped, deepened reply from Blaise.

Harry looked to him with a raised eyebrow.

"What is wrong with you?" He asked.

"You're sat in the kitchen wearing just a skirt and lace panties and you ask us what's wrong?" Draco demanded gruffly.

Harry shrugged and slipped from Nasta's lap even as his oldest mate's arms tried to hold him onto his lap.

"Harry, why?" Max asked, his eyes burning with lust and love.

"I told you, I like it. It's comfortable as well. I was thinking of trying out some of those toys Ginny gave me as well." Harry added watching with a hidden smile as Draco choked on his shaky sip of tea.

"When were you thinking of trying them?" Max asked licking his lips unconsciously.

Harry shrugged. "Tonight maybe. Some of them come with instruction manuals."

"Why would you need an instruction manual?" Blaise queried, his eyes glued to Harry's body.

"Because I don't know how to use them." Harry didn't need to pretend to blush as it came regardless.

"We know how to use them." Max answered. "At least I know Nasta and myself can."

"If they're the magical variety then I know how to use them and so does Blaise." Draco answered quickly.

"I'm not going to use them for the first time with you there!" Harry exclaimed in shock. "It's going to be humiliating and mortifying enough without an audience. No, I'll try them out myself first."

Harry wished he could take a picture all four of their faces made at that declaration. This was turning out so much better than he had ever imagined. He was having so much fun.

"You…you can't do that." Max replied looking like he had been denied the meaning of life itself.

"Why?" Harry asked. "It's my body; I can do as I want with it. If I don't want anyone watching me, then you'd better stay the hell away."

Harry chuckled lightly as he heard all four of them groan as he picked up Braiden and carried him into the living room. He was going to make all four of them suffer.

* * *

At half past three Harry had changed out of the little skirt and into the tightest pair of jeans he owned and the tightest tee-shirt. They were a bit small, but the way Max hung his head as he appeared back into the living room made him smile. The skirt was safely in the bottom of the bag he was taking to the hospital so Max, Nasta and Draco couldn't throw it away whilst he and Blaise went to St Mungos with Braiden.

"Come on Blaise, we're going to be late." Harry hurried Blaise, who was strapping Braiden into his carrycot.

"I'm coming!" Blaise called out.

"I will be." Max muttered as he tugged on himself through his tight trousers.

Harry kissed each of them goodbye and took Blaise's hand, stepping into the fireplace and calling out 'St Mungos' with a whoosh they were both gone.

"Fuck I can't handle this!" Max burst out as soon as they were gone. "Why the hell is he doing this to us?"

"I have an idea." Nasta sighed, thinking back to the previous night.

"I don't care why he's doing it, let's just get that damn skirt and hide it so he can't put it back on when he comes home." Draco exploded, turning on his heel and heading up the stairs to their bedroom.

The two older men followed and watched as Draco bent under the bed to pull out the damnable box, only to find it near enough empty. The only things in there were Muggle DVDs, two ball gags and a set of heavy duty chains.

"FUCK!" Draco hissed slamming his hands into the floor.

"Damn minx must have hidden everything." Max groaned.

"He must have hidden them here somewhere." Nasta said desperately as he started opening up the draws to the bedside cabinet, the only things sexual inside them were various bottles of lubricant and boxes of condoms.

"Where would Harry hide something?" Max asked as he started looking in Harry's suitcase, begging for his submissive to forgive him for the breach of privacy, he just couldn't spend the rest of the day seeing Harry's gorgeous ass swollen in red lace and barely covered by that tiny skirt. His heart was going to give out.

"The bathroom?" Draco questioned.

"I don't think he would have used Braiden's nursery." Nasta put in. "He wouldn't want to taint the baby's room. So the bathroom's a good guess."

Draco went into the bathroom and searched all of the cupboards and cabinets, but there was not one single sign of a sex toy anywhere.

"Damn it! Why is he doing this?"

"Because he want's sex." Nasta put in. "He's sexually frustrated so he's making us sexually frustrated."

"The Healer said…"

"It doesn't matter." Max cut in. "Harry's wants sex regardless of what the Healer said and if he carries on I'm not going to be able to take it."

"Where the hell would he have put them?" Draco complained as they started downstairs, Max scouring the downstairs bathroom because Harry had spent so long in there that morning.

"They're not here!" Nasta groaned in frustrated agony.

"Damn you Harry!" Draco yelled throughout the house.

* * *

Harry hated the looks he was getting from other visitors to the hospital. He had dressed up purely for his mates, he hadn't realised that going out in skin tight clothing would mean other people would be looking at him too.

Blaise was being very possessive and had an arm firmly around Harry, hissing lightly under his breath so only Harry could hear him. It was pretty annoying but Harry understood completely because if the tables were turned he'd be just the same, if not worse, no one touched his baby's Daddy.

"I need the bathroom a sec love." Harry told Blaise. "Stay here with Braiden in case we're called. I don't want to be here any longer than necessary."

Blaise nodded tightly and watched Harry walk down the corridor, using this time to breathe deeply and calm himself down before he gave his family away as outlawed creatures.

Harry quickly finished emptying his bladder and washed his hands. He just wanted to get out of this hospital. Hospitals had always made him feel itchy and paranoid.

"Big, fat penguin."

Harry turned at that declaration and raised an eyebrow at the man behind him.

"What?"

"That's the ice broken."

Harry just looked at the man and wondered if he had escaped from the mental patients ward. He was grinning like a loon and standing in a pose that puffed up his chest and tautened his leg muscles.

"Excuse me?" He asked again, hoping the man would make some sense.

"Hey kitty, I've got some cream you can have, you just need to lap at it." The man breathed with an eyebrow movement.

Harry's own eyebrow rose in question. This man was clearly unstable.

"Are you feeling alright?" Harry asked.

"Want to do some Arithmancy with me? We'll add a bed, subtract the clothes, divide your legs and multiply."

Harry just scooted around the clearly mental man and made for the door.

"Where are you going honey? Back to heaven with all the other angels?"

"No, I'm going back to my boyfriend and my newborn baby!" Harry answered icily.

"Don't be like that! Me and you together equals perfect! I bet those jeans would look better on my bedroom floor."

"Fuck off!" Harry answered as he pulled the door open and made to walk out, only to have the man grab his arm and yank him backwards. "Oi!"

"Don't leave; I want to see how good you look on me. You can ride my broomstick as much as you want."

"Get off!" Harry hissed drawing back his fist and launching it right into the man's face, just like he had with Amelle the previous day. Only this time the pain that encompassed his hand almost made him screech. Hell that had hurt. The man gripped Harry's shirt to try and keep himself upright, but ended up ripping it as he fell to the floor.

"What is going on in here?" A man in a Healer's lime green overcoat asked as he looked to Harry with a ripped shirt sleeve and a bruised forearm to the man rolling on the bathroom floor clutching his face.

"He grabbed me as I was leaving, so I punched him in the face." Harry answered truthfully, quivering just a bit. He wanted Blaise.

"Alright. Let's get you to an examination room to see if there's any damage done and I'll get a colleague for him."

"I just want to go home." Harry said quietly. His confidence was knocked, his hand hurt like hell and his forearm ached.

The Healer sighed. "Was there a reason you came in today? Anything I can help you with before you leave?"

"I came here with my boyfriend and our baby. He's having his first check up because I home birthed."

"Ah. Alright I'll send word to the paediatrician Healers and let your boyfriend know you've gone home; I'll see you to the floo."

Harry let the nice Healer escort him to the floo; he passed right by where he had been sitting with Blaise so Braiden must have been called in to see the Healer.

"Callum, there's a gentleman in the men's bathroom in the second corridor, could you see to him please? There's no need to be gentle with him." Harry's Healer escort said to a passing Healer, who nodded and headed off towards the bathroom. Harry smiled just a bit.

He took a handful of floo powder from the offered pot, using his uninjured hand and cast it into the flames watching them turn green.

Harry tumbled out of the fire place and into a surprised Draco's arms. Harry clung to him and much to his shame he felt tears well up in his eyes.

"Harry, what's wrong?" Draco's concerned question brought Max and Nasta running.

They growled when they caught sight of his bruised arm, cut and swollen hand and his ripped shirt.

"What happened? Who did this to you?" Nasta demanded in a feral way.

"A man in the bathroom at the hospital." Harry answered with a sniff.

"Where was Blaise?" Draco snarled.

"With…with Braiden. I was only gone for…for a minute."

"Where is Blaise now?"

"With the Healer, Braiden still needed his check-up. He doesn't know."

"He doesn't know?" Max asked shocked.

"He had already been called into the appointment before I left the bathroom." Harry said pathetically as Max examined his hand and carried him into the kitchen to fix it up.

"This hand is badly bruised Harry." Max told him as he spread a topical paste onto it to ease the swelling after sitting Harry on the kitchen table.

Nasta was sniffing around his arm and growling, he tugged Harry's shirt from him and threw it straight into the bin.

"Hey! I liked that shirt." Harry complained weakly.

"It smells like the man that attacked you!" Nasta growled and Harry ducked away.

Nasta cuddled him then and kissed him softly, rumbling soothingly in his throat to calm him whilst simultaneously rubbing his scent upon him. Harry purred and snuggled in tighter.

"Do you want a nap Harry?" Max asked softly as he presented him with a sugary, fruit squash drink.

Harry shook his head as he carefully sipped the strong squash, he felt less shaky almost immediately.

"Do you want to cuddle up on the settee?"

Harry nodded and allowed himself to be carried into the living room and settled down on the cushions. He was drifting in and out of sleep when the fire went green and Blaise landed perfectly on the carpet with Braiden strapped into his carrycot.

Harry couldn't place his finger on what was wrong, but something about Blaise screamed feral and Harry sat up straighter.

"Pass Braiden to me Blaise." Harry coaxed.

Blaise immediately handed the carrycot over, but caught Harry's arm gently, snarling as he caught sight of the bruising.

"It's alright." Harry assured. "Max sorted it out for me; I popped that bastard's nose and jaw as well."

"I should have protected you!" Blaise hissed.

"You can't always protect me Blaise. I'm a big boy; I can take care of myself."

"You shouldn't have to." Max answered sadly. "We're here to look after you."

Harry sighed and unstrapped Braiden from his carrycot, he held his baby up to his nose and inhaled deeply before cuddling his son into the crook of his arm and snuggling down further between Max and Nasta.

"Can I have a story please?" He asked a bit childishly, but Max grinned and picked up the book they had been reading together for the past month.

None of the others had ever been involved in his and Max's quality time together, but Harry was sure Max would forgive this one intrusion as he cracked open the book to where they had left it off and started reading in the soft silence that had taken over the settee.

The others remained silent as Harry cuddled Braiden and listened to Max's storytelling. He felt calm and relaxed and it was no wonder to Max that half an hour later Harry was fast asleep and Braiden was getting fussy.

"Take him to bed would you?" Max asked, not really directing his question at anyone as he eased Braiden from Harry's sleep slack arms and took him for a bottle.

Draco followed him into the kitchen and Max groaned as he lowered himself into a chair to feed the baby.

"I can't believe it's only been four days since Harry gave birth." Draco stated, looking at the feeding baby. "He's gotten bigger."

"The Healer was pleased with Braiden's progress." Blaise told them as he walked into the kitchen and poured himself some pumpkin juice from the cold storage cupboard.

"Anything wrong or we need to worry about?" Draco asked a bit too quickly for casual.

"Nothing. Harry birthed a very strong, very healthy baby boy. He's gaining weight steadily, he's growing, all his organs are working properly, his immune system is advanced for his age and his reflexes are all normal." Blaise told them happily as he stroked Braiden's deeply suckling cheek.

Nasta walked in and grinned at them.

"What has you so happy?"

"I found all the sex toys. That sneaky minx didn't move them out of the bedroom."

"We searched every cupboard and corner of that room!" Draco denied.

"They were piled on the bed, underneath Harry's very handy invisibility cloak." Nasta stated with a chuckle.

Draco thunked his head on the table and groaned.

"Did you find that damnable skirt?" Max asked as he burped Braiden.

Nasta shook his head. "It was the only thing I didn't find."

"I found that." Blaise put in. "Harry shoved it at the bottom of the nappy bag we took to the hospital."

"Good, give it to me. I can't see him wearing it anymore; my balls are so full they're aching." Max complained as he rocked Braiden to sleep.

Blaise pulled the skirt from his pocket and passed it to Max, who threw it out the back door and set it alight with his wand.

"I hope I never have to see Harry wearing something like that again." He groaned as he placed a sleeping Braiden into the bassinet next to the kitchen table. "Now who want's what for dinner?"

* * *

Harry woke up slowly and stretched fully. He rolled over and memory came back to him in sections. He looked to his hand, which was no longer swollen, no longer cut and bruised, but it was aching.

Harry frowned and slumped onto the mattress. He could smell dinner cooking and his belly rumbled. He placed his uninjured hand onto his now very minimally bumped stomach. He was almost back to normal, only not really as he had retained eight pounds of weight, which made him look healthier and his mates enjoyed the view. Harry smirked and rubbed a hand down his own body. He shivered from the contact and grinned.

He rolled over and then it clicked that whoever had taken him to bed must have found out where he had stashed the sex toys. He pouted and looked for his skirt before remembering he had left the nappy bag with Blaise. Cursing Harry got up and shimmied out of his pyjama bottoms.

He looked down at himself and laughed as he kicked off his boxers and headed down the stairs. If he couldn't wear his skirt, he wouldn't wear anything. Either way he was getting sex tonight or he was going to owl Ginny for more toys and little outfits, in fact he might do that anyway. He'd just bribe Ginny with a few little details about his sexual life and he'd get another box of toys, he'd of course send her the money for it, but then again how much did sex toys cost? How much would he have to send to her? Max would know, but he couldn't exactly ask, he doubted if he would even get an answer.

Harry chuckled almost silently as he saw his mates setting the table for dinner. He walked in and adored the look on Draco's pink coloured face as a plate slipped from his fingers and shattered on the floor.

Max spun around as Nasta hefted Draco into his arms and away from the broken porcelain.

"Are you alright? Nothing landed on your foot did it?" Nasta asked panicked.

Draco slowly shook his head mutely and Nasta, with a feeling of déjà vu, turned to look at the kitchen door, where Harry stood wearing nothing but an evil looking smile.

He swallowed harshly and wanted to hit his head against the cabinet, they should have just let him have his damned skirt back.

"Why…why don't you go and get some clothes on Harry? It's not that warm anymore." Max tried, even as the lowering sun was still shining and the heat from the outside was drifting in through the open back door.

"I'm lovely and warm." Harry answered as he picked up Braiden and after pulling off his little dungarees, his white shirt and his bodysuit, leaving just his nappy on, he sat at the kitchen table and cuddled his son to his chest, giving skin-on-skin contact.

"You look gorgeous like that." Max told him.

Harry saw something out of the corner of his eyes and turned around just in time to see Max putting away the camera.

"You had better not have taken a photo of me!" Harry hissed as he held Braiden flat out on his chest.

"Would I do that?" Max asked with a massive grin.

"Would Harry sit naked in the kitchen as we're about to eat?" Draco replied dryly as he finished putting out the plates as Nasta fixed the broken one on the floor.

Blaise chuckled as he claimed the seat next to Harry and scooted his chair over to cuddle against Harry and Braiden.

"I changed him for the first time when you were in bed." Blaise admitted proudly.

Harry grinned and kissed Blaise's cheek.

"Good, now you have no excuses not to change him when I ask you to." Harry said back.

Blaise chuckled again and kissed Braiden's cheek.

"We have a beautiful, healthy baby boy Harry, thank you."

Harry blushed a bit and quickly looked down to Braiden, whose cornflower blue eyes were open and looking up at the both of them.

"I think he knows who we are to him." Harry said softly.

"Of course he does Harry. How could he not know you are his Mother?"

"Yeah he spent the first six months of his life listening to your voice." Max hollered from the oven where he was taking out a large side of salmon. "Poor kid."

Harry hissed at Max, but couldn't bring himself to stay even remotely angry as he sunk back into his soft, calm bubble with Blaise and Braiden. He made sure to keep as much eye contact with Braiden as he could, he adored his son's blue eyes and was almost sad to see the day come when they would change colour.

"Here you go." Max interrupted with a flourish as he served them dinner.

Harry tucked Braiden into his left arm in a position where they still had skin-on-skin contact and he could eat comfortably, he was glad that Max had cooked salmon for dinner and not something that required the actual use of a knife, he really did not want to put Braiden down at the moment.

They ate normally, as if Harry wasn't wearing just his skin at the dinner table, until Harry had finished eating and Braiden started fussing for his own dinner.

Harry stood up unashamedly and boiled the electric kettle to make up a bottle for Braiden, showing off his body in a long, lean line for his mates' perusal. Draco choked on a bite of salmon, Blaise stopped chewing with his mouth still full, Max bent his fork and Nasta appeared to have stopped breathing.

Harry made up the bottle and instead of sitting back down, he turned to face his mates and fed Braiden standing up, ignoring his own hardness that was pressing against his belly and ignoring the four of them as he attentively fed his son, who was going to be put down for the night very soon and then the real games would begin.

"Please put something on." Draco almost whispered.

"Why? It's such a nice day, I was thinking of laying outside for a bit when Braiden has been put down."

"Outside?" Max croaked his body tensing so much Harry feared for the table top that his biggest mate had a death grip on. "I put away all of the blankets."

"That's alright Max, I prefer the grass under my body anyway and I still have to dismantle my old nest, I'm sure there are some blankets in there. I can't actually remember what I used to build it."

A splintering sound accompanied Nasta diving for Max's hand before it could go through the solid wood table and they gripped hands like one of them was dangling over a five thousand foot cliff and the only thing saving them from certain death was their grip on that one hand.

Braiden finished his bottle and Harry burped him confidently, wiping away the small amount of spit up from his baby's chin and giving him a sound kiss on those pouty little lips.

"I'm going to put this little monster to bed, make sure you have one of the three way monitors switched on."

Harry walked out of the kitchen without looking back, even though he could feel the burning gaze of four sets of eyes watching him. He climbed the stairs and went into his bedroom with a laugh.

"We did it Braiden baby! We're getting some love tonight, so you be a good boy tonight and wake up in four hours exactly. This is not a day where Mummy wants you to break out of your routine. I'll promise you that I'll beat your Daddies into agreeing when you want to join the Hogwarts house Quidditch team. I'll be on your side and I'll be in those crowds cheering you on every second of every game, your Daddies will not stop you from doing what you want to, just give Mummy this one night, please."

Harry changed the wet nappy that had started to make Braiden grizzle and dressed him in a clean bodysuit and overlaid it with a light blue sleepsuit that had little yellow ducks on it.

Harry cuddled him in his arms and hummed lightly to get him to sleep, Braiden yawned and Harry mentally cooed, wishing he had his camera. Braiden's eyelids slowly drooped and within moments he was fast asleep as Harry slowed his humming and finally stopped.

Harry watched Braiden's little chest raise and fall for a moment before he put him into the bassinet and covered him over with a light summer blanket, making sure that Braiden's little feet touched the end of the bassinet, before he switched on the monitor and picked up the third one.

He made sure he could hear Braiden breathing over the monitor before he opened the bedroom window and leapt out, unfurling his wings as he did so. He closed the bedroom window from the outside so no bugs could get to Braiden and then went up to his abandoned nest.

He looked at it and grinned. Odd memories came to him of just lying about sunning himself, a bit like he was doing now, he mused as he pulled out his full Dracken attributes so he wouldn't get sun burnt. He started dismantling the mess and was incredibly amused at what he found, including three of the eighteen set of woven linen coasters Max had. Why he had needed three coasters to build up his nest he didn't know, but he had wanted them and he had had them.

Harry walked through the backdoor with an arm full of curtains and the front room rug he had borrowed and he grinned bashfully at Max's shocked face.

"You robbed my damn curtains?"

"I'm sorry?" Harry stated, not even trying to sound apologetic. "I found your three missing coasters as well; I guess Caesar wasn't to blame for those going missing after all."

Harry placed the three coasters down on the table top and laughed all the way to the front room to replace the rug.

It was astonishing to see what he had actually used in his nest as he pulled it apart, his mates helping him when they realised what he was doing. It took an hour before the roof top was clear once again and everything was either put away or put in a safe place for cleaning. Harry hadn't realised exactly how much blood he had gotten everywhere.

"Damn it you puffed up this nest with some absolute rubbish." Draco complained as he rubbed his back. Harry wondered if this was the first time Draco had done any manual labour and decided it best not to ask.

"My favourite pyjamas are not rubbish." Blaise complained as he critically checked every inch of the silk pyjamas, Harry had loved how they felt on his skin.

Big fingers stroked Harry's right wing and the sensation it caused sent him to his knees with a moan. He looked over his shoulder to glare at Max, who was staring at him through lust blown eyes.

"You could have caught me." Harry whined as he showed Max his grazed knees.

"We can't be having that." Max whispered, his voice once again gone deep as he picked Harry up from the floor and jumped off of the roof, his huge, bright blue wings snapping open to save them from a nasty fall.

They landed harmlessly on the grass and Harry rolled a bit more than he would have, just because the feel of the sun warmed grass on his naked skin was wonderful.

- **Sex scene has been removed, it can be found on other sites** -

"Okay, off!" Max wheezed, rolling all three of them off of his chest and onto the grass. Nasta moved back before he got rolled over by Max's legs. "I can't handle all of your weights post-coital. You're just too heavy when you're all boneless."

Harry giggled and curled up as his body ached pleasantly.

"That was amazing." He told them all.

"Can you please start wearing normal clothing now?" Draco begged. "Or at least actual clothing. Anyone could have come around today and seen you in that skirt."

"No they couldn't." Harry answered. "I flooed everyone this morning and told them that I was going to spend the day fucking you all senseless on as many surfaces as I could and that I didn't appreciate an audience. Your Mother was particularly shocked Draco."

All of them turned to look at him in horror and when Harry showed no sign that he was joking they started stumbling over their words.

"Dad will slaughter you if Mum doesn't get to you first." Max announced seriously.

"Mum's going to be scarred for life." Blaise stated.

"Dad's going to flip." Nasta sighed as he flopped back onto the grass.

"You spoke to Mother like that?" Draco demanded. "Father is never going to forgive this!"

"You lot need to grow a funny bone." Harry giggled. "Of course I never worded it like that. I can't believe you'd think I would! I said that I needed a day or two to settle myself down after the fight with Amelle."

"Thank Merlin." Draco mumbled.

The sun was setting as they lay in the cooling grass, none of them bothering to move as they all rolled over, groaning and complaining, to cuddle against one another. Harry ended up with Blaise, Draco and Nasta on one side of him and Max on the other, Blaise being cuddled in the very middle.

"I want a bed." Harry told the other's through a jaw breaking yawn as sleepiness settled in.

"Go and get in one then." Max told him, his gorgeous blue eyes closed.

"I can't move. Max, carry me to bed."

"Any other time I would love to hear you say that Harry love, I would even joke and salaciously beg for sex, but as my chest feels like it can't support itself, let alone anyone else, I'm going to have to apologise and push you towards Nasta, even though the thought breaks my heart."

Harry giggled sleepily as he moved from his spot in the line-up and crawled slowly and achingly to Nasta and flumped on him completely spent of energy.

"Take me to bed Nasta, please?"

Nasta just grunted, that could have been anything really, but the clue was that he didn't move from his position.

"Please take me to bed." Harry begged.

Draco forced himself upright and stood up groaning like an old man.

"I feel like death." He whined, but he stooped down and picked Harry up and started carrying him to the house.

"We can get the best position in the bed." Harry told him. "Right in the very middle, cuddled up together."

Draco chuckled roughly. "Sounds like a plan love."

Draco settled him down once they had climbed the mountain they called stairs and the both of them snuggled up together in the centre of the bed. Harry rolled over and peeked into the bassinet just to check on Braiden, who hadn't moved an inch from where Harry had placed him, his little chest raising and falling softly, his little breaths only just loud enough to be heard if everything else was silent. Harry tucked the blanket around his little side more firmly and with a soft kiss to his little head, Harry rolled back towards Draco and cuddled up again.

"How is he?" Draco asked with his silver eyes closed.

"He's fine. Sleeping like a pro."

Draco chuckled and wrapped his arms more firmly around Harry's waist. It took a while before Nasta showed up with Blaise, Blaise was already fast asleep and Nasta tucked him up next to Harry and took a stirring Braiden straight downstairs for a bottle. Max stumbled up before Nasta came back and he claimed the largest part of the remaining bed space, which was behind Blaise.

Nasta came back up with a happily fed and changed Braiden and put him back into the bassinet carefully, making sure his feet were to the bottom and that the summer blanket was tucked under him before he came around the bed and climbed in behind Draco. The four of them slept soundly for four hours when Braiden woke up at two in the morning for another feed. It was a groggy and very sleepy Max who was brave enough to roll out of the bed to feed the baby and Harry smiled, knowing that the next time Braiden woke up at six in the morning it would be his turn to take the screaming baby.

* * *

A/N: Thank you so much to everyone who has read and reviewed this story, for supported me through the re-write and for putting up with it whilst all you wanted was to read what happened next. This is the last chapter! The re-write is over and the next chapter will be out so soon it'll seem like no time has passed at all! But seriously, thank you. I can't say it enough and without all of you, I wouldn't have bothered re-writing this story and would have just left it.

Some special people need to be named: Lizzosaur, reviewer, JennyA, Alx, America's the Hero and Pri! Thank you all so much for helping me get back to where I once was, you are the reason this story is up and I dedicate the whole thing to you, because without you, this wouldn't be here.

**PhoenixRose92**: Some venom's would eat through the stitches. Harry's would, Amelle's would, but not all submissive's venom would. It depends on what properties their venom had or if all their defence was in the actual claws. A submissive with deadly curved claws wouldn't have a very potent venom as the prey that came in contact with their claws wouldn't likely live afterwards.

**furious m**: They don't often have the time to just fool around and I suppose with five of them it would be hard to just fool around as they wouldn't all be satisfied, if they all have penetrative sex then they're all satisfied and all sated together, but I suppose if it was just one-on-one then they could fool around a bit easier, it's just when they have the time to spend time with one another it always leads to sex and with Max and Nasta off from work and it being the summer holidays they're all in the house together, so it's easier to just have full out sex.

**GuardianoftheTwoGates**: Harry won't let his hair grow back to waist length. He didn't like it. The Ministry is already against them because they are dark creatures, they just don't know that they are dark creatures yet, if they ever found out though they would be executed and Braiden would be exiled from the British Isles.

**XxMoonFlower369xX**: Amelle is spoilt because, like Miette, she grew up with her parents knowing she was a Dracken, so she was told that she was special, that she would have men falling at her feet, that she could have whichever man she wanted, it's no wonder they both grew up so spoilt. It's like Dudley Dursley growing up like he did because of Petunia and Vernon. The blame lies with the parents. She isn't very powerful at all and Caesar is quite powerful, so that combination meant that Amelle doesn't need more than just Caesar.

This is exactly like canon with the werewolves, but it is widely believed that werewolves can't have children, when in reality it's that they are afraid to procreate because most don't want to pass on the lycanthropy to their baby. So Amelle was basically rubbing the downfalls of Remus' lycanthropy in his face with the baby comment. He will prove her wrong be making everyone's very favourite Metamorphmagus; Teddy.

**Solar Fox**: Dominant males cannot get pregnant no.

**Siblings-Curse** – The dominant female would be the one to get pregnant if it was just a dominant female with a male submissive, but the dominant female could get the male submissive pregnant like a dominant female would get a submissive female pregnant, through creative use of fingers and a hell of a lot of patience, but the latter would be very rare.

**Ioli Ophelia Potter**: No they don't know that Braiden is a Dracken yet. Harry is playing the knowledge close to his chest and he will until the baby is a few weeks old. It's a Mother's possession thing that Dracken's do. He won't feel like sharing the details until later.

**IceNecromancer**: It wouldn't really be a divorce, but it is possible for a dominant to leave their submissive. Though it is incredibly rare and if the submissive is pregnant and loses the baby as a result of their dominant leaving then the dominant will be executed by the Counsel for child destruction. Likewise if the submissive dies or kills themselves as a result of the dominant leaving then the dominant is executed for the murder, or rather contributing to the death, of a submissive.

**ladilyn**: If it were left to Draco to punish Harry in public then he wouldn't just turn him over his knee. Like you observed he would pinch the very top of Harry's thigh, if Harry refused to stop or started acting worse, then Draco would have no choice but to drag Harry to the nearest private place and fully punish him, but likely Harry would stop before then for fear of public humiliation, he'd know that a pinch to the leg would be his only warning.

**sexytiger**: My facebook page is under the name StarLight Mass. There are links to it on my profile page.

**sweetie394**: You are asking if Harry and Max had a dominant baby, but Harry and Draco had a submissive, if the dominant and submissive would then mate to one another. No. No they wouldn't because a Dracken shuns all Drackens that are unsuitable for mating and a submissive with such close blood ties would automatically be dismissed. I believe this was explained in chapter 10.

Thank you all for reading and reviewing! Don't forget to add me on **Facebook** under the name** StarLight Mass**! I'm not some stalker weirdo, so don't worry about that, I just like talking and bouncing ideas off of readers and also having very strange, conversations that scare normal people.

Also don't forget that there is a companion story to this one called The Rise of the Drackens: The Scaled Bits!

StarLight Massacre. X


	45. Alexander's Birthday

_Last Time_

_Draco chuckled and wrapped his arms more firmly around Harry's waist. It took a while before Nasta showed up with Blaise, Blaise was already fast asleep and Nasta tucked him up next to Harry and took a stirring Braiden straight downstairs for a bottle. Max stumbled up before Nasta came back and he claimed the largest part of the remaining bed space, which was behind Blaise._

_Nasta came back up with a happily fed and changed Braiden and put him back into the bassinet carefully, making sure his feet were to the bottom and that the summer blanket was tucked under him before he came around the bed and climbed in behind Draco. The four of them slept soundly for four hours when Braiden woke up at two in the morning for another feed. It was a groggy and very sleepy Max who was brave enough to roll out of the bed to feed the baby and Harry smiled, knowing that the next time Braiden woke up at six in the morning it would be his turn to take the screaming baby._

Chapter Forty-Five – Alexander's Birthday

Harry woke up with a groan and rolled over minimally to hear the squawking of an angry, unhappy baby. He sighed heavily and fought his way out from between his lovers' bodies to reach the baby.

Braiden was five days old, almost a week and Harry was already bone tired and weary. Not that he didn't love his son, he did, very much. He just wished that Braiden would sleep a bit later, until perhaps ten in the morning like he wanted to so he didn't have to take so many naps during the day to stop himself from collapsing.

Harry scooped up Braiden and glared at the four other men in the bed, there was no way any of them were still asleep, yet none of them so much as opened their eyes.

Sighing Harry made his way down the stairs to feed Braiden and to get him into a clean nappy because he was wet. Harry could feel the heaviness of the nappy in his hand; Braiden had to have been so uncomfortable.

"Alright love, let's get you out of this nappy and into a nice warm bath, hmm?"

Harry walked into the downstairs bathroom and stripped Braiden and left him lying on the foam changing mat. This one was white with little blue elephants depicted on it.

Harry filled the little plastic bath and again checked the temperature manually and magically before washing his son's face and hair, before lowing the screaming baby into the water to wash his body.

"Seriously Braiden, you need to take a bath, I don't know why you don't like it, I love baths and I'm pretty sure Blaise does too. Although he's never had one, he prefers showers, but you're too young to have a shower, so you'll have to make do with the bath."

Harry quickly finished bathing Braiden and got him out of the bath as soon as he could, exhaling in relief as he emptied the water down the plughole and dressed Braiden, who was soothing himself by sucking his fingers.

Harry grinned at the cute picture Braiden made and carried him quickly out into the kitchen and snapped a picture of him before making his son his breakfast. It was half past seven when he finished and there wasn't a sign of his mates anywhere.

His stomach growled loudly, placing Braiden into the bassinet he made himself something to eat and washed up after himself, it was now eight o'clock and his mates were still in bed.

"Just me and you Braiden love, some quality time between Mummy and baby." Harry chuckled and carried Braiden out into the back garden with an armful of blankets and three chairs floating behind him.

Harry placed the chairs in a triangle with their seats facing outwards and draped three of the blankets over the chairs and placed two others on the ground between the chairs, before crawling into his little fort with Braiden and a book.

"You're a little young for this love, but I'll read it to you anyway, it's something for us to do until your lazy Fathers' get out of bed."

Harry settled Braiden on his lap, supporting him upright as his son peered around him with big blue eyes as Harry opened the book and started reading from the beginning. It was a children's book, but as Braiden was only five days old, Harry rather thought that even picture books were beyond his son at the moment.

An amused head popped into his fort at half eight and Harry smiled sweetly back at Nasta.

"Hey Max, I found the missing chairs." Nasta called out. "They seem to have a few stowaways between them."

Max came out into the back garden and peered over Nasta's shoulder.

"Seriously? This is what you do in the mornings when left to your own devices for a few hours?" Max asked him with a long suffering sigh.

"I could take an extra-long bath, oil up my body and walk around in a little skirt all day if you'd prefer it."

"I burnt that offending piece of cloth." Max growled.

Harry just grinned at them and winked saucily.

"You have more. Dear Merlin he has more!" Max breathed in horror, first to Harry and then to Nasta, who looked a little shell shocked.

"Well then, let's leave Harry's little house up and…"

"It's not a house it's a fort." Harry interrupted.

"Alright, let's leave Harry's fort up and use the remaining chairs for breakfast, we need to go shopping today."

"Why?" Harry asked curiously as he was helped out from inside the fort and led inside for breakfast.

"It's my grandfather's birthday tomorrow love; I need to get him a present." Max answered.

Harry remembered then a conversation that seemed a long time ago, when he was at the Dracken meeting. He remembered Alexander inviting him to his birthday on the twentieth of August and Harry swearing to go, even if he had to be wheeled there in a wheelchair if he was heavily pregnant. He grinned, Braiden had come early, Braiden was born and Harry could go to Alexander's birthday without worry of collapse due to pregnancy.

"I forgot, I can't wait!" Harry exclaimed in excitement before his face fell. "Oh, will Caesar and Amelle be there?"

Max looked a little worried, but attempted a brave grin. "Caesar will definitely be there, but I'm not sure about Amelle, she might be there. Please behave; the entire family will be there."

"I'll behave if she does."

Far from reassuring Max, Harry's statement seemed to make his face fall more.

"Harry, my entire family will be there. My Dad isn't the only child my grandparents had; he's only one of thirty children. Though he is the youngest, which is why my grandparents are around him almost all day every day."

Harry was sure his mouth was on the floor as he looked at Max.

"Your Dad is the youngest of _thirty_?" He repeated. "And all thirty are going to be at the party tomorrow?"

"Yes, they're all scattered around the world with their own families, so this get together is a huge thing."

"You have twenty-nine aunts and uncles?" Harry asked for confirmation.

Max grinned and pulled Harry into a chair, giving him a loving kiss.

"Yes Harry, I have twenty-nine aunts and uncles and I lost count of how many cousins."

"I don't have to meet them _all_ do I?"

"Of course, but so do the others." Max grinned.

"You're enjoying this." Nasta groused as he sat down next to Harry and cupped the back of Braiden's head with a large hand.

"Yeah, but I like teasing all of you." Max said fondly, looking at the three of them lovingly. Harry smiled back at him and blew Max a kiss.

Max mimicked catching the kiss and instead of leaving it at that, Max mimed pushing the 'kiss' down his throat. Harry laughed and Nasta rolled his eyes good naturedly.

"You're impossible; do you want help with breakfast?" Nasta offered.

"I don't know why you keep asking, I always say no." Max teased as he opened up his cold storage cupboard and started pulling out ingredients. "What do you fancy Harry?"

"Oh I already had breakfast." Harry answered distractedly as Braiden had stuffed two of his fingers into his mouth again and was happily sucking on them.

Unbeknownst to Harry, Max and Nasta shared a look over his head.

"Are you sure?" Max asked, looking like he was going to be hit.

"Am I sure what?" Harry asked, picking his head up to look at Max.

"That you've eaten today?"

Harry frowned at Max. "Of course I'm sure I ate today. I'm not stupid."

"Max wasn't implying that you were stupid Harry." Nasta cut in smoothly and soothingly. "Do you want something else to eat? Just a small portion."

Harry sighed and nodded. "Sure, but make sure it really is a small portion. I'm not hungry and I don't like wasting food."

"You bleeding heart you, thinking of all those starving kids in the world."

Harry looked at Max like he had grown an extra leg out of his forehead.

"No, I don't like wasting food because I was starved as a child." He responded dryly as he tended to Braiden.

Max and Nasta both stiffened as they were reminded of this little fact and a slow growl trickled from Max's throat.

Nasta shot him a look and with a snort he turned and started making breakfast, muttering inaudibly to himself as Nasta turned to face Harry.

"How often were you starved Harry?" He asked gently.

"I didn't mean for you to turn that comment into therapy time. I was being truthful; I don't like wasting food because I never had much when I was younger." Harry shrugged.

"Please answer the question." Nasta pleaded.

Harry sighed and resigned himself to digging through painful memories so early in the morning.

"Often." Harry answered with a sigh after he had thought about it. "They used food and isolation as punishment; if I did something they perceived as wrong I was locked in the cupboard without food. It was just another way they could control me."

Harry startled as Nasta pulled him into his arms.

"You didn't deserve to be treated that way." He told him thickly.

"I know Nas. I knew then that what they were doing wasn't right, I just never realised how bad it actually was. I think I was still clinging to the lost hope that they loved me."

Nasta's arms clenched and held him tighter, laying kisses against his neck.

"You know you are so very loved by us don't you?"

"Of course. I love you just as much." Harry replied.

"Good, because we do and we don't want those _people_ messing this up for us, we love you Harry. We love all that you are, all that you were and all that you will be."

"And any sprogs you give us are just as loved." Max cut in, chucking Braiden under the chin lightly, his dark green apron covering his body, whisk in hand.

Harry chuckled and gave a kiss to Braiden.

"What the hell is a sprog?" Blaise demanded as he walked into the kitchen and kissed Braiden's little mouth and then Harry's.

"A kid, a baby, a child, a little monster from hell, a brat…"

"We get the picture." Nasta replied dryly from the other side of Harry. "Blaise, was Draco up when you came down?"

"He's in the bathroom." Blaise replied with an eye roll. "We'll be waiting another half an hour for him to make an appearance."

"I heard that Zabini!" Draco scowled as he strode into the kitchen and after the morning kisses he sat down and started a glaring contest with Blaise.

"Ease off you two. Here." Max said as he put two plates of pancakes in front of them along with an assortment of sliced and diced fruit.

"Oh you didn't say you were making pancakes!" Harry burst out as he snatched Draco's plate from him and cuddled with the plate to stop an angry Draco from snatching it back, wrapping an arm around it protectively.

Max chuckled and passed his own plate to Draco before making up some more batter to make even more pancakes, watching unobtrusively as Harry ate a sized portion meant for Draco and if Harry was to be believed, which they had no reason not to, then this was his second breakfast as well.

"Harry, please make sure you chew your food before attempting to swallow." Nasta chastised as he firmly, but gently thumped Harry's back when he started choking.

His airways cleared Harry grinned sheepishly and thanked Nasta before actually picking up his knife to cut his pancakes, which he had covered with honey and a mix of blueberries, raspberries and sliced kiwi fruits.

Max served Harry with two fresh pancakes, gave Draco another one, Blaise another two and Nasta another three before he settled down to eat himself.

Harry polished off his plate and sat back to rub his belly. Which felt very full and uncomfortably bloated.

"When did you become pregnant again?" Draco teased, poking his belly making Harry moan in discomfort and half-heartedly swat at the blonde.

"None of your business!" Harry replied sluggishly.

"What if it's mine?" Draco asked affronted.

"It's mine." Harry managed a small grin. "I've only had sex with myself and those wonderful toys. Can a toy get you pregnant?"

Max stifled a chuckle. "No Harry. It's nice seeing you this way though. I loved your pregnant body and now, knowing that your belly is caused by my cooking makes it very sexy."

"As long as I don't stay like this then I don't mind being fat with a food baby for an hour."

"Fat he says." Nasta stated shaking his head. "I've seen more fat on a chicken bone."

"Must have been one hell of a chicken." Harry answered cheekily.

They all shared a laugh and Harry stayed where he was as he watched Max clear off the dishes and Nasta go to help him wash up. Draco left to finish the last few chapters of his current novel and Blaise took a fussy Braiden to spend some quality time with his son.

Harry flumped onto the table and groaned.

"I ate too much." Harry complained. "This is your fault." He directed towards Max's back. "You and your cooking, making me feel all heavy and bloated."

"I didn't force you to eat." Max answered, peering over one broad shoulder.

"You would have if I had said no because you didn't believe I already had breakfast." Harry corrected.

Max looked slightly embarrassed, but took it all in his stride.

"You need to eat as much as possible." He defended.

"I'm not pregnant anymore." Harry pointed out sullenly.

"It doesn't matter, you look damn good when your full of food." Max answered.

Harry sat up and growled.

"Knock it off the both of you." Nasta cut in sharply, giving them both a steely glare.

Harry pouted and looked down at the table top. He heard Nasta sigh before he was pulled into a hug.

"I didn't mean to snap." Nasta apologised softly as he held Harry against his chest. "I just wish that one day would go by without a single argument, debate or fight."

"We weren't really arguing." Harry sniffled.

"A disagreement is the same as an argument." Nasta said softly. "I'm sorry for upsetting you Caru. Dw I'n dy garu di."

Harry jumped a bit on his feet and Nasta chuckled softly as he wrapped his arms around Harry and pulled him up into a hug, loving that Harry wrapped his arms and legs around him tightly.

"Harry and I will be in his fort." Nasta informed Max, who was watching them with a huge grin on his face as he wiped his wet hands on a tea towel.

Nasta carried him out the back and crawled, with Harry still in his arms, into the small space between the three chairs.

"Hell it's a tight fit in here!" Nasta complained.

"It was made for me and Braiden; of course it's a tight fit." Harry grinned.

"Maybe we could steal some more chairs and put in an extension."

Harry chuckled and looked around his little fort. "If you get another chair that wall can extend outwards, but we'd need another blanket for the roof."

Nasta smiled. "Or we could just cuddle up close to make space."

"I like that idea." Harry answered as he held Nasta tightly and let himself be squeezed tightly so that neither of them were touching the chair legs.

Nasta smiled as he closed his eyes and listened to Harry's soft breathing as they lay there quietly with only the sound of the birds singing in the trees of the orchard off to his left.

* * *

It was the first time that Harry had been to Diagon Alley since he had been mated, impregnated and had given birth.

People stared, they pointed, they whispered as Harry pushed Braiden, snuggled in his knitted cosy toes, in a pram that he hadn't even known Draco had bought. Draco and Blaise were on either side of the pram, Nasta in front and Max was behind him. Harry knew they were subconsciously protecting him and the baby, but they did it so casually it looked natural as they searched the street for a gift for Alexander.

An elderly woman approached Harry and he shoved Blaise aside when it looked like his mate might actually go to attack her. He smiled at her instead as she peeked over the side of the pram to the sleeping baby within.

"Oh he's a cute one." She cooed. "Such a tiny little boy."

She reached into her pocket and pulled out a bright silver Sickle, Harry saw Max wave his wand quickly and he nodded to Nasta with a relieved sigh and they watched and did nothing as the elderly woman tucked the coin into Braiden's hand.

"For luck and wealth." She said with a smile as Harry looked confused.

Harry watched the woman go and looked at Braiden's coin, held in his little hand. His fingers gripped it just over the half-way point of the coin. It was bigger than his closed fist.

"Aren't you going to take the coin from him?" Draco asked. "You don't know where it's been or how many people have touched it, what if he puts it in his mouth, he could get sick."

Harry eased the coin from Braiden's grasp and looked at it consideringly before looking to the huge, white building that was Gringotts.

"I think we should open a bank vault for Braiden. This is his coin, he should keep it."

Max chucked and shook his head fondly but he started moving towards Gringotts bank all the same and Harry followed. Several other elderly and not so elderly people pressed silver Sickles into Braiden's hand until Braiden had two Galleons and eight Sickles to his name all in silver coins.

"Kid's going to be richer than we are if this carries on."

"My arm is going to ache if this carries on." Max mumbled as he waved his wand every time someone showed them a coin, just before anything was pressed to Braiden's hand.

"Why are you doing that?" Blaise asked curiously.

"More than likely to check for jinxes or Portkeys." Harry answered with an approving nod. Max nodded back.

"It's an old trick that poachers use, they'd disguise themselves as well wishers and press a coin into the baby's hand that was actually a Portkey that dumped the baby into a cage. My Dad used to scare us all with the stories when we were little to make sure that we didn't accept anything off of strangers." Max answered.

"My Dad told me the same." Nasta nodded.

"My Mother never told me that." Blaise said.

"She was so over protective of you, you didn't go near any strangers to have them pass you any Portkeys." Draco replied.

Blaise growled at the blonde but Nasta clipped the both of them around the ear.

"Not in public!" He hissed at them, scolding his two younger subordinates as they entered the bank and went up to a teller.

"Hello, we'd like to open a vault for my son." Harry said to the free goblin, who stood up to peer at the little baby in the pram.

"Yes, we had heard you had had a child. Name."

"Braiden Blaise Enzo Zabini."

The goblin wrote the name down and had Harry check the spelling of the names before he moved to the next question.

"Age of vault owner."

"Five days."

"Birthdate."

"Fourteenth of August, nineteen-ninety-seven."

"Father's name."

"Blaise Mariano Zabini."

"Mother's name."

Harry blushed a bit but answered promptly. "Harry James Potter."

"Fill in this section." The goblin told him, sliding the parchment form over.

Harry read the question and carefully counted the coins again before he filled in forty-two Sickles, he handed the form back after signing it, the goblin signed it and then held his hand out for the coins. Harry handed them over, watched as the goblin weighed them, before thanking him.

The five of them headed back out into the street and met a wall of people with cameras and notepads. Harry had been expecting it, but he scowled all the same, even as Max moved to hold him around the shoulders. He had hoped to have gotten _some_ shopping done today.

"Why do you need so many lovers?" Was shouted out. Harry ignored it.

"Do you even know who the Father of your baby is?"

"What are your lovers' names?"

"Is it true that two of your lovers are forty years old?"

"Is it true you are dropping out of Hogwarts to become a catamite?"

"Are the rumours that you are already pregnant again true?"

"Are you planning another baby?"

"How are you going to look after a baby when you go back to school?"

"Is the baby a boy or a girl?"

"What have you named the baby?"

On and on and on it went until their voices drowned out one another and became a mass of screaming noise that woke Braiden from his sleep. Harry picked him up still snuggled in his cosy toes and cuddled him fiercely as he turned his back to the cameras to shield his baby son.

"We'll get you out of this love." Max promised, anger and loathing in his voice.

"Take Braiden and go Max, I'm going to go collect me some tongues."

Max chuckled. "You can't rip out their tongues Harry, we need to remain hidden remember? Though I'd like a head or two to mount on the wall, do you think they'd look better in the hallway or in the living room above the fire?"

Nasta came around the pram and passed Harry a slip of paper.

"It's a Portkey; I suspected something like this so I had one made. It'll take you back to Max's; it's safe for Braiden as well."

"What about Alexander's present?" Harry asked.

"I'll find him something." Max answered.

"I wanted to enjoy some shopping."

"I know. Let us sort this and the next time we come, you will have endless hours to spend at pleasure shopping. We should have done this before we came, but with the birth…"

"Maybe not hours shopping." Harry said with a grimace as Nasta trailed off. "But I did want to buy some outfits for Braiden now that I can actually see my own feet. I've got so many clothes for him, but I haven't gotten him a single outfit. That doesn't seem right to me."

"We'll bring you back next week, Myron is sorting it all out, I promise." Nasta told him as he pushed the parchment into his hand more firmly and whispered something in a language he didn't know.

He felt the jerk to his navel that signalled the activation of a Portkey and cradled Braiden tightly against him as he spun around in tight circles until he landed hard on his knees in a pitch black room.

Harry groaned as his knees throbbed in pain and he clumsily got to his feet as Braiden squirmed against him. He took his wand from his shirt pocket and waved it to open the heavy curtains that Max hadn't had time to open that morning before they had left for Diagon Alley. He was in the living room that Max called a parlour, the room that had a huge fireplace but wasn't connected to the floo.

"Stupid newspaper leeches." Harry grumbled as he opened the door to the hallway and almost blinded himself with the light pouring through the glass front door and the large windowed kitchen at the other end of the hallway.

Harry went into the kitchen and placed Braiden down into the bassinet as he boiled the kettle. He needed a cup of honey tea to sooth his nerves and calm his adrenaline, Braiden was due a feed and he had left the nappy bag with the premade bottles of milk in the basket of the pram.

No sooner had Harry finished shaking the bottle of milk did Braiden start fussing for it. Harry cooled the milk down before smiling as he carefully eased his babe into his arms and pressed the bottle teat to his son's cheek, watching as Braiden rooted for it, catching the teat between his lips and sucking and swallowing strongly. Suck and swallow, suck and swallow. Harry understood why Blaise loved watching Braiden feed, there was something mesmerising about watching Braiden suck and swallow continuously, his blue eyes flitting from shape to shape, but mostly remaining on Harry's face, particularly his mouth.

All too soon Braiden was finished and Harry burped him over his shoulder, wiped away the spit up and rocked the baby back to sleep as he picked up his cup of tea and took a large gulp one handed. The strong tea calmed him and the honey soothed him and he let out a relieved breath.

He looked around with Braiden snuggled into the crook of his arm as he thought of something he could do whilst he was stuck at home for an hour or two. He had a few more essays to complete, Blaise and Draco were helping him through it all seeing as he had spent half of August on the roof and had missed valuable essay time, but he didn't really feel like doing an essay at the moment.

The kitchen was spotless, every room he went into was spotless, even the bedroom and bathroom after the mad rush to get ready to go out. He groaned, there was nothing to do, except…

Harry looked to the changing table that was in the corner of the bedroom and moved to the hamper beside it filled with dirty clothing. He pulled them out and carried them down the stairs with Braiden carefully tucked into the crook of his arm as he measured each step of the stairs.

He boiled the kettle again and put the plug in the sink, searching through the cupboard under the sink until he found a box of non-biological powder and a bottle of Comfort Pure fabric softener. He knew exactly what to do as he scooped the right amount of powder into the sink, poured over the boiling water and dunked the clothes in to soak. Mrs Weasley had told him only boiling baby clothes would remove the spit up stains and sometimes not even then, some stains were so hard to remove that it was easier to just throw them away.

Harry waited until the water had cooled down enough to put his hand in and he placed Braiden into his bassinet before going to vigorously scrub the baby clothes. He rung them all out and placed them on the draining board, emptied the water and boiled the kettle again for more water. He filled the sink, poured in a capful of the pure fabric softener and washed the clothes again. He repeated his actions again, only this time he used just water to wash any lingering traces of softener off of the clothes before he rung them out and carried them outside to hang on Max's small washing line. Max didn't use it except for hand wash only clothes as they couldn't be spelled dry or clean, the fabric started unravelling when introduced to certain spells.

Harry cleaned up the kitchen and washed his hands thoroughly before he made himself another cup of honey tea and got a chair to stand on to get down a bar of fudge chocolate from the top shelf of the top cupboard where Max had put them to stop him from gorging himself on them. Max would kill him if he saw him eating the chocolate for lunch, but Harry didn't want to cook anything at the minute and he wanted some chocolate.

Harry heard the floo going and smiled, thinking his mates had come back, but it wasn't Max or Nasta, Draco or Blaise who poked their twin heads into the kitchen.

"Fred! George!" Harry cried out happily as he hugged the both of them.

"We decided to come and visit."

"You're lovers came into our shop and told us what happened outside Gringotts."

"Terrible happenings. Every reporter from the Daily Prophet was there by the sounds of it and the Witch Weekly Magazine."

"How do you know the different reporters?" Harry asked as he made them both a cup of tea and another one for himself.

"From the questions they asked. The Daily Prophet was more interested in you and the baby. Witch Weekly were more concerned about how large your men were _down there_."

"What?" Harry asked, a hint of anger and disbelief in his voice as a spike of possessiveness went through him. He crushed a tea cup in his hand and cursed as he started bleeding.

Harry run his hand under the tap as Fred waved his wand to repair the tea cup and George finished making the tea. Harry wrapped his hand in a tea towel and was ushered to sit at the table and was served his cup of tea.

"They never answered did they?" Harry asked as he glared into the depths of his tea.

"Of course they never answered you dolt." George answered.

"Anyway, onto more happier topics. Are you using the baby book George and I got you?" Fred asked.

"Of course I am. I love it." Harry stood up and got the ivory and gold book from the bookshelf in the living room, making sure not to touch it with his bloodied hand.

He carried it back into the kitchen to see Fred and George cooing over the sleeping baby. He chuckled and puffed himself up in pride just a little bit.

He put the book on the table and turned it to face the twins and let them flip through the pictures and paragraphs of information, like how long Braiden was at birth, how much he weighed, when exactly he was born.

"This one's cute." Fred exclaimed as he showed a picture of Braiden sucking his fingers. It was the most recent picture.

"He only did that the other day. Draco developed them for me earlier when we were waiting for Max and Nasta to get out of the showers."

"Mum wants to spoil him rotten, she even baked him biscuits the other day before Ginny pointed out he didn't have any teeth yet."

"He won't get any if Mum carries on." Fred grumbled. "Start feeding him sweets and cakes and he's going to get a sweet tooth and his teeth will rot out of his head before he's four. We can replace them with Skele-Gro easily enough, but have you ever had to try and pull a child's teeth and then feed them Skele-Gro? I'd rather take on a Death Eater armed with a broken hair brush."

"Remember Bill when he was fourteen and he had that cavity from Honeydukes? Mum body-binded him, ripped out his tooth and forced the Skele-Gro down his throat and he didn't stop screaming until his tooth had grown back in six hours later."

"I think I handled taking Skele-Gro so well because it wasn't just a tooth, it was my whole arm. It hurt so badly, but it was my arm! I wouldn't miss a tooth, but I'd damn well miss my arm if it was gone."

The twins chuckled and finished the last of their tea.

"I think we've been away for long enough, we took an extended lunch break to come and see you. Your lovers should be back soon."

"It was nice catching up with you Harry, don't let the papers turn you mental. We can't lose our baby brother."

Fred winked and Harry chuckled. "Get lost the both of you, my son will be wanting another bottle soon, I can't believe those men of mine have been gone for five hours, what are they doing?"

"Shopping." George answered. "Draco took the point of the group and he's insisting on going into every shop and looking at every item. The others looked so _happy._"

Harry snorted. "I'll just bet they are. I'll make dinner today then; I don't think Max will be up to doing anything when he gets home."

"We'll leave you to it come on Forge."

* * *

Harry kept dinner simple. Just a spaghetti carbonara, but he had only just plated the food and placed it on the table when his mates returned. He heard them talking, arguing and the rustle of carrier bags before everything went still and silent. There was a sudden growl.

Nasta was the first to smash into him, pulling him up and searching every inch of him as his claws shredded clothing to see under them.

"What are you doing?" He demanded as he found his voice at last.

They didn't answer, but his hand was seized and the bloody tea towel that he had dropped to the floor when he had started cooking. The cut had long since stopped bleeding, but as Nasta licked and sucked it, it started bleeding anew.

Harry tried explaining several times, but his mates shushed him and didn't let him explain that he had broken a teacup, even when he raised his voice, they just growled louder.

Fed up and hungry, Harry kicked Nasta right between the legs and the bigger man's immediate reaction was to drop Harry and go to his knees cupping himself as he almost retched from the pain.

Max stooped down to see to Nasta and the look he gave Harry made him equal parts upset and more angry.

"This has got to stop!" He screamed. "I don't do this when you get injured! I don't do this when Nasta comes home with a new burn, or Max comes home with a cauldron blister! I dropped a fucking tea cup! I cut myself on the shards, I dealt with it, it's going to be fine. I have suffered through much worse than a damned cut to my hand. It's not even deep! I know you're concerned, but why can't you just ask me first like a normal person! Why do I have to always be treated like a child with their first scraped knee?"

"Go upstairs." Max ordered him. They hadn't listened to a damn word he had just said.

"But I…"

"UPSTAIRS!" Max roared.

Harry fled and took refuge in the spare bedroom. He staved off his tears viciously. He wouldn't cry over this incident. He wouldn't. They were feral because of the blood spill. He knew that now, had seen it in the way Max had looked at him and knew absolutely when he had yelled at him.

He shouldn't have kicked Nasta, he shouldn't have argued, but he was damned sick of it! He was sorry he had hurt Nasta so much, he certainly hadn't been _aiming_ for between his legs, he had wanted a thigh or a knee, but he couldn't undo what he had done and he curled up on the bed and ignored his bleeding hand and his growling stomach. How many times in his life had he had to do that before? It was nothing new and he slipped to sleep easily enough, his hand still bleeding and his belly still roaring.

* * *

Harry woke up groggy and hungry. It was morning by the looks of the low light coming through the un-curtained windows. That or it was dusk.

His stomach clenched horribly and Harry clutched it as it cramped. He had forgotten what it felt like to go hungry, he wasn't used to it and he wondered how he had ever coped with it when he had been less than half his age now.

He climbed out of the cold and lonely bed and opened the door, to find all four of his mates asleep on the hallway floor. Harry looked back into the room and frowned. The door looked like it had been hammered on and it had even splintered in places, but he hadn't heard a thing. Had he done accidental magic and warded the room in his anger and upset? Probably, his magic was known for reacting to his emotions without him knowing about it.

He gingerly stepped over them and went in search of Braiden. He was in the bedroom bassinet, happy and content, sleeping away with a patch of dried milk stained on his little chin. Harry smiled adoringly and picked him up to carry him downstairs. The food he had made yesterday was still on the kitchen table untouched and he sighed heavily. He hadn't been the only one who had gone to sleep hungry then.

Harry made a bottle of milk for Braiden and a cup of tea for himself as he left them both to cool down; he cleared the table and washed the dirty plates. He made himself some toast but it gave him a bad taste in his mouth and he couldn't handle more than a few bites before he felt queasy. He hadn't missed this sensation. How many welcoming feasts had been ruined because of his summer of starvation, how many odd looks had he been given when he had pushed his plate away after eating only a few mouthfuls. He hoped that because he had only gone one day without food then it wouldn't take the usual two weeks to get used to eating full portions again.

He gulped down the last of his tea and scooped up Braiden as he started wailing. He boiled the kettle again for another cup of tea before offering the bottle teat to Braiden.

Once he was done, Braiden actually stayed awake and Harry smiled as he bounced the baby in his arms, but the baby was not going back to sleep as his blue eyes flitted here there and everywhere, taking in everything around him. Blue eyes that had gone darker. Harry was shocked to see the darkening of Braiden's eyes as the last he had seen those eyes were still a beautiful cornflower blue. Harry studied the eyes that were studying his mouth. Harry noticed the hint of purple at the edges of those blue eyes and grinned. Braiden was going to completely have his Daddy's eyes. Blaise's eye shape and Blaise's colour.

Harry was seized around the middle and cuddled from behind. He was so startled he lost his grip on the bottle he was holding and it clattered to the floor, but Braiden he held tighter, clutched him desperately.

"Mi dispiace, amore. Mi dispiace." Blaise whispered against his neck. "Perdonami per favore. Perdonami per favore."

"I can't understand Italian love." Harry said with a smile. "Look! Braiden's eyes have changed colour!"

Harry turned around and shoved the baby he was holding into Blaise's startled face. He pointed out the darker blue and the hint of purple and Blaise smiled and kissed him and then Braiden.

"Do you forgive me for yesterday? I should have stuck up for you, but all I could smell was blood. Your blood."

"Of course I do." Harry said flicking Blaise's nose. "I was always going to forgive you. Did you get Alexander's present? When are we due to see him anyway?"

"At midday and yes we found him a present. Apparently Alexander collects animal statuettes. We found him a lovely manticore statuette made of coloured crystal, it costed a bit, but with all five of us cutting in and giving it then it's acceptable."

Harry smiled and sat on the floor, pulling the changing mat towards him to get rid of the smell that threatened to choke him.

Max, Nasta and Draco rushed into the room and went to clamour him, only they stopped short when Harry brandished a soiled nappy at them.

"Don't come any closer!" He threatened, shaking the full nappy. "I understand what happened last night; I know I was the one at fault…dah dah dah!" He said as they went to interrupt him. "I kicked Nasta first; I understand the reaction to the smell of the blood and the need to protect all mates, even from other mates. I was the one who lashed out first and I'm sorry for that."

"I didn't mean for you to go hungry." Max said softly looking crushed.

"One night hasn't harmed me." Harry said, though it wasn't strictly true and he gave himself away by avoiding eye contact.

"You're hungry now?" Max asked.

"No. I had breakfast."

"You mean this?" Blaise asked as he tilted the plate with the less than half eaten toast. Harry cursed himself for leaving the evidence on show.

"It's all I could stomach." He admitted sourly. "I always have problems with eating right after a missed meal. I can't handle too much food or I just throw it back up."

"Those monsters will pay for how they treated you." Draco hissed.

"Richard's working on the case." Harry said. "He told me he's filed the accusations and that the Dursleys will be arrested soon and put into holding cells until it goes to court."

"Do you want something else to eat?" Max fretted. "I can make pancakes again, or croissants, you love croissants."

Harry sighed, but he smiled as Blaise took the dirty nappy from him so he could get a fresh one on Braiden.

"I'll try to eat one, but only one Max; I mean it when I say I can't stomach much."

Max was happier then as he started scouring his counters before preparing his ingredients to make breakfast.

Harry finished up Braiden and put everything away and sat next to Nasta. He turned to face his oldest mate and thrust Braiden into his face.

"Look at his eyes." He said happily. "He's going to have Blaise's eyes. They're going purple."

"So they are." Nasta smiled happily, giving Braiden's little mouth a kiss.

"I want to see." Draco demanded and took the baby from Harry.

Nasta took Harry and placed him on his lap, cuddling him and nuzzling his neck and cheek.

"I'm sorry I fuss so much. How is your hand?" He whispered.

"You don't fuss too much, well you do, but I don't mind, it's that you don't listen to me when you are fussing. You smelt the blood, saw my hand and immediately thought someone had hurt me."

"There was a smell of other people here too."

"Fred and George came around to see if I was alright when you told them what had happened."

"So your hand is alright?" Nasta asked unrelentingly.

"Fine, it was just a little cut. How are your hands? I saw the bedroom door."

Nasta had the grace to look embarrassed as he scratched his ear. "When we calmed down and realised exactly what had happened we went to look for you, we went a bit crazy when you weren't in the bedroom or bathroom. We couldn't get into the spare bedroom and we knew then that you had taken refuge in there, we tried calling to you, knocking on the door, we thought you were ignoring us and with good reason, but we couldn't open the door and we were worried. So Max tried to unlock the door and it was then that we found the wards."

"Those were incredible impressive, where did you learn them? None of us could break them." Max said from the counter, looking back over his shoulder as he worked.

"I didn't realise I had put any up." Harry answered with a shrug, a little pink cheeked. What sort of wizard couldn't control accidental outbursts at seventeen? He was supposed to be a man now!

"You…you still do accidental magic?" Blaise asked as Max and Nasta shared a look.

"I…sometimes I guess."

"Is this a recent thing, like when you had your inheritance?" Max asked.

"No. I inflated my 'Aunt' Marge when I was thirteen because she was calling my Dad a useless drunk and my Mum a teenaged whore. My Uncle grabbed me around the throat when I was fifteen and I sort of heated up until he let go."

The four of them growled, but Nasta shushed them.

"Anything else?" Nasta encouraged.

"Umm, I was attacked by Dementors between my fourth and fifth year, I was desperate for light and my wand had been knocked out of my hand, my wand tip flared up when I was searching for it. I can't remember anything else off the top of my head, why the interest?"

"Only very powerful wizards can do accidental magic after they've been given a wand." Max answered casually. "Certainly after they're twelve is usually an impressive feat."

"I stopped when I was nine." Draco answered. "But that was only because I had a training wand."

"I was eleven." Blaise answered.

"Eleven." Nasta said.

"I was eight." Max said.

"You must be really powerful Harry, have you ever done wandless magic?"

"I don't know, isn't wandless magic and accidental magic the same?"

"No. Wandless magic is doing magic without a wand on or near you with the intent to use it, accidental magic is, as it says, accidental. You don't mean to use it."

"Oh. I unlocked the cupboard under the stairs after I inflated Marge. I wanted to get out of the house, away from all of them, I wanted my trunk which was locked under the stairs and the door just burst open."

"Most adults never learn how to use wandless magic Harry."

Harry shrugged and accepted the single croissant he was handed by Max. He ate it dry without any of the sweet and sugary jams and conserves on the table, but he forced himself to eat most of it, he left two inches at the end of the croissant and couldn't make himself eat another bite, he cuddled with Braiden and kissed and tickled him as the others finished their breakfast and then it was left to Max to clean up as everyone else was ushered to the bathroom to shower and get ready to go and wish Alexander a happy birthday.

* * *

Harry scraped all his knees when he landed on the rug in front of the fireplace. He let out a strangled groan and was up into someone's arms before he could stand up himself. From the height it could only be Myron, but when he opened his eyes, the eyes that looked back were Cerulean blue not black.

"You must be Harry." The voice was not as deep as Myron's and it held a very slight Irish accent.

"Yes, who are you?"

"I'm Julius. Myron's older brother and one of Max's Uncles."

"Oh. Max said there were thirty of you."

"Max exaggerates; I have twenty-three brothers and sisters."

"So there are twenty-four of you?"

The man smirked and nodded before looking down to the baby in his arms.

"This must be Max's son. The Grandson that Myron doesn't stop gushing over."

"Myron gushes?" Harry asked as he was carried away and out into the back garden.

Harry stared at the amount of people milling around the huge garden. There were tables filled with finger food, another with drinks and a third held the biggest cake Harry had ever seen.

"Of course Myron gushes, he's like a little boy at Christmas when it comes to his kids and his grandkids."

"This is Braiden. Braiden Blaise Enzo Zabini." Harry introduced.

"I know." Julius grinned.

"Ohh, is this Myron's son in law?" A woman cooed.

"Yes love. Adorable little thing isn't he?"

"I'm not!" Harry insisted.

They just grinned at him and Harry rolled his eyes, squirming to be put down. He was let down and Julius' laughter followed him as he hunted for a familiar face.

He found Myron first, talking to a group of men who could only be his brothers; Harry noticed that Myron, who was the youngest, was also the tallest. He burrowed under the man's arm and grinned up at him when those black eyes looked down at him in amusement.

"How are you Harry?"

"Fine, I was accosted by a man named Julius, but I ditched him over there."

"Did he hurt you?" A man older than Julius had been asked, his eyes were black but his hair was brown.

"No. But no offence, he's tapped in the head."

The group started roaring with laughter and Myron squeezed his shoulders.

"Harry, these are my brothers, Alaric, Enrique, Xerxes, Cassander, Philip, Edward and Oliver."

"Hello, I'm sorry but I'm probably going to forget every one of you and call you something else."

They laughed again and Myron bopped him on his nose with a finger.

"So this must be Braiden." The one introduced as Xerxes asked. He was almost Myron's twin, but he was older, much older.

Harry handed him over trustingly and the man held him with a long practised ease that settled Harry down and it was a good thing too because Max tackled the back of him, tripped over his Father's foot in his rush and crushed Harry into the ground.

As soon as he was landed on the weight was gone again and he was peeled from the floor. He groaned and massaged his ribs.

"We weren't leering at him that badly Max." Cassander laughed, he had brown hair and blue, blue eyes.

Max blushed as he took Harry from his Uncle Alaric and kissed him.

"Thank god you have the baby." Harry said to Xerxes.

"Alright, alright, I get it. I had a clumsy moment." Max said as his Uncles laughed at him.

"Your poor submissive." Oliver shook his mop of light brown hair, his black eyes glinting in the sun.

"I'm fine. I just feel a bit squashed."

"What did you do?" Nasta sighed in exasperation as he took Harry from Max and sniffed him over.

"I fell on him." Max said quietly.

Nasta just shook his head.

"Is this the top dominant? Nasta?"

"Yes sir." Nasta answered politely.

Draco and Blaise sidled up and sort of huddled around Nasta and each other.

"What happened?" Nasta asked incredulously.

"Ran into a woman called Kyra." Draco said with a shiver.

"Oh holy hell. Aunt Kyra is here?" Max asked as he darted a look around to see if he could spot her, but seeing as the entire of Max's family seemed to be abnormally tall, it wasn't as easy as it could have been if he had been around average sized people.

Myron smacked Max's head. "That is your Aunt you are speaking ill of."

"I'm not speaking ill of her!" Max defended. "She's really a demon." He said to Harry, Nasta, Blaise and Draco in a whisper that carried to everyone around. "Avoid her at all costs!"

"What did I just tell you?"

"I heard you Dad! I had to warn them what a vulture she is." Myron hit Max again. "It's not my fault she's a she-devil!" Max insisted.

"I'm warning you!" Myron growled. "I will punish you right here, right now if you don't close your mouth."

"Why not just ask him to stop breathing?" Harry muttered dryly. "You'll get the same results."

"Whose side are you on?" Max asked.

"You fell on me!" Harry reminded.

"He has a point. Now what were you saying about my darling sister Kyra, Maximilius?" Edward asked.

"She's evil!"

Myron lurched at Max and he ran off laughing with Myron running after him. It was the most childish Harry had ever seen the calm, mature and sophisticated man act. It made him smile.

"Where is Alexander? I want to wish him happy birthday."

Strong arms wrapped around him and Harry looked up into the strong, aged face of Alexander Maddison who was smiling brightly at him.

"Thank you Harry, it is wonderful to see you today. I'm glad you came."

"Oh don't mind your own sons Dad, play with the little submissives." Edward teased, his black eyes had a soft sheen to them that made them seem less harsh than most people with black eyes, his hair was a medium shade of brown that reminded Harry of chocolate mousse.

"Thank you for giving me leave to do as I please with the little submissives running around Edward, where is yours?"

Edward laughed and looked around before beckoning a lovely woman swollen with child to him.

"Hello Charlotte dear, how are you?"

"I'm fine Mr Maddison. Thank you."

"Charlotte, for heaven's sake call me Alex." Alexander pleaded. "Harry does as I tell him."

"Of course I do Alex. I'm a good boy." Harry cooed sickeningly.

"That you are my sweet love that you are."

Harry was carried around the garden and Alexander looked after him with such care. Harry noticed that Alexander spoke kindly and happily to everyone, but Harry was the only one he carried, the only one he spoke to at length with, the only one who Alexander seemed to actually enjoy being around for any long length of time.

"You are the best of them all Harry my love, these other submissives, they're all stuck up women from Pureblooded families, they all think they are the very best, the most beautiful, the most wonderful and the most important, you're not at all like that and I admire that about you, I love that about you and I could not have asked for a better submissive mate for my grandson Max." Was how Alexander answered when Harry asked after he greeted a woman politely and carried on before a conversation could be started.

Harry snuggled up tight and smiled, Alexander chuckled and cuddled him tighter, bouncing him like Harry did to Braiden. It made him flush a bit, but as he yawned he found he didn't really care. Braiden really did wear him out and a nice nap didn't sound too bad right about now, though he did wish he was in one of his mate's arms, perhaps Draco's, Draco's neck always smelt amazing and it was a comforting smell that eased him into sleep easily.

* * *

Harry woke up with a startled gasp and looked around him. He was still in Alexander's arms, surrounded by a group of men that Harry vaguely recognised as Myron's brothers.

"Did you have a good nap Harry?"

Harry hummed and looked about. There were women dotted all around the garden with shawl wrapped bundles and unhappy toddlers, young children as old as seven clutched to their breasts as if they would be snatched away by a passing hawk if they let them go.

Harry spied Braiden been fawned and cooed over by a group of elderly women, none of his mates were near him, but Harry saw Braiden was being held safely and supported sufficiently and he settled down again.

"What are you looking at?" One of the brothers asked, looking around the garden, but unable to see anything that could pose a threat to the submissives or the children.

"Those poor kids that are trapped by their Mother's sides. Look at the size of this garden! Look at all the trees they could climb, rocks they can jump from, hell I can even see a little stream over there, I'd be all over them if I was their age, poor things must be bored to hell and back."

"It's only natural that they're protective of their children." One man said, but his words rang hollow, as if he had been saying them for a while and had gotten bored of them quickly.

"There is nothing natural about that." Harry indicated a woman wrestling a five year old boy on toddler reins as she tried to keep hold of the equally squirming twin girls, also on toddler reins.

"That's my mate and children." One of the brothers sighed heavily. He might have been called Alaric, or Oliver. "Tisha has been protective of them ever since Logan was learning to walk; he tripped over and caught his head on the coffee table. Not only did we have to burn the table, but she's refused to let him out of her sight since, he hates it, sometimes I think he truly does hate her too, Mother or not."

A woman walked over and Alexander put him on the ground as she presented Harry with a wailing baby with a small grin. Harry smiled and nuzzled Braiden lovingly as he took out the bottle from the nappy bag that was styled like a satchel which was slung over his shoulder. He fed the baby, being mesmerised, as always, by the repeated suck and swallow of Braiden feeding.

Harry put the empty bottle back into the bag and burped Braiden, loving the little noise that Braiden emitted. Harry checked his nappy, checked that his clothes were all still in place, checked that both socks were on little feet and that little scratch mitts covered each hand and the visor on his little hat was still protecting him from the sun before he allowed the elderly woman who had approached to take the baby straight back off of him, to take Braiden over to a group of elderly ladies who were sitting around a table under a sun parasol drinking tea and eating fresh cream cakes.

"They won't try feeding Braiden any cakes will they?" He asked a bit panicked as he recalled the conversation with Fred and George the day before about Mrs Weasley baking biscuits for Braiden and kids losing their teeth.

"Of course not." Alexander assured.

Harry chuckled as a determined little girl ran past him, her squalling Mother chasing her to no end.

"Help me with your daughter Oliver!" The woman yelled at the man who was hiding a smile behind his glass.

"Leave the poor girl alone Kelly." He shouted back as his daughter looped around his legs and then ran for the trees as Oliver caught Kelly and held her. "Heidi is fine Kelly. Leave her alone love. She just wants some fun, this estate is quite safe."

Kelly lashed out at Oliver and squawked. Oliver pinched the skin of her neck, right up behind her ear. By the way she shied away and raised a shoulder to knock away Oliver's arm it hurt a lot.

She hit him, lashed out at him, but in the end she went still and silent, sullen at the embarrassment of being punished in public. Harry would have hated it too, but he felt no sympathy for her, he was the only submissive at this party who was allowing the family members to coo and cuddle with his child. He wouldn't dare try and attack one of Max's relatives just because they wanted to pinch one of Braiden's cheeks.

Caesar came over and hugged his Grandfather, Harry and all, wishing him happy birthday.

"How are you Caesar?" Alaric asked pulling the smaller man into a hug. "How was America? I haven't seen you in a year or more."

"America is slowly becoming home now. I've settled down with Amelle and the remodelling of the house is coming on great. A few more pay checks and I'll have everything I need to finish paying the contractors and within a month, maybe two, the house will be completely done."

"How is Gem Bear?" Xerxes teased. Caesar blushed.

"I managed to get Amelle off of that name; we named the baby Eleonora Dahlia."

"A much better, more fitting name."

"I still can't believe she wanted to call the baby Gem Bear." Harry put in. "I thought Max was winding me up when he told me his niece was going to be named Gem Bear. Where did she get that name anyway Caesar?"

Caesar shrugged. "I haven't got a clue."

Harry stretched in Alexander's arms, the elder man chuckling as he tried to keep hold of a squirming Harry as he stretched. He was placed on the floor and he cracked his back before sighing in happiness.

"I'm going to hunt down my errant mates, I need a kiss."

"No hanky-panky in my home!" Alexander warned.

"Would I ever do that?" Harry asked, his cheeks filling with blood at the very thought of having sex in someone else's home when said home was bursting with people.

"You might not, but some others would."

"It was once Dad!" A man Harry couldn't put a name to burst out, his cheeks redder than Harry's.

"Your Mother almost had a heart attack!"

Harry left giggling as he wove through people, stopped to speak to some, before finding Blaise. Harry locked arms around his neck and sucked at an ear. Blaise chuckled.

"Hello Harry."

"How did you know it was me?" Harry asked.

"You are the only one at this party who has to stretch up to reach my ears."

Harry huffed, but forgave Blaise as he turned around and started sucking on his neck, nibbling it between his teeth. Harry giggled as it tickled him.

"Stop that."

"You don't really want me to stop Bello." Blaise purred.

Harry giggled again.

"Not getting it on over here without me are you?"

Harry looked at Max with lust wide eyes and a parted mouth.

"Oh hell, you are! You look so gorgeous like that." Max groaned, striding forward and shoving his tongue down Harry's throat, massaging his tongue and tasting the inside of his cheeks, drinking him down.

Nasta broke them all up a few minutes later as he spotted them. "Save it for the privacy of our home." He told them. "I can't stand to see everyone looking at Harry like a piece of meat, if you start pawing at him he's going to start emitting pheromones and they're going to try something."

"They're all mated though." Harry said confusedly, his eyes a tad unfocused.

"No they're not." Max answered. "Not all of my Aunts and Uncles are Drackens and only a few of them are mated. Uncle Enrique is known for hitting on every submissive that crosses his path and Uncle Cassander tried it on with Uncle Oliver's mate Kelly when she was pregnant with Heidi, she almost severed his neck."

"But…but…they're his brother's mates!"

Max chuckled. "And some of those brothers have gorgeous airheads for mates and my Uncles are men after all, stupid, foolish men, but men none the less."

"That's not an excuse!" Harry raged. "You had better not…"

"I wouldn't dream of cheating on you, least of all with my Uncles' bimbo wives." Max cut in.

"Sometimes, if a Dracken has been without a mate for so long, they start to develop…strange characteristics." Nasta told him softly. "They don't care if it's their brother's wife, their sister's best friend, a submissive old enough to be their grandmother or a submissive young enough to be their grandchild, they just see a submissive and they'll try to woo them, bed them or sometimes kill them."

"Thankfully none of my Uncles are quite at the point of killing a submissive just because they haven't mated yet, unfortunately Uncle Sandor is at the point where he would try and force himself on a submissive." Max admitted. "And a few others will try and flirt and grope, but nothing like Uncle Benedict."

"What did he do?" Harry asked softly.

Max looked pained and a tad heartbroken. "Before he went almost completely mad with his need for a mate, he was one of my favourite Uncle's. He wasn't afraid to rough house with me, he taught me how to pick a lock and how to play football. But when I was fourteen he snapped. He had been rejected yet again at a meeting and he just snapped. He killed twenty-seven dominants, the Elder that was chaperone for the meeting and then he raped and killed the submissive for rejecting him. The Counsel sentenced him to death. Grandfather pleaded to be the one to kill him; he didn't want his son to be taunted, tortured and then butchered, no matter what he had done. He gave him a kiss to the head and a hug. A quick, sharp twist to the neck and it was done. Uncle Benedict never knew how or when it was going to happen, it was better that way."

"I'm so sorry Max."

"Don't be. He did deserve it. He had killed twenty-nine people that day. Twenty-nine innocent people including a sixteen year old girl. Regardless of what his mental state of mind was, it didn't matter that he had snapped or that he didn't mean to do it. He deserved death for what he did, he knew it himself which is why he accepted the Counsels verdict of death with dignity and his head held high. The night before we were allowed to visit him, he said as much to us then, he wanted to die for what he had done, he told us that he couldn't live with what he had done and that if by some stupid twist of fate the Counsel didn't sentence him to death then he'd kill himself anyway. That was the hardest to hear."

"Why do you all look like you've been smacked in the face?" Draco asked as he wandered over to them.

"We'll tell you later love." Nasta said as he kissed Draco's forehead. "Where is Braiden?"

"Being smothered by some old biddies eating lemon cakes and drinking iced tea."

"Smothered?" Harry shrieked rushing off to where his Dracken told him the scent of his son was located.

"You just had to use the word smothered." Nasta said with a shake of his head. "You couldn't have said being cuddled or cooed over could you?"

"I didn't realise he'd act like that!" Draco defended.

Harry snatched his son off of the poor, startled woman who was holding him and he sunk to the floor, creating a cover over his son and he meticulously sniffed and licked every inch of Braiden's skin, scenting for injuries. When that failed to turn up anything Harry checked Braiden with his eyes and his hands, searching for a single hair out of place.

"Harry?" Myron questioned as he tried to approach him, getting down on his haunches to be as close to eye level as he could without lying down flat on the floor.

Harry hissed deeply and started growling and Myron backed away.

"We weren't hurting him sweet one, I swear." One elderly woman told him, her hands pressed to her breast, beseeching him.

"Harry, Draco meant the word figuratively, not literally." Nasta told him as he knelt down next to him. Harry gave a feeble growl, but couldn't muster up enough of his human side to do anything else and a warning growl back was all it took for Harry to slip back to lay against Nasta's knees as the truth of his mate's words sunk in. Nothing was amiss, Braiden was fine, sleeping in fact, not a mark on him, breathing deeply and quietly, snuffling now and then, but nothing more, he felt like a fool.

"I'm sorry." He told the group of women.

"That's quite alright dear." One told him kindly.

"What brought this on?" Alexander asked.

"Draco made a harmless, but thoughtless comment and Harry reacted to the thought that Braiden was in danger."

"No harm done." Alexander commented as he helped Harry to his feet and gave him a kiss to the cheek.

Harry smiled weakly, but he couldn't bring himself to unclamp his arms from around his baby and instead rested Braiden against his front, cupping that soft black hair and nappy clad bottom tightly to his heart. He had never felt so much fear before, the fear that his son might be in danger. That something could snuff out his life as quickly as blowing out a candle.

His son was so small and vulnerable, so delicate and defenceless. How could he have just left his precious baby in the care of strangers? People he didn't know, people he had never even seen before, let alone met. Any one of them could have harmed his precious baby, anyone of them could have killed Braiden, how could he have gambled with Braiden's life like that? Risked his sweet baby like that? What sort of Mother was he to give his son to anyone and everyone?

His arms slid around Braiden more tightly, covering more of his little body as he clutched Braiden to his chest looking suspiciously at everyone and hissing at anyone who approached too close. No one was ever going to hurt his son; no one was ever going to get close enough to hurt his son. He'd kill them first, he swore it.

* * *

A/N: Oh it feels so good to get a brand new chapter out at last! The Fanfiction re-post took a lot of time and I know it stressed a lot of you out and you all just wanted to find out what happened next, but remember that it stressed me out a hundred times more than you and I spent all of my time re-posting chapters and editing them. But it's done and it's over and behind us, we can all move forward now.

The Rise of The Drackens turns a year old this Saturday! Wish the fic a happy birthday! It should never have been taken down in the first place for such a stupid reason as a few sex scenes, but it is the right of the admins, everything has been fixed and edited, so nothing like this will happen again. I've read and re-read the TOS of this site and I'm breaking absolutely no rules, so all you yammers who claim they have reported the fic for how long the A/Ns are, there is absolutely nothing in the TOS that says anything about the length an author's note should be as long as it's in a written chapter. If I posted them between chapters on their own then yes, it would be against the TOS, but as it's not, get off my case you harpies, just because you can't be bothered to read what I have to say doesn't mean others feel the same way. I love conversing with fans and I love answering questions readers have about what I've written as it proves they are actually reading the story (most of the time) and are thinking about the world and culture I've created so do me and everyone else a favour and back off, it's getting quite sad.

I don't expect you to remember all the Aunts and Uncles introduced in this chapter, many of them you'll never see or hear from again! If they reappear in the story, I'll be sure to explain who is who, so don't concern yourselves with fretting over not being able to tell Alaric from Oliver or Xerxes from Cassander. They will all be in the next chapter as we are still in the event of Alexander's birthday, but I'll re-introduce them, they aren't main characters and aren't all that important.

Massive thanks to everyone who's read and reviewed thus far!

Thanks to **RavenNightwing19** for being the **6,200****th**** reviewer**!

**Midnight**: Your question has not be asked before and got me thinking about what you asked. If Harry had identical twins they would both be boys or both be girls, they would be either both Drackens or both humans, but as for being both dominant or both submissive, I think that that is a mental state of mind and more to do with personal preference than anything else, so I think it's entirely possible that one identical twin could be a dominant and the other could be submissive.

**Evening12**: It is in the plot scheme that Remus will eventually get with Tonks and have baby Teddy. That's all I can say right now, but I have scrapped plot ideas before, but at the moment, Teddy will be coming into the story.

**blackconte:** There are spoiled female dominants as well as some spoiled male dominants, like Dominic for example. He was the only one of his siblings to get a Dracken inheritance and it was mentioned that Elder Getus spoiled him rotten for it because none of his children got a Dracken inheritance and only Dominic from his many grandchildren became a Dracken, so he was ruined. So it is entirely possible that parents spoiled their daughters assuming they were submissive, only for them to turn out dominant. If this is the case then they'd think any submissive would fawn over them, would skip over every other dominant to get to them, that they are essentially god's gift to the earth and that no submissive would ever turn them away, they'll then scream and bitch when a submissive doesn't even give them a second glance.

Don't forget to check out the Scaled Bits, which is the side story to The Rise of the Drackens and gives more information on the Drackens, gives some more insight into the relationships and the characters and also includes missing scenes from the main story!

You can read the sex scenes on Adult Fanfiction and Archive of Our Own, links can be found on my profile page!

Join me and other fans on Facebook, I love talking to you all and answering questions and giving out sneak peeks of the next chapters! Also all my original work can be found on my Facebook page and sex scenes that aren't located anywhere else, not even on Adult Fanfiction or Archive of Our Own!

StarLight Massacre. X


	46. Control

_Last Time_

_His arms slid around Braiden more tightly, covering more of his little body as he clutched Braiden to his chest looking suspiciously at everyone and hissing at anyone who approached too close. No one was ever going to hurt his son; no one was ever going to get close enough to hurt his son. He'd kill them first, he swore it._

Chapter Forty-Six - Control

Harry didn't let anyone close to him or Braiden; he even swiped at his own mates when they tried to take Braiden from him and things went downhill very fast when Ashleigh and Richard came over to say hello and Ashleigh tried to touch Braiden.

Harry snarled so ferociously some submissives called for their mates in distress. Harry shielded Braiden from Ashleigh and darted away to hide in the top branches of a tree, Nasta scowling at him from below.

"Really Harry this is foolish, get down!"

Harry hissed at Nasta, who sighed in exasperation and started climbing the tree after his mate and child. Harry shuffled as far away as possible without compromising the safety of his son, which wasn't very far as he was unwilling to move away from the strong, sturdy trunk of the old sycamore tree.

Nasta caught his leg and held him still until he reached his level and eased him into his arms before jumping from the tree, his black and gold wings snapping out to make the landing softer and less jarring.

Harry was carried away to the small stream at the very back of the garden, where Max, Blaise and Draco were waiting.

"Alright Harry, we understand about the natural instincts of submissive Drackens, we do. Hell every submissive linked to my family have either destroyed their children or are in the process of ruining them, you were different and we loved that about you. Everyone loved that about you, but now you are turning into them." Max told him as Harry sat on a boulder and rocked Braiden.

"I'm sorry for my thoughtless comment." Draco said. "But I thought you knew that absolutely no one here would hurt Braiden, they'd rather eat their own hands. I didn't mean anything by the comment love and I'm sorry I've turned you this way."

"Please come back to us Harry." Nasta told him softly as he held his head and kissed him.

"Don't turn into them Innamorato, you swore that you wouldn't become like them." Blaise told him. "Look at them. Look at how unhappy their children are, do you want our Braiden like that? Do you want him to hate you?"

Harry looked at the screaming children and swallowed down the bitter tasting self-loathing that had coated his tongue. What had he done? He looked to Braiden clamped in his arms, being squashed even as he wailed in discomfort. What had he done?

He loosened his arms and winced as the screaming of his Dracken tried to force him to clamp Braiden back up in his arms, to shield him from any and everyone who was in the garden. He took a deep breath and stood up, he walked over to Myron, Richard and Ashleigh, whose eyes were slightly red tinted from crying.

He sucked up the rest of his dignity and stood in front of them with his head bowed, ignoring the blistering screeches that his Dracken was emitting in his head, making it throb terribly and his arms tremble as he retained his loose hold on Braiden where his Dracken wanted to crush him to their heart.

"What is it Harry?" The cold way Richard spoke almost killed a part of him. Richard never spoke coldly to anyone except to Laurel and Amelle. Harry didn't want to be pitched in the same boat as the both of them, not in Richard's eyes, not in anyone's eyes.

Harry held Braiden out to Ashleigh. "I'm sorry." He whispered. "I didn't mean it, any of it. I lost myself for a moment and it was all it took."

"I think sometimes we forget that you have only been a Dracken for little over a year. You have such good control over yourself and your instincts that it's easy to forget that you are seventeen, just a baby Dracken." Alexander spoke from behind him.

Ashleigh took Braiden from him and Harry peeked through his overlong fringe to see her delight as she cuddled and kissed his baby. Richard's face was still stony and Myron wasn't even looking at him. It destroyed a part of himself and he quickly excused himself and walked through the groups of people, around Mothers snarling at the Fathers of their tightly clutched babies, around faces he knew and those he didn't until he reached the house. He found a bathroom and after locking the door he sunk to the floor and dissolved into tears. What had he done?

* * *

"Have you seen Harry?" Max asked his parents as he spotted them with Braiden. "We've been looking for him for half an hour and we can't find him."

"He was here half an hour ago." His Mother told him. "He apologised and gave me Braiden, I haven't seen him since."

Max sighed and run a hand through his hair.

"Have you tried scenting for him?" Myron put in unhelpfully.

"Of course we have." Max said coolly. "His scent is all through the back garden as you well know!"

"Don't speak to your Father like that." Richard chastised him and Max understood all at once what had happened.

"It was you two, this was your fault."

"Don't blame us for the actions of your submissive."

"So he's just 'my submissive' now is he? You know how much he loves you both and if you spoke to him like this it's no wonder he's gone. If anything, anything at all has happened to him, I'll never speak to either of you again!" Max threatened as he snatched Braiden from his Mother and strode off towards his other mates.

He handed Braiden to Blaise and thunked his head onto Nasta's shoulder and breathed deeply to calm himself. Nasta's smell always calmed him down. A perk of being the top dominant.

"It was my Dads." He admitted softly and it was one of the hardest things he had to admit in a while. "They barely acknowledged Harry and it obviously upset him so he's gone. Either home or he's here hiding."

"Draco, go and search the house, Max go with him, you need a familiar, peaceful place to calm down. Blaise and I will search here. If he's not at either place, then we will check the Weasleys home, Grangers home and with Lupin and Dumbledore, we will do so calmly and rationally. If we still can't find him, then we will search to the ends of the earth for him, but until then, we are going to assume that he is safe and is just calming down somewhere quiet."

"You really are taking Harry's 'don't be so overprotective and fussy' to heart aren't you?" Max asked with a grin.

Nasta sighed. "If he's just gone to the bathroom or is sitting at home reading a book to calm down and we're rushing here, there and everywhere looking for him, getting more wound up and feral and then when we find him we clamour him and startle him and sniff him and lick him when he doesn't even know why we're doing it, he's going to feel worse and he's going to get angry again. If we remain calm and level headed we can actually speak to him and find out if he believes he's hurt or not, we can always ask him if we can check, just in case, he knows we need to do it to reassure ourselves, he just doesn't like us all trying to do it at once or if he's just left a room out of our sights."

Nasta looked at the others who were just staring back at him. "What?"

"I think that's the most I've heard you speak in a while." Draco answered as he turned to Max. "Let's get going then, that house isn't going to search itself and you have a big house and an even bigger garden."

Nasta put an arm around Blaise and led him over to Alexander, who was talking to his sons, his Wife and mate, Kimberly, standing happily by his side.

"Alexander?"

"Hello boys, what can I do for you?"

"Harry's gone missing, can you watch over Braiden for us whilst we search for him?"

"Harry's gone missing?" One of Alexander's sons' asked in surprise.

"We've searched the entire garden and he isn't here, may we search your home for him, in case he's just gone and hidden himself away to calm down after his bout of ferity?"

"Of course." Alexander said in surprise. "You don't need to ask about that when it concerns your own mate, go and find the little lad! Braiden will be safe here with me."

"I'll go and check the lagoon." One of the men around said.

"I'll check the garden again." Another swore.

"I'll make sure he isn't stuck down that damned cave, how many times did I get stuck down there when I was a kid?"

"Just don't get stuck down there again."

"I'm too big now." The man grinned.

"You actually went and checked didn't you?" A woman, who looked so much like Myron it was frightening, asked him incredulously.

"Of course I did." The man answered. "I spent half my childhood down that cave!"

"Go on then, Harry isn't going to find himself!" Alexander reminded them.

Nasta took Blaise into the house and searched for Harry, checking every cupboard in every room, they found a couple kissing in the sitting room, two men who looked at them startled when they walked in on them performing oral sex and a little girl hiding from her Mother behind a cabinet, but no Harry.

"I hope he's alright." Blaise said as he bounced on his feet in agitation.

"Keep yourself calm." Nasta soothed. "He's going to be fine. He would have called for us if anything had happened."

"What if he wasn't near us when he called?" Blaise had to voice.

"As top dominant I would have felt his distress call vibrating in my skull, no matter how far away he is. He hasn't called, he isn't distressed."

Blaise breathed in deeply and nodded, before they both climbed to the third level of Alexander's home. Most of the house seemed to be made up of bedrooms, but with twenty-four children to their name, Alexander and Kimberly needed them.

Sniffling came from behind one of the closed doors and Nasta tapped the door with his wand and carefully eased it open. Harry was on the floor of the bathroom, his face red and blotchy, crying into his hands.

Blaise squirmed around him and fell to his knees, pulling Harry into his arms. Harry fell onto Blaise and held him tightly as he continued sobbing and Nasta felt nothing but rage at the people who had done this to Harry.

He controlled himself, sunk down behind Blaise and pulled the both of them into his arms, holding them and letting them get comfort from him, but his mind was down in the garden, pulling Myron and Richard Maddison-Seppen into tiny pieces.

* * *

Max and Draco came back as they were still cuddled on the bathroom floor. Max sighed and handed Nasta a small vial of sleeping potion. Harry drank it without incident and fell asleep quickly.

"Did he say anything?" Draco asked.

Blaise shook his head as the blonde helped him from the floor. "Nothing. He just cried."

Max took Harry from Nasta and cuddled him. "I'm sorry it was my Dads that did this to you love." He whispered into Harry's ear as he stroked that soft, messy hair.

"Where is Braiden?" Draco asked.

"With Alexander." Blaise answered.

Draco led the way into the back garden and Max made sure his parents saw Harry's tear-stained, blotchy face, his eyes rimmed in red even though they were closed.

"You found him." Alexander sighed in relief. "Where was he?"

"In the bathroom on the top floor. He was crying." Nasta replied tightly, his eyes blazing gold under the high sun tracking every movement Myron and Richard made.

"This wasn't my Myron's fault was it?" Alexander inquired.

"They didn't like how Harry acted towards Mum when she went to see Braiden." Max answered sadly to his grandfather.

"Right, I'll sort this out." Alexander told them as he strode over to Myron and Richard and grabbed the both of them by their belts and waistbands and dragged them forcibly into the house.

"Woah, what did Myron do?" Julius asked Xerxes, the both of them standing close to Max. "He's the golden boy of the family, the baby of us."

"He upset Harry." Max answered his Uncle. "Grandfather was most angry to hear about it."

Xerxes looked at Harry's face, softly sleeping on his Nephew's shoulder.

"I'm not surprised if you showed him that heartbreaking little face. Father loves Harry something chronic, enough so that he'd even tear a new asshole in his baby golden boy for causing that heart clenching sight. Poor Harry."

"All because he lost control for a moment." Cassander sighed as he came over to them, his blue, blue eyes soft and sad, his strong mouth downturned into a frown.

"I lost count of how many times I lost control." Xerxes shrugged. "I'm the oldest of you all and I only had Mother and Father helping me through the change, and even then they were so spaced out with the rest of you lot that I was mostly left to myself to deal with it. I ruined so many doors and trees."

"That's right, I remember you destroying my bedroom because I had borrowed one of your shirts for a date." Cassander said with a grin.

"That whore got lipstick on my favourite shirt and it stank of cat's piss!"

"Her perfume wasn't that bad, she just put a bit too much on." Cassander defended.

"It was my favourite shirt!"

Cassander laughed and turned to Max and stroked one of Harry's cheeks.

"I liked this little cutie too. This face isn't made for tears and frowns"

"Oi!" Max snarled. "He's mine Uncle, back off!"

"My own Nephew doesn't want his Uncle to be laid."

Max screwed up his face in horror and disgust. "Uncle you're nearly seventy! Give it a rest and settle down for the love you hold all of us."

"Even Max think's you should settle down already." Xerxes told Cassander.

"He settled down early, that's why."

"I'm thirty-one!"

"And I'm sixty-nine!" Cassander told him.

"You should have settled down twenty years ago." Xerxes told him.

"Where's the fun in that?" Cassander snorted.

Max left his two Uncles arguing and went to his brother instead.

"Where are Amelle and Nora?" He asked.

"Nora is with Amelle's parents and Amelle is over there, sulking by the drinks table. I told her that she was coming today and that she was either to leave Nora home, or bring her and let her be passed around. I'm angry that she chose to leave the baby in America with her parents rather than bring her and let my family see her."

"As long as she stays away from Braiden and Harry…" Max trailed off.

"She wouldn't dare hurt Braiden and Harry seems to be sleeping at the minute."

"The potion was very mild, it'll last only another half an hour, it was just to calm him down."

"Then we might have another fight on our hands. Amelle hasn't forgiven him for winning their last fight."

Max groaned. "Damned submissive grudges."

"Tell me about it, I haven't had sex since I punished her for fighting with Harry."

Max chuckled. "Harry doesn't use sex as a weapon; at least he doesn't use it as a weapon to prevent us from having sex with him."

"What do you mean?"

"The Healer told us not to have sex with Harry for two weeks after the baby was born."

"Yeah, the Healer told me and Amelle the same thing, everyone knows that."

"Harry didn't agree. He wanted sex straight away."

"What did he do?" Caesar asked his face lighting up with a grin.

"He decided to come to breakfast dressed in nothing but a little skirt and matching panties."

Caesar's jaw dropped as he looked to the little boy in his brother's arms and then back to his brother. "Seriously? He walked around in just a skirt, how the hell did you resist that? I would have bent him over and fucked him on the table if he was mine."

"I wanted to." Max growled, his Dracken coming out slightly at the memory of grinding Harry against the sink.

"But you didn't."

"No. He teased us all day, we thought we'd get a respite when he took Braiden to the hospital for his check-up, but he wore the tightest jeans I've ever seen and the shirt wasn't much better. We hunted for that fucking skirt but he had taken it with him."

Caesar chuckled. "Smart boy."

"Blaise found it in Braiden's nappy bag and I burnt that fucking little piece of cloth so he couldn't wear it again."

"I get the feeling that that didn't work out quite so well."

"He came down wearing absolutely nothing. He sat there, at my table, eating his dinner with nothing on like he did it every single day."

"How long did you last?"

"He went up to the roof to tear apart his nest and seeing him bathed in sunlight, his skin glowing, I couldn't take it."

Caesar laughed and patted Harry's sleeping head. "Good boy Harry, you take what you want!"

"Why don't you take what you want?" Max asked. Caesar looked horrified. "Get that look off your face, I don't mean rape. Fuck who do you take me for? But maybe you could take a leaf out of Harry's book and tease Amelle a bit, surely she's at least attracted to you?"

"So I should walk around in a little skirt you mean?"

"Why are you an idiot? Do you still have that weight set I bought you two years ago?"

"I told you I'd never use them before you bought them!"

"Use them now. In the sun. Make sure you do it topless and in a little pair of shorts, surely no woman will resist your body when your muscles are warm and stretched and your skin is coated in fresh sweat?"

The grin on Caesar's face was three parts evil, seven parts naughty. "Oh I love you Max, I'm so glad you're my big brother."

Max chuckled and pulled Caesar into a hug, kissing his forehead and shoving his shoulder.

"You should have thought of this yourself! Taking a sex ban like a meek dog, what's wrong with you?"

"What if she doesn't react to this?" Caesar asked.

"Then she's a lesbian and you need a new Wife."

The both of them started roaring with laughter that got the attention of nearly everyone in the garden.

* * *

Harry sipped on his cup of tea sleepily as Draco rubbed his neck and shoulders. He had only woken up ten minutes ago and he was still feeling groggy and wrung out. His throat was sore and his eyes were itchy, he had tried to speak only to let out a croak.

Draco had taken him from Blaise to get him some honey tea to sooth his throat and was now working out the tension in his shoulders.

"I love you." He croaked out.

"Stop speaking and drink some more tea." Draco encouraged, bending down to kiss his cheek.

Harry sipped some more tea and relaxed back into Draco, who stopped massaging his shoulders and wrapped his waist in a hug.

Draco nuzzled Harry's neck and bit a pale shoulder, leaving his teeth marks on the soft skin; he kissed up Harry's neck, behind his ear, before leaning around to kiss the corner of Harry's eye.

Harry giggled lightly and put his tea cup down so he could turn in Draco's arms and cuddle him better.

"Are you feeling better?"

Harry nodded, but he touched his neck.

"Your throat still hurts."

"I cried too much." He said his voice no longer croaky, but still wavering and cracked.

"I know." Draco sighed. "None of us blame you for going feral for a bit, I've done it more than once."

"I can't believe I treated Ashleigh like that. I swore I'd never act like all the other weak willed submissives. That I'd never stop her from having Braiden and I did both in one afternoon."

"No one blames you." Draco reiterated. "Ashleigh understood, she's forgiven you."

"Myron and Richard haven't."

"Alexander shouted at them for twenty minutes, they're still sulking inside the house as far as I know. Alexander came to see you when you were sleeping though, he wanted to hold you again but Blaise wouldn't let you go."

That made Harry smile. Apparently he'd been passed from mate to mate and when Blaise held him he wouldn't let anyone take him back, not even Draco, who had taken him as soon as his bleary eyes had opened and had yet to let him go.

"I hope they forgive me."

"If they don't Max swore that he'd never speak to them again."

"What? But they're his Dads!" Harry cried upset.

"He loves you Harry, they are in the wrong. I can understand being protective of their mate, but it was a onetime thing. You have never stopped Ashleigh from seeing, holding, even feeding Braiden, not once until this afternoon and you were very feral. How they can treat you how they did I'll never understand. I mean it wasn't a personal attack on Ashleigh, you wouldn't even let _us_ hold Braiden and we're your mates. They need to get their heads out of their asses and realise that they're making a big deal out of nothing."

Harry held on tighter to Draco and breathed deeply, shoving his Dracken down when it tried to force him back into a feral state through the weakness it sensed in him. Braiden was fine. Nasta had fed him a bottle, had changed him and he was sleeping again on Kimberly's lap. He was safe, content, happy and sleeping. Harry refused disturb him.

* * *

Feeling sick and run down, Harry lay on the grass by Alexander's feet, spreading his body over the grass, much to people's amusement.

Everyone moved around him, but he remained on his patch of grass, sunning himself and enjoying the warm feeling of the grass below him and the sun above him.

He saw Myron and Richard again and flipped onto his stomach so he didn't have to see them. The sight of them caused his heart to clench in pain. Blaise brought him a glass of chilled apple juice and Harry gave him a loving kiss as he gulped the cool liquid down and rested his head back on his folded arms. He yawned and was just entertaining the thought of going back to sleep when a pair of white ballerina shoes came to stand before his folded arms, just in his view.

He looked up bare legs, to a knee length skirt and a small, strappy top, up to the anger twisted face of Amelle.

"You ruined my perfect face!" She hissed.

Harry really looked at her face and thought that it was just as lovely as before, her nose was slightly off centre, but it was barely noticeable and didn't stop that face from being beautiful, yet Amelle seemed to think it made her ugly, Harry was sure Caesar didn't mind in the slightest.

"I think it's an improvement." Harry told her spitefully.

She screamed shrilly and lashed out with her foot before Harry could even get to his knees and he felt the blood pouring from his lip where her dainty ballerina shoe had kicked him. Harry had a sense of Déjà vu as he heard male voices shouting as Amelle continued to kick him, stopping him from getting to his feet. Harry refused to disgrace himself any further and just curled up into a ball and let her kick his body.

His wings burst out and curled around himself protectively as his fangs and claws slid out of his gums and nail beds. Amelle got one good kick to his head and then she was dragged off by a livid looking Caesar, Harry lashed out and sunk his claws into her leg, raking them all the way down and tearing a chunk of meat out of her calf as she screeched in agony.

Harry was picked up by Max's Uncle Philip and placed on his feet. He swayed as his head swam. He collapsed back to his knees and threw up onto the grass. Blaise was there then, his scent soothing him as strong arms cradled him as he hissed and growled at anyone who came close.

A bloodied arm was pressed to his lips and Harry licked slowly as his stomach roiled and clenched. He shoved the arm away and threw up again and someone screamed for Claire.

Claire turned out to be a lovely looking middle aged woman with lots of curly blonde hair and kind brown eyes. She was married to Julius and had been around Drackens since she had met and married him. She was also a Healer and had taken an apprenticeship under a Dracken medic to learn all she could about her Husband's family and in case any children she had turned out to be Drackens, she did not want to be unprepared if one of them got sick or hurt. She had been caring and diagnosing problems in Max's family for over ten years now and had even helped Tisha birth her twins when she had gone into a sudden, unexpected labour outside of her nest, two months premature.

She told him all this and more as she checked him over with soft fingers and wand. His lip was bleeding sluggishly as he had taken in enough blood to slow down the bleeding, but not enough to close the wound, his head throbbed where Amelle had kicked him repeatedly and his eye was sore. His stomach hurt where he had been throwing up and his fingers ached where he had raked his claws through her flesh and the speed of his actions had forced his fingers back at unnatural angles because he hadn't had time to lock his fingers properly into place.

Once again he was the one clamoured and Caesar was left alone to deal with Amelle on the other side of the garden, forcing his blood down her throat as his shirt was wrapped around her leg. He was talking quickly and angrily if his hand gestures were any indicator.

"How are you feeling?" Alexander asked him.

"Dizzy." Harry replied weakly.

"You're still dizzy?" Claire asked, moving her wand immediately to his head, tapping it gently, roving her wand over every inch and running her hands through his hair to search for bumps.

Harry pushed her away and turned his head as he threw up for a third time, four large hands rubbing his back. Harry would have smiled if he wasn't currently throwing up. All four of his mates were behind him, soothing him.

"What can we do to help you Harry?" Max asked sadly.

Harry heaved as an answer, though he wanted to tell them that there was nothing they could do, that they were doing everything they could just by rubbing his back to ease the spasms that went through him as he vomited, but as his mouth was full of bile and vomit, he just spat instead of talking.

"Sit up Harry, good boy." Claire told him softly, helping to ease him back up. She ran her wand over his belly and sighed, pushing his shirt up to expose the red mark just slightly bigger than the size of Amelle's shoe. "This will bruise." She told him with a sympathetic smile.

Harry lolled back onto one of his mates and groaned, moving his hands to clutch his stomach; large hands caught his own and held them away as Claire moved her wand over his stomach.

"Oh. Oh dear." She exclaimed.

"What? What is it?" Draco demanded, moving forwards, maybe to shake her into answering quicker, but Harry moved an elbow to stop him.

"Harry sweetheart, you've given birth recently, haven't you?"

"Yes." Harry answered, Braiden was being passed around from pillar to post, everyone in this garden knew that Braiden was his and was six days old.

"Is your nest still up?" She asked casually.

"No. I demolished it the other day."

Many of the older Drackens gasped or growled.

"Why?" Nasta asked. "Why is that significant? He wasn't using it any longer."

"Submissives keep their nests intact until the day of their next heat after they've given birth."

"I haven't had a heat." Harry answered, feeling miserable as he burped up more bile.

"What day exactly did you dismantle your nest on?" Claire persisted.

"Why does it matter?" Blaise demanded, slipping his arms around Harry's neck and pulling him further back against him.

"Did it happen to be two days ago? When the temperature hit record highs and it hit forty degrees Celsius?"

Harry looked at his mates and they all looked at him. How had this woman known?

"How did you…?"

"Let me guess, you made love outside, underneath the sun after you had taken down your nest."

"What are you saying?" Nasta asked, his hand moving protectively around Harry's waist.

"Harry went on heat, caused by the spike in the weather because his body heated up to over one hundred and ten degrees as he was having sexual contact and then later sexual intercourse. A submissive only dismantles their nest when their bodies feel the heat approaching."

"What does this have to do with my stomach?" Harry asked.

Claire looked at him with soft, sad eyes. "You're pregnant." She told him.

* * *

A/N: I'm going to be hated for this chapter, but I don't care! Like it or not, let me know, but please give reasons, there's nothing worse than getting a review saying 'I hate it' I want to know why damn you readers!

Chapter 9 of the Scaled Bits will be published this Saturday as celebration for The Rise of the Drackens turning a year old! I still can't believe it's been a year already!

Thanks to **neverliveindoubt** for being the **6,300****th**** reviewer**!

As for the three or four of you who commented, one of you quite rudely, one of you very nicely, on Harry having a food baby and his comment that he had only had sex with himself and his toys despite the huge sex scene the previous chapter. Harry was bloated to look about three/four months pregnant. You don't look three or four months pregnant overnight. He was referring to the sex ban he was on whilst he was pregnant and he was teasing his mates saying that he had had sex with himself away from them. It wasn't serious and was meant to be taken lightly as a joke, alright?

**Aryes**: A reader wanted a baby Dracken with bright blue wings, but as the babies don't get wings until they're sixteen that was null and void. As for the colours being inherited, no. Not strictly at least, but one of Max's dominant children have a better chance of getting blue wings/scales in any shade than any other colour because Max's blue colourant will already be passed down to the baby, but the baby will also be born with their own colours, so if the baby has a natural red colourant, mix it with Max's and the baby suddenly has purple wings/scales or the baby could have blue wings and red scales or the baby could have all red wings/scales It depends on how strong the colourant is and in how large a quantity the baby is born with, the baby's colourant could be black or very dark, which could over rule Max's blue colour or turn it a very dark blue, does that make any sense at all to you or am I living in my own mind again?

**Zept:** Braiden is the oldest and if he is a dominant and say he has a submissive sibling much younger than he is, for example five years younger, by the time this submissive sibling reaches their 16th year, he is going to be 21. How would any 21 year old brother act when their younger sibling is being leered at by a hundred different people of varying ages all intent of claiming the virginity of said 16 year old sibling? Of course he is going to be there for moral support and added protection. He's not going to let anyone touch, hurt, seduce, force, blackmail or curse his younger sibling into anything, he's a big brother and he's going to be a very protective big brother too.

**neverliveindoubt**: No. I've been happily informed through a conversation about Twilight on Facebook that menstrual blood is dead, not fresh. So the dominants wouldn't react as if their submissive was injured or dying because of the blood. Likewise, female dominant's also have their menstrual cycle and no, their other dominants/submissive do not act like she is injured because again, the blood is dead.

Yes the topic of Regulus has come up numerous times and I have explained numerous times that no one knew about Regulus. Not even his own parents knew, he had one meeting where he quickly chose Severus and neither of them ever went to the social gatherings. His previous suitors forgot about him as new submissives came forth, and then he died early without ever really leaving a mark, he had no children, no achievements or notable doings, his mate is, and always has been, a recluse who would rather cut off his own leg than go to the Dracken parties, so he faded from everyone's memories, everyone except for Severus and Kreacher when his parents and Sirius died. No one remembered him, hell if they did it might just be a passing thought like, what was that submissive's name from thirty years ago. They might even think that he was female, not every Dracken in the world saw/spoke/met him, so they might have convinced themselves that he was just another missed opportunity.

**NoirxAnge**: Kimberly was there at the party, don't worry. She was likely off speaking to and hugging all of her sons and daughters who had come back into the country for their Father's birthday. Alexander was doing the same thing, catching up with his family members, he just happened to be holding a sleeping Harry.

Benedict had one moment of insanity directly after the submissive rejected him. He came back into himself when he had killed her and he regretted what he had done immensely. He came back into lucidity when he had killed the girl so he was able to converse with his family rationally and of sound mind.

**Green_eyed_lover**: Addy on Facebook is StarLight Mass. They wouldn't let me have Massacre :(

**Syreen**: It's the instincts they have. Not everyone at Alexander's party are Drackens, there are a lot of humans too and unmated dominants. At the Dracken meeting none of the unmated dominants were there because of the meeting in New Zealand and there were very few humans. When put into an enclosed space the Mothers feel more secure about leaving their children, which is why the crèche is fenced off with mesh and has armed guards on it, the garden is a wide open expanse of land and their children have ample opportunity to leave their eyesight. Plus in the meetings halls no stranger or unannounced person is going to get in the halls are far too well protected, in a garden anyone can slip in and take a child without anyone knowing if they're not careful, so they take no chances and smother their children under their protectiveness.

And of course Alexander loves Ashleigh, Myron is his favourite little baby golden boy after all, he couldn't have picked two better mates for him.

**Whoever is sending me fan art of Nasta under an anonymous name, please tell me who you are, or at least draw more for me! I love it.**

We're playing a little game! Just for one chapter if you please. All I need from you readers is a number and a letter. You can chose from only three numbers and three letters. The numbers are 6, 10 or 12 and the letters are A, D or L. Chose only one of the numbers listed and only one of the letters listed please! For example: A-6

This will all be made clear soon enough!

StarLight Massacre. X


	47. Denial

_Last Time_

"_What are you saying?" Nasta asked, his hand moving protectively around Harry's waist._

"_Harry went on heat, caused by the spike in the weather because his body heated up to over one hundred and ten degrees as he was having sexual contact and then later sexual intercourse. A submissive only dismantles their nest when their bodies feel the heat approaching."_

"_What does this have to do with my stomach?" Harry asked._

_Claire looked at him with soft, sad eyes. "You're pregnant." She told him._

Chapter Forty-Seven – Denial

Harry looked at the woman blankly, everything was still and silent and then Ashleigh called out a happy congratulation and everyone was doing the same and Harry looked at his hands, resting over his belly. Two days pregnant. How could she know? How could anyone pick up a baby two days after conception? She was mistaken. She was lying.

"No, no, no, no, no, NO!" Harry screamed hitting his hands against the ground. Immediately they were seized and held in Max's hands as his body was turned and curled into Nasta's chest.

"It's alright Harry, we'll get through this."

"Don't want to be pregnant again." Harry mumbled. "I'm not pregnant again!"

"You might not remain pregnant." Claire told him softly.

"You just said…" Draco exploded before Nasta covered his mouth with a hand.

"The pregnancy is now unstable due to…"

"Her." Blaise hissed deeply, his indigo eyes pinned to Amelle on the opposite end of the garden.

She had only gotten one kick to his stomach, right after she had split his lip as he tried to raise himself from the floor. Harry had then curled up on his stomach, protecting his chest as she lashed out at his back and head before his wings came out to protect him further.

"Are you saying that Harry is having a miscarriage?" Max demanded.

Claire smiled sadly. "Possibly unless it is stabilised soon. Harry, if you really don't want to be pregnant, just let the miscarriage take its course, the group of cells are only two days old, not even formed sacs yet or an embryo. If you want me to help stabilise it then I can also do that."

Everyone started shouting and yelling, trying to get their opinion heard but Claire held up a hand and silenced them with a look.

"This is Harry's body, Harry's life and Harry's decision! Only he can make it. If he does not want to be pregnant, then he doesn't have to be."

Harry didn't look at anyone; he sat on his own, on the grass, curled around himself. His mind was flitting from idea to idea, from thought to thought, but nothing was really staying in his head. He didn't know what he wanted, what he was going to do, all he could really focus on was that Amelle, who had attacked him twice now, had caused him to potentially lose his second baby.

He could feel heat rising from his skin, could feel an electric like tingle as his anger grew and he knew he was losing control of his magic, like he had back when he was thirteen and Aunt Marge had made him so angry he just couldn't stop his magic from reacting.

He screamed, long and loud and his magic exploded from his body and destroyed everything. Tables went flying, chairs compacted themselves to splinters, glasses shattered, tea cups turned to a fine powdery dust, the grass tore itself from the ground in strips and everyone standing around him was knocked back several feet.

His magic enveloped him and soothed him, caressed him with phantom fingers and tendrils of love as a horrific scream came from the back of his mind.

"Stop it Harry! Please!" Someone begged.

Harry looked up to the one who had spoken, past the gawking family members, to Caesar who was looking at him with heartbroken brown eyes, pleading with him as his Wife and mate writhed on the floor in agony as he tried to hold her body down as it moved in unnatural ways.

Blaise was there then, wrapping him in loving arms, holding him and kissing his neck and Harry relaxed back into him, his magic ebbing away to disperse into the air or into the ground, some of it coming back to his own body, flowing into the little channels that it travelled throughout his entire body and he felt soft and calm and weightless. He felt no pain at all and when he raised a hand to his split lip, the split wasn't there. He smiled beatifically and lifted his shirt to look at the red mark that would have badly bruised. It wasn't there. He had healed himself.

"What was that?" Cassander asked his eyes wide and frightened.

"Harry is very powerful." Blaise whispered in a carrying voice, his skin still tingling from touching Harry as his magic exploded outwards.

"No matter what the newspapers speculate, I was the one to destroy Voldemort." Harry said as he looked around at the damage he had caused and the looks on everyone's faces, Amelle's scrunched up agonised one was the face he kept going back to, he took sick pleasure in seeing her pain. "I held him as his skin peeled away and his flesh sloughed off of his bones, crackling and cooking from the heat of my magic. My magic did that. All he could do was curl up as he died screaming in agony."

There was silence. He hadn't even told his mates how he had killed Voldemort. Max wrapped his arm around him more firmly and everyone seemed determined not to mention what had just happened or what he had said.

"How is he pregnant?" Xerxes asked Claire curiously, breaking the strained silence that had fallen. "He gave birth six days ago. Everyone knows that submissives don't have another heat for months after their last birth."

"There are exceptions." Claire answered happy to be back on ground she knew and could explain. "One submissive got pregnant the day after she had given birth, an over enthusiastic dominant wanting to show his appreciation for his new child no doubt. One submissive had a clutch of seven, three babies were born and then two weeks later the other four were birthed."

"I thought a clutch could only hold a maximum of five babies." Harry said confused.

"The largest number of babies a male submissive has ever had was five, the largest a female submissive has had in one birth was six, in one pregnancy it was nine."

"But the book…"

"I told you Harry don't believe everything you read in mass produced creature inheritance books." Nasta told him. "The majority of the information is wrong or misleading."

Harry swallowed and held still as Claire approached him and waved her wand over his belly.

"Remarkable. You stabilised your own pregnancy." Claire looked at him with huge, awed eyes. "This is supposed to be impossible! How could your magical outburst have stabilised a pregnancy with such raw, uncontrolled magic? It's not possible!"

"I didn't want to lose my baby, if there is one inside of me." Harry said softly, cuddling into Blaise. "I may not want another baby or to be pregnant again, but I can't just do nothing as my potential baby is dying inside of me."

"It's not truly a baby yet Harry, just a collection of cells that are going to form into a baby, but you are pregnant. My diagnostic is picking up on your cell activity in your abdomen, which is how I knew you were pregnant, the inflammation of the tissues surrounding the cells informed me that the cells were dislodging from your sac wall and were starting to pull apart from one another."

Max picked him and Blaise up from the floor and cuddled the both of them, even as his blue, blue eyes followed every move of Amelle's soft, smooth, uncovered neck. He bared his teeth, his inch long fangs gleaming in the summer sunlight and Harry kissed a pulled back lip gently. Then it clicked and his head snapped around, looking everywhere his eyes flitted and his heart beat several times faster.

"Where is my baby?" He demanded. "WHERE IS MY BABY?" Harry grabbed a hold of Blaise who was being held beside him by Max. "Where is Braiden?" He demanded of him. "Where is our son? We need to find our son!"

"He's here Harry, calm down." Draco told him, handing over the happily sleeping baby.

Harry snatched Braiden and cuddled and cooed over him, sniffing over his body to make sure his magic hadn't done any harm to him.

"We didn't feel any of the effects we usually do when Harry's on a heat and we were only sexually intimate for about an hour and a half." Nasta said unembarrassed, not even blushing or stumbling over his words to Claire. "If he was on heat, why didn't we get any warnings?"

"It was caused by the weather, extreme heat will raise a Dracken's temperature up to the optimum level for conception, so if the submissive has sexual intercourse when their bodies are in this period of optimum temperature, they will conceive."

"Like how I got pregnant in the steam room of the health spa when I was in between heat periods." One woman said with a grin. Her Husband buried his face in his hands.

"I do not want to hear about my daughter's exploits thank you very much, Lydia." Alexander chastised.

Harry looked at Claire as he remembered something from what seemed like a long time ago. "At the Dracken meeting, two women told me that they used a hot tub to get their children."

"A hot tub, a steam room, baking yourselves under the sun on the hottest day on record with your scales out to conduct the heat throughout your bodies. All of them will rise a submissive's body temperature up to conception levels; I can guarantee that many babies were conceived two days ago in that heat wave without the submissive or dominants knowing about it."

"Damn it!" One man exclaimed as his wife looked smug beside him.

"Can you check me please Claire?"

"Of course Shae." Claire answered her wand in hand as she approached the young woman, one of Alexander's granddaughters, and gave it a little wave. "You're currently pregnant, congratulations."

Shae let out a laugh and her Husband moaned into his own arm as he looked at his mate, love and horror warring on his face.

"We have twelve kids honey! Don't you think adding more will be a bit…unmanageable?" He said delicately.

"No." She answered simply as she ran to one of Max's Aunt's and hugged her tightly. "I'm pregnant again Mum!"

"Well be careful Shae, don't go running about or jumping around."

"I'm two days pregnant." Shae answered rolling her eyes. "The baby is well protected."

"It might be a good idea to err on the side of caution." Alexander told his granddaughter as he grinned at her happily. "This baby wasn't conceived on a usual heat, but because your bodies were heated enough to conceive, so it might be best to be a bit more cautious. That goes for you too Harry sweet one."

Harry blinked around him as he took his eyes from Braiden's face and focused on Alexander as he heard his own name.

"I'm sorry, what did you say? I wasn't listening, Braiden snuffled in his sleep." Harry went pink cheeked; embarrassed that he had lost the thread of conversation just because Braiden had made a noise.

Alexander chuckled and came forward a few steps to cup his cheek and kiss his forehead. "Be careful with yourself Harry dear."

"Oh I won't need to. I'm not going to be walking by myself until after this baby is born." Harry answered with a glare to his four mates, one which was holding him, the other being held next to him and the other two hovering around him already. "Back off." He growled at them.

They growled back and Harry hissed, swiping half-heartedly at Nasta before looking at his stomach.

"There's no baby in there. I'm not pregnant." He said adamantly. "You're wrong." He told Claire.

"Harry…"

"NO! You're wrong. WRONG!" He screamed.

Max put him on the floor as he squirmed and Harry went and burrowed under Alexander's arm with Braiden.

"Come now Harry, it's not so bad. You may have your second clutch."

"I'm not pregnant." Harry reiterated sternly.

"Two days is a very small amount of time, perhaps the pregnancy won't take. The cells might be lost, they might not attach to your sac walls sufficiently, you might have lost this clutch regardless of recent…behaviours."

Alexander gave a stern eye to Amelle, who Caesar was holding and cuddling, her mouth and cheeks stained red by blood from the nosebleed that Harry's magic had caused from too much pressure and from Caesar feeding his blood clumsily to her.

Harry cuddled up closer. He didn't know what to think. He didn't want to be pregnant, he didn't want to think that there was _another_ baby growing inside of him, but if there was, and it was a big if in his mind, then he also didn't want that baby to die or for the cells that were going to form up his baby to unravel and tear apart before his baby even had a chance of becoming an actual baby.

Harry took comfort from Alexander and looked up as a strong hand was placed on his shoulder. Richard was standing behind him and he pulled him from Alexander and over to a clear space of grass away from everyone else, who were working on mending and fixing everything his magical outburst had destroyed.

"I'm sorry Harry. I've acted disgustingly towards you, but Alexander is right, I do believe that you are older than you actually are because of the way you act. You're more mature than I am, so it's harder for me to associate you with being so much younger. Your control is outstanding, so when you showed the first waver, the first slip, I attacked it and I'm sorry. You have amazing control that perhaps I maybe thought that your slip was purposeful, when in reality it wasn't. I know you've shown great kindness to Ashleigh, to all of us. I mean, look at all these other prissy bitches; they're still clinging onto their children even now. You were the only one who has ever shown such kindness to Ashleigh and such trust in her personality as to actually hand her your newborn, to let her hold him and cuddle him and without you even hovering over her. Myron and I, we got used to it. We were so used to you being so trusting of other people with Braiden that when you went feral for the first time in my knowledge, showed the first crack in your control and denied Ashleigh what she had come to love and adore, it angered the both of us. We've been looking out for and protecting Ashleigh so much more than we should since…since that day." Richard's hand automatically, almost subconsciously, climbed to his ruined throat, his fingers massaging the mounds of tight scar tissue. "It was almost an automatic reflex to shun you and to blame you for how you acted towards her and that was so very unfair of the both of us. We love you Harry, of course we do and not just because you managed to snag our oldest son's heart. You're a very kind, loving and brave man, what's not to love about you? You are selfless, smart, balanced, funny and Max loves you, everyone loves you. We are so very sorry and I ask from the bottom of my heart if you can forgive us. We never meant to hurt you, our family means everything to us and you are a part of our family Harry."

Harry threw himself into Richard's arms and sobbed like a child as he was held and soothed, Braiden tucked under his arm securely.

Larger, stronger hands held him around his waist and he was pulled bodily from the floor, turned and cuddled to a chest so much like Max's, but softer. Max was squishy, but not as soft as Myron, who was losing his muscles as he grew older.

"Please say that you'll forgive us." That deep voice whispered into his hair. "We never meant to hurt you so badly. We were fools."

"There's nothing to forgive." Harry sniffled. "You were protecting your mate, I understand that. I hope that if I was in the same situation that my mates would be half as protective of me as you are of Ashleigh."

Myron squeezed him tightly, but Harry noticed that it wasn't quite the bear hug he had been getting recently. The overprotectiveness had already started.

* * *

Harry settled himself down with Braiden on the bed and picked up the bottle, shaking it, dribbling a few drops onto the underside of his forearm, before rubbing the teat against Braiden's cheek, watching with a smile as Braiden rooted for it and caught it in his mouth, his lips spread wide around the bulb of the teat, sucking and swallowing strongly. Braiden was a healthy eater.

Blaise slipped into the bed beside him and held the back of Braiden's head with a large hand, watching their son eat with him.

"He's perfect." Blaise whispered reverently.

"Do…do you think that I am pregnant?" Harry asked softly.

"I think that the Healer would know what to look for Harry." Blaise said hesitantly, obviously expecting him to blow up at him or perhaps for his magic to react and literally blow up the room.

Harry moved a hand from under Braiden's bum and touched his belly. He hadn't lost all of the pregnancy weight he had gained from Braiden yet. He was still fleshy with the extra weight he had gained, it hadn't bothered him. He had known the weight would melt away eventually, but now it wouldn't. Now he would be gaining more weight again and if he was as big with this baby as he had been with Braiden then school was going to become impossible. If he was two days pregnant then his baby was due on the second of March, halfway through the school year and well before the exam months. What was he going to do with a ten month old and a three month old during exams?

"I can't be." Harry denied. "I just can't."

Blaise slipped an arm around him and kissed the side of his head.

"We love you mio amore. We will stay by you and support you through all things. You are not alone."

Harry smiled and fell sideways to rest against Blaise as Braiden finished his bottle. Harry quickly took it out of his mouth so he didn't swallow any air and get trapped wind. Harry placed him over his shoulder with a bright orange burp cloth that Blaise had placed over his shoulder for him and patted Braiden's back firmly, rubbing him until he burped. He was getting more confident in burping Braiden now that he had realised that gently patting him and barely rubbing was not going to get all of the air up and Braiden would suffer for it with trapped wind and colic. After that bombshell Harry had been a bit firmer handed and Braiden was burping better.

Blaise eased him down until he was lying down with Braiden over his chest before stripping them both naked and doing the same.

"What are you doing?" Harry said with a chuckle as Blaise lay down in the bed beside him and cuddled up close.

"Babies need skin to skin contact to bond. I thought we could bond with one another as well as with our son."

Harry smiled and moved his arm out from beside him and slipped it over Blaise's chest as he rolled onto his side, carefully bringing Braiden down so that their sleepy, yawning son was touching the both of them, Blaise's arm slipping under his neck to rub patterns onto his back, his other arm covering Braiden's little back.

"My Mother would like to hear about the new pregnancy and would also appreciate an update on her only grandson. She has grown restless with the need to see her grandchild, but toe the line between our privacy also."

Harry hummed and smiled as he thought of Marianna. He wanted to see her again. He wished Aneirin was around as well, it seemed he didn't see enough of them, but Aneirin at least had the excuse of working in a different country every other week, though he did constantly check in with Nasta and tell his youngest son where he was and what hotel he was staying in. He was hardly ever in Britain, but Marianna was only a floo call away.

"We should go and tell her."

Blaise made a noise as if to immediately disagree.

"Perhaps it might be best for her to come and visit us here?" He offered instead.

Harry clenched his teeth together to keep from lashing out.

"I am two days pregnant." He hissed lightly. "When I was two days pregnant with Braiden I was running, jumping, climbing, going to lessons and having sex. We didn't even know I was pregnant for eleven days!"

Blaise bit down on his tongue to keep from replying but he couldn't help his hand drifting to the back of Harry's neck, cupping it lightly to give him a warning. So many things had happened during Harry's first pregnancy with his son, so many scares, too many, so much drama, too much danger and too many people hitting his pregnant mate. Not this time. Amelle had already gotten an early start, but no more, never again. He would stand in front of Harry like a shield if it kept their next clutch safe from harm. He would confine Harry to their bed for the duration of the pregnancy if he thought it would help, regardless of Harry's thoughts on the issue. They would never again have a miscarriage scare if it could at all be preventable. He wouldn't allow it.

* * *

Harry woke up groggy and found himself caught in a sight that would forever make him laugh. He and Blaise were cuddled around Braiden, still naked. Draco was cuddling Blaise from behind, also naked, and Max and Nasta were on the outside of the bed, Max behind him and Nasta behind Draco, all of them naked and 'bonding'.

Harry chuckled sleepily and eased himself out of the pile, bringing a squirming Braiden with him. He had no idea who had fed Braiden last night before returning him to his arms, but he was forever glad that whoever they were had decided to put him in a nappy as the smell emitting from it almost choked him when he changed the little baby.

Braiden made a happy sound as Harry finished powdering his bum and put him in a clean nappy. It made Harry chuckle quietly and kiss him soundly on the lips as he quietly packed away the changing things and crossed the bedroom, sure footed, leaving the bedroom so his mates could sleep, all tangled together in a naked heap.

Harry made some tea, made up a bottle and ate a bowl of fruit muesli that Nasta had bought to keep in the cupboard for when he had to run to the Dragon reserve and had little time for a proper breakfast. He put the bowl into the sink before feeding Braiden his bottle, watching him carefully even as he tried to drink his own tea before it went cold.

Harry burped Braiden and went to sit in the living room with a fresh cup of tea. His mind drifted back to the conversation yesterday and his teeth ground together. Who was Blaise to try and stop him from doing what he wanted?

Harry made up his mind and got Braiden ready, got himself ready before strapping the baby into his carrycot, making sure he had a packed nappy bag and flooing, at six in the morning, to Aneirin Delericey, who was in Sydney, Australia. It would be some when in the afternoon and sure enough, as he tumbled out of the fireplace, Aneirin scooped him up with a bear hug and kissed him on the cheek.

"How are you Harry?" He asked as he was set down in a chair, Braiden being placed on the table, before his carry cot was unstrapped and Aneirin had him in his arms, cuddling and kissing the baby. "I have missed this little guy so much. He's my only grandchild and I barely see him! I'm going to have to take a break from work, this just won't do."

Harry smiled and he felt happy again, he felt _normal_.

"What brings you here?" Aneirin asked as he made them both fruit smoothies, putting whole fruit into a top of the range juicer, adding ice and finishing it off with three plump raspberries for edible decoration.

"I wanted to see you. I missed you."

Aneirin smiled and ruffled up his hair. "You're a sweet kid Harry, coming to see an old man like me."

Harry snorted into his drink. He couldn't think of anyone who looked less like an old man than Aneirin. His hair was still thick and dark, the only lines on his face were laughter lines around his eyes and mouth, though there were two frown lines over his forehead, Harry put that down to having to raise three young babies whilst working in the business profession. His body was still strong and healthy, though he was losing some muscle definition, it didn't make him look old at all.

"I am sixty Harry." Aneirin told him with a smirk and Harry just gaped. He would most definitely have said that Aneirin was younger than Myron Maddison, not almost ten years older, but then Aneirin's youngest son, Nasta, was six years older than Myron's oldest son, Max, so perhaps it shouldn't have been such a huge surprise.

"If you stopped drinking so much tea and eating so much processed, unhealthy food you could look as good as I do at sixty." Aneirin told him with a wink and Harry laughed. "Though tea is healthier than coffee, if I ever catch you or yours drinking coffee I'll pull you over my knee and spank the sense back into you."

"I don't like the taste of it." Harry said with a grin. "Blaise does though; he has at least three cups a morning."

"And Nasta allows this?" Aneirin asked incredulously.

"Nasta allows him one cup a day with a heavy frown and a lot of grumbling about his health, but Blaise finds ways of slipping more. Nasta is very busy with paper work from the reserve at the moment and he's having to have meetings with the other handlers often because nesting season is almost upon them, so Blaise is finding it easier than usual to get his caffeine fix."

"That boy is only seventeen; he shouldn't even know coffee exists!" Aneirin grumbled.

Harry smiled and kissed Braiden as his son made small sounds from Aneirin's arms.

"There was one other thing I needed to tell you before going to visit Marianna."

"What is that?"

Harry bit his lip and looked into solid brown eyes. "There's a possibility that I'm pregnant again."

"You gave birth a week ago Harry; I wouldn't have thought you'd be pregnant again so soon. If your body is still acting up it is likely left over hormones, I doubt you have anything to worry about." Aneirin told him gently.

"That's what I thought, but the Healer told me that I'm three days pregnant, I said there was no way I could be, but she insists that I went onto a heat due to the weather."

All at once Aneirin understood and he made an 'Ah' sound. "How hot did the temperature go for you to go onto this supposed heat?" He asked.

"It hit a record forty degrees, she said that because I was outside and all of our scales were out that we raised our core temperatures up to one hundred and ten degrees and I conceived. Was she telling the truth?" Harry asked, feeling very much like a little boy and feeling like one too.

Aneirin sighed, put Braiden back into his carrycot and slid to his knees in front of Harry's chair. He took hold of his small hands and looked him right in the eyes.

"The Healer was telling the truth Harry, it's rare that a Dracken conceives outside of their usual breeding heats, but outside forces that raise out body temperatures to a certain degree confuses our bodies into believing we are on heat. The neck of your sac would have loosened with the heat of your body and fully opened when you were engaged in sexual activities, leaving you susceptible to pregnancy. You may very well be pregnant."

Harry bit his lip. He hadn't wanted to hear that. Aneirin pulled him down, off of his chair, and into his lap and he just cuddled him like a baby, resting his chin on the top of his head and humming soothingly.

"It's going to be difficult for you to have a second clutch so close to the birth of Braiden." Aneirin told him. "Make no mistake about it, having any children so close together will be hard in the long run, but it'll all be worth it when you see them grown up Harry, when you see the beautiful people you have raised and nurtured through their lives. You can get through this love, I know you can. You have four mates, four of them. When I had Angharad, Sanex and a newborn Nasta, it was only me. Just me on my own raising three young children, one of whom was a newborn. I was flooing off all over the world with them, trying to do my job as they played about my feet in meetings, trying to earn enough money to feed and clothe them properly. You don't have to do that Harry. Not only do two of your mates have very well paid jobs, but three of you, including yourself, come from old money and are especially intelligent and will have no problems getting top paid jobs yourselves, money is not an issue for you as it was for me. You are not short on supporting family members; you have people willing and even wanting to take your children off of you so you can rest for a night, or even a whole weekend. I never had that luxury, despite being incredibly paranoid and protective of my three children after my mate died, I was always half a world away from mine or Lowri's family members who would have looked after my children for a day or two. In hindsight, I know now that I was foolish. I should have left my children with my parents or Lowri's and gone to these meetings myself. They would have barely seen me, but at least they would have had a safe, secure and permanent place to live."

"Nasta would have hated you." Harry replied mildly and Aneirin stiffened under him, his arms clenching as a growl slipped from his throat. "He would have. He loves other languages and cultures. He only learnt them because you took him with you, Nasta loved going all over the world with you and nothing made him happier than you telling him that you were taking him to a country he had never been to before. Nasta didn't want a fixed abode growing up, he wanted to be with you and to see as many different places as you could take him, to learn as many languages and cultures as he could. It was the highlight of his life and I'm going to ruin that by constantly being pregnant."

Aneirin kissed his head and nuzzled his neck.

"He won't think like that Harry. Nasta has been to every country on this planet at least twice and some of the more mainstream countries more than eighty times. He's seen them all, learnt all the languages and cultures they have to offer. He's not a child anymore, he's a man grown and it's past time for him to have his own family. If he has said anything at all about you ruining his travelling life by being pregnant with his children then he is not the man I raised him to be and I will happily pull him over my knee for you."

Harry chuckled weakly and snuggled in tighter to the comfort that he was being offered.

"I never saw my life being like this." Harry confessed. "When I found out I was a Dracken, I handled it quite well, I handled getting a mate well, though maybe I could have handled the news that I needed more than one a little better, I even welcomed the news that I could get pregnant, but I never thought for one moment that I'd constantly be pregnant, that I wouldn't be allowed to do anything or go anywhere."

"Who's stopping you?" Aneirin asked. "Surely not Nasta."

"All of them are. All four of them don't like me going anywhere or doing anything, they carry me everywhere and yeah it's nice when I'm tired or need a nap, but I do have a pair of legs that I like using too. We found out yesterday that I was pregnant and I was carried home, carried to bed and left there and I felt like they had forgotten all about me until Braiden woke up and Blaise brought a bottle up to feed him."

"They left you upstairs in bed and went downstairs?" Aneirin asked a hint of anger in his voice.

"Yes, they said that I needed the rest even though I told them I wasn't tired and would get just as much rest downstairs on the settee with them."

"You want to get a handle on that Harry. Lowri almost skinned me when I tried suggesting she rested and I wouldn't have dared force her upstairs when she didn't want to go for fear of losing my eyes. Like you said, you have a pair of legs, why didn't you just walk back down the stairs?"

"They would have been angry and upset with me." Harry said softly.

Aneirin clenched a hand into a fist and breathed deeply. He knew all about his childhood from Nasta and he had been livid, but he was so angry now that Harry thought that maybe telling him had been a bad idea.

"Then they are at fault. If they make you stay upstairs like a naughty child whilst they enjoy themselves downstairs and they make you feel too guilty to get up and join them then they are the ones who should be ashamed Harry, not you! I'm going to be speaking to Nasta about this, as top dominant of your family it's his decision. He can overrule all of the others and I will be speaking to Myron about Maximilius, I know that that man didn't raise Max to treat submissives this way!"

Harry stayed with Aneirin until the man had to go to another meeting and Harry hugged and kissed him goodbye and took Braiden through the hotel floo network and landed on his knees, cradling Braiden's carrycot, on the floor of the burrow, it was now eight in the morning and the kitchen was a buzz of activity and Harry had his ear screamed off as he was hugged desperately, ushered into a chair beside Charlie and given a heaped plate of food as Ginny relieved him of his son.

"Harry dear! Oh it's so good to see you, how have you been? Here, have some more sausages!" Mrs Weasley encouraged, tipping four more sausages onto his already full plate.

"I've been fine. I went to see Aneirin this morning because when I was awake, he was already halfway through his day because he's in Australia."

"So that's where you went. Your lovers came here looking for you an hour ago, they were quite frantic." Bill told him with a wink.

"They must not have found the note I left them telling them where I was then." Harry said with a shrug.

Harry ignored Ron, who was at the opposite end of the table. Mrs Weasley glared at him every now and then to remind him to behave and Ron unhappily shoved more bacon into his mouth.

Harry finished off his huge meal, feeling that he'd be full until dinnertime, when he was given tea and biscuits as well, before Mrs Weasley shooed off the younger children and took Braiden from Ginny. Ron left quickly and Ginny went with Fred and George, leaving Harry with Bill, Charlie, Mrs Weasley and Mr Weasley.

"How are you feeling Harry?" Mr Weasley asked.

"Fine, I take it the others were ranting about how I shouldn't be going around on my own because I'm pregnant."

"Yes, they seemed quite concerned actually. From the way they were acting I almost believed your labour was imminent." Molly told him with a look to his only slightly rounded stomach.

Harry snorted. "I'm three days pregnant. Three days and already I can't wait to birth the baby because of them. I've got another seven months of this if I carry to term."

"How long is a Dracken's gestation period?" Asked a very curious Charlie, who seemed to be immensely interested.

"Leave the poor dear alone Charlie, he isn't a dragon!" Molly chastised.

"Technically I am part dragon." Harry put in timidly.

"Yes, but you don't want to be studied and questioned when all you want is a nice cup of tea and some more homemade ginger biscuits."

"Seven months gestation, but the baby has been known to survive at four and a half months gestation." Harry muttered to Charlie as Mrs Weasley went to get more biscuits.

"Just like most dragon species." Charlie said, staring at Harry like he was a saint. "How are the babies born? Bill was saying something about you being in a nest on a roof!"

"Yes, I built a nest and then stayed in there for two weeks before my labour took over and I birthed Braiden."

"Do you give birth to live young or eggs?" Charlie asked.

Mrs Weasley heard him and smacked the back of his head with a spatula she took out of her apron pocket.

"Charlie Weasley! You leave the poor boy alone! Asking him if he laid eggs of all things! Of course he gave birth to a baby and not an egg!"

Charlie looked abashed but Harry grinned and took another biscuit from the plate that was shoved at him. He loved the Weasley's.

Harry stayed with them for only an hour before saying he had to get off despite Mrs Weasley telling him he could stay the night, that he could have Fred and George's old room as they slept at their shop, even if they did honour her by coming back every morning before they opened shop for breakfast. It was approaching nine when he reached Marianna's home in France and he gave her a huge hug before shoving Braiden at her as she ushered him into a soft chair.

"I was worried for you darling. Blaise came over this morning and said you were missing and something about you being pregnant. He didn't explain much, just frantically asked if you were here before leaving as soon as I told him that you weren't."

"I went to visit Aneirin in Australia before I went to visit Mrs Weasley. I am pregnant. Three days."

"That is wonderful news! But from the way Blaise was acting it was as though you were tightrope walking over a pit of manticores at six months pregnant."

"As if they'd let me walk at six months." Harry grumbled.

Harry told Marianna everything that had happened the previous day and she growled.

"I'll be having words with Blaise. He used to hate it when I treated him like a glass doll. I can't believe he'd do the same to you. But Harry honey, they can only walk all over you if you lie down and let them do it. Stand up for yourself and fight back."

"I want to see the world." Harry admitted softly. "I want to go places, see things, but with me always pregnant, I'm never going to get to do those things. I love my children, but I want to be able to walk down the street without an entourage of lovers following me."

"Come and stay here for a few days Harry, you and your mates and of course Braiden. I'll say that Josiah and I wish to spend some quality time with Braiden for a while before you go back to school. Draguignan is lovely in the summer and the scenery is like no other."

"That is very kind of you Marianna, but the others won't let me leave the house now that I'm pregnant. I won't be able to go. They'll leave me at home if you insist that you see Braiden, Blaise will bring him on his own without me."

"Then I'll insist you come too, it's a crime to split a Mother from his baby so early. Just remember that it is not four against one Harry dear; it is just you and your top dominant Nasta. He is the key in all of this, if he says you can go, then the others can't disagree with him."

"He'll never let me go."

"Play dirty sweet one. Submissive Drackens don't get anywhere if they're all sweet and cute and fluffy. Get dirty."

"You mean…sex." Harry went red, stumbling over the word in front of Marianna.

"I'm not telling you to withhold sex from them, I have very little respect for those who use sex as a weapon to get what they want by threatening to withhold such an important part of a relationship, but that's not to say you can't give him a little…_extra_." Marianna purred. "Just to sweeten him up and get him a little more receptive to your thoughts and ideas."

"Oh. _OH_!" Harry grinned as he caught her meaning and he giggled.

"Also, don't be afraid to use emotions as weapons, turn on the tears if you have to. No man can resist the one they love crying. They can only walk all over you Harry dear, if you lie down and let them." Marianna repeated making sure the message was hitting home.

"I don't like fighting with them though, it seems like all we do lately is fight and it's usually over me and the baby, now I'm pregnant again, it's going to get worse, I just don't want to fight anymore."

"You don't need to fight, use your head darling. Use underhand tactics, go below the belt, worm through them and make them agree with you. No one likes fighting with one they love and with four against one, you are outmatched. Make them feel guilty, make them regret fighting with you, fight dirty to get your way. Submissives have been doing it for decades love; you need to learn to do the same."

"How…how did you…?"

"How did I get Maximiliano to take me on holidays? I would stare wistfully out of a window or at the page of a book and tell him in a sad voice that I had never been to Sweden, or that I'd never been skiing before, little comments that all added up and played on his mind until I found myself being whisked away for a skiing holiday at my favourite resort in Sweden for the fourth time in my life."

"But you said…"

Marianna winked at him and all at once Harry understood what she was trying to teach him. To get what he wanted he had to play his mates, if he didn't, he was going to live out the rest of his life stuck in Max's house, confined to the bedroom just like summer time at the Dursleys.

* * *

Harry flooed home at midday, his mind still buzzing and running rampant with everything Marianna had taught him, could it be that simple? Could he work his mates like that without feeling guilty himself? Would they even fall for it?

He was converged on the moment he stepped through the floo and he had four different voices screaming at him, four men grabbing and pulling at him and when he almost dropped Braiden because his arm was tugged on he lashed out with claws instinctively.

He used a careful claw to snap the straps that held a crying, startled Braiden, scooped him out and kicked the carrycot away from him, sniffing and licking his baby to see if the drop down his arm had harmed him or if the carrycot had held him safe and secure before cuddling the baby and shushing him.

"How could you try and hurt him like that!" He screeched. "What if I had dropped him? What were you thinking?"

Nasta was holding Max, who was hunched over his arm which was bleeding. Blaise was standing beside him, his arm around his back rubbing soothing patterns onto his skin, cooing to Braiden to calm them both down.

"We were worried." Draco told him.

"I left you a note!" Harry said.

"A note could have been written by anyone, you could have been forced to write it. You said you were going around the families, but no one had seen you!"

"But they told me all about your visits when I went there."

"Who did you go to and when?" Nasta asked calmly.

"I went to your Dad first in Australia; I stayed there for two hours."

"You went to see my Dad?" Nasta asked as if the thought hadn't occurred to him to check there.

"Yes, I haven't seen him in so long and he deserved a chance to see Braiden for a bit, we stayed until he had another meeting, then I went to the Weasleys and had a second breakfast, I only stayed for an hour, until nine, then I went to visit Marianna. I stayed with her for three hours. We talked a lot; she loved seeing Braiden and wants to see more of him. She's invited us to stay for a few days before we go back to school."

"Absolutely not." Draco hissed. "Do you know how worried we've been?"

"So, what are you saying? You're going to ground me like a child? I'm a grown man!" Harry hissed back feeling very much like it was four on one, even as Blaise was beside him. "If I want to go, I damn well will and not one of you will stop me!"

"Want a bet?" Max growled his mouth stained with Nasta's blood from where he had been feeding to help heal the four claw marks deep in his arm. His fangs and claws were out, he had gone feral.

"All of you calm down. Leave us. Take Braiden with you." Nasta ordered and the other three listened without complaint, though they didn't look happy. "Draco, Blaise! Get the salve from the top shelf for Max; I don't want him overexerting himself with an injury." Nasta called after them.

The room went deadly silent when the others had left with Braiden and Harry felt like curling up on himself and hiding.

"I hope you know that what you did today was very dangerous Harry." Nasta told him quietly. "Anything could have happened to you today."

"I was visiting family!" Harry hissed.

"What if you had fallen out of the wrong gate when flooing all the way to France and Australia?" Nasta demanded. "What if you had ended up halfway across the world, with no money, no way to get back with a week old child?"

Harry bit his lip and looked down at his lap. He hadn't thought of that. It had happened before; he had ended up in Knockturn Alley at twelve because he had said the wrong place name. True he had gotten better at floo travel since that first time, but if he had fallen out accidentally as was known to happen sometimes, what would he have done when he had Braiden with him?

Nasta came and stood in front of him, lifting his chin up so Harry was looking into those soft hazel eyes.

"We love you Harry and we don't want anything to ever happen to you, we want to protect you, but we also want to trust you. How can we do that when you floo off all over the world when we are still asleep? Giving us nothing but a hastily scribbled note that looked like it might have been written under duress? Can you understand where things like this push us over the edge and doesn't exactly instil our trust in you?"

Harry nodded. He could understand that and he felt like such a fool, putting Braiden in danger as well as himself, but at the time it had seemed perfectly fine and logical. A tear escaped his eye and Nasta brushed it away with his thumb.

"Don't cry love. I hate seeing you cry. I'm not shouting at you, I just want you to understand why we were so upset and angry with you for disappearing, we want to trust you Harry and we want you to trust us."

"You never listen to me." Harry said quietly. "You would have never let me go."

"We would have let you go, of course we would have, but we would have gone with you to ensure your safety. Admit it or not, but you are pregnant again Harry and you had Braiden with you, our seven day old son."

"I wouldn't have let anything happen to him."

"But what would have happened to you when you were protecting Braiden? We're your dominant's Harry; you have us to protect you from all attacks so you don't have to be put in dangerous situations."

"You are not human shields!"

"No, we're Dracken shields. It's the job of a dominant to fight for, protect and die for his submissive if needs be. That is the purpose of a mated dominant Harry, to love, to cherish, to reproduce and to die for his submissive."

"Maybe that was true a thousand years ago but…!"

"No Harry." Nasta cut in. "That is the function of a dominant. We are your lovers, your mates, but our function is still the same as it was a thousand years ago, if you die in an attack, we would have failed you as dominant Drackens."

Harry was silent. He didn't know what to say or what to do. He felt disgusted with himself and the familiar, bitter self-loathing crept into his mind. Why couldn't he ever do anything right?

"Am I doing anything right?" He asked after the question refused to leave him, repeating over and over in his mind until he just had to ask it.

"What do you mean?" Nasta asked, his eyebrows lowering in confusion.

"Am I doing anything a submissive Dracken should be doing right? I push away my own instincts, put Braiden and myself in danger, ignore you and the others when you try to keep me safe. Why can't I do anything right?"

Nasta hugged him and held him against his chest, urging Harry's arms around his own body.

"Every submissive is different, you just happen to be more different than most, but that's a good thing. Having your own mind isn't a bad thing at all, that you push away your own thousand year old instincts and listen to your logical mind is a very good thing Harry because our instincts can be very illogical, irrational and downright idiotic at times. The others and I know that sometimes the safety measures we give you are a tad overprotective and even stifling at times, which is why when you break them we usually aren't too upset about it because we understand your need for independence and space, but we cannot allow you to put yourself and Braiden in danger like you did this morning. If you had waited just twenty more minutes I would have been up and would have joined you, I would have told Max where I was going and that I had you and Braiden with me and he could have kept Blaise and Draco in bed with him for a lie in and would have given them a big breakfast when they had all finally woken up instead of all of us scrambling around in a panic stricken state of mind looking for a hint of you and Braiden, who in our minds had upped and vanished in the middle of the night. We were frightened Harry and I doubt the others will even admit it, but I can and I was terrified for you and Braiden."

"Does this mean that we can't go and visit Marianna now?" Harry asked softly.

"I don't think it's a good idea."

"Why not? I want to go Nasta, please. Marianna deserves some time with her son and Grandson before we go back to Hogwarts, you can be there with me, all of you can!"

"No Harry." Nasta grumbled, his deep voice rougher than usual because the stress of talking so much had left his throat dry.

"It's only Marianna's home. Blaise's home. What danger is there going to be?"

"Floo travel is dangerous…"

"I flooed there just this morning! There was nothing dangerous about it! If you still don't want to floo then why can't we get a Portkey?" Harry demanded and got a glare for his tone.

"I said no Harry."

"I don't want to stay here!" Harry told his oldest mate. "We are going back to Hogwarts in a week! I want to see something other than Hogwarts and the inside of a house!"

Nasta sighed and rubbed his aching temples. How much did he really want to just give in, but his Dracken snarled. It was too dangerous, their new clutch could be terminated, a clutch that could be his this time around.

"Just…just think about it Nasta, please. I've never been anywhere in my life. I've never had a holiday. The Du…The Dursleys, they would leave me at an old woman's house as they went on lavish, expensive holidays and then torture me with everything they did and got to see when they got back, putting up photos where I could see them and reminiscing about things that I couldn't hope to see in my dreams. I just want to have a break before I go back to school, just please think about it."

Harry felt so sickened with himself for playing the Dursleys card, but he wasn't lying. He had never been anywhere whilst the Dursleys jetted off all over the world, Dudley coming back with a suitcase full of trinkets and mementoes, he had been made to polish the frames of the holiday photos, the Dursleys on a beach, Dudley in a go kart when he had still been small enough to fit, at theme parks, at aquariums and reptile houses, at various zoos all over the world. Harry had hated them all for leaving him; he had used to spit on the glass fronts to polish them instead of using the tub of polish that Aunt Petunia ordered him to use. It hadn't been fair and it still wasn't as he was free of them now and he still couldn't go anywhere he wanted.

Nasta was quiet for the rest of the day and Harry felt wretched. He went to bed early and when Blaise and Max came up and snuggled into him, he was still awake, his mind twisting around thoughts at a mile a minute. Draco came up next and he fell asleep quickly. By the time Nasta came up it was three in the morning. He climbed into the bed carefully, but Harry acted like it had disturbed him as he pretended to look groggily over at Nasta, who smiled softly and eased him back down, rubbing his hair gently to sooth him back to sleep. Harry rolled over Max and shoved the biggest man in the bed towards Blaise and Draco. Max grunted as little feet dug into his back and he rolled over twice until he was snuggled up tight to Blaise. Harry settled down in the warm groove that Max had left and cuddled into Nasta. He yawned widely and burrowed into Nasta's chest, who shimmied him over so he could fit in the bed comfortably and lay down, holding him close.

"I love you Harry." He heard him whisper sometime later as he pretended to sleep and almost was asleep. "We'll go visit Marianna because you want to go, but I'll be damned if I'm letting go of your hand for the entire time that we're there."

Harry smiled as Nasta squeezed him. He made a soft, sleepy noise and Nasta relaxed his arms so he wasn't squeezing. Harry snuggled in once again and he fell asleep with a smile on his face.

* * *

A/N: I'm melting! Where is my promised rain? It was supposed to rain! To all my fellow Welsh, how are you holding up? To all of you in England and Scotland and Ireland, how are all you holding up? To the rest of the world who say that our weather is mild, not to us it's not! It's May and it's reached 26 degrees! The record for the highest temp in Wales was 35 degrees! I can't wait to see what summer is like.

The vote is over! L12 won. The number 12 by 47 points over the number 10! The letter L by 1 point over the letter D! For the results:-

The number 6 was 3 babies in the clutch.

The number 10 was 4 babies.

The number 12 was 5 babies.

The letter A was baby girls.

The letter D was baby boys.

The letter L was both girls and boys.

So the clutch Harry has contains 5 babies of mixed gender! I will choose how many of each gender and who their Fathers are! Many of you worked out that only Max, Nasta and Blaise can be the potential Father's, this was an author oversight as I believed I had written Draco into the last sex scene, but I never, as a result of this, Draco is excluded from being a Father of this clutch.

Thanks to **Zept** who was the **6,400****th**** reviewer**!

Thanks to **Alex** for being the **6,500****th**** reviewer**!

Thanks to **Giggles149** for being the **6,600****th**** reviewer**!

Thanks to **atymer** for being the **6,700****th**** reviewer**!

**Starvision 89**: Some of your questions will ruin the surprise of the plot, so I can't answer them all, but I can answer some. There are no adverse effects for Harry by being pregnant so soon after having a baby, the only thing that could happen is damage to his muscles later on down the line when he has to cut himself open again as the muscles haven't had enough time to heal before Harry does it again.

As you can see from the vote, Harry is having multiples this time around, as for if the babies are Drackens or humans, it's still random, any one of them could still be Drackens, the way they were conceived has no effect on it!

**Zana20**: Harry is seventeen. He inherited the fortunes his Father left for him, left to James by his own parents, but J. K. Rowling has never once said that the Potter's were Lords or held Wizengamot seats, that's a fanon thing and I won't be going down that plot line. Harry did receive money from Sirius and Grimmauld Place as well as Kreacher and Buckbeak, but again Wizengamot seats and titles are fanon additions that won't be included in this story, sorry.

**Take off your shirt Draco**: You are correct, two female Drackens cannot make a baby boy due to the lack of a Y chromosome, but an all-female Dracken couple are just so glad to get any child with how hard and time consuming it is, that it doesn't matter that they can't have sons, after all, there is no guarantee that a male/female couple will have any sons either, so they just don't think about it.

**IceNecromancer**: You mean postnatal depression? Yes it is entirely possible for a Dracken to suffer with this condition, just as much as a human woman and also possible for Harry, or any of his mates, to suffer with depression as well, but they have a lot of support so I doubt they would ever get it and if they did then they would have an overwhelming amount if support to help them through it.

**Anonymous**: There is no way to find out what colour scales or wings their child would have before their sixteenth birthday without complicated, delicate surgery which could then damage the growing and developing wings. The wings are little stumps growing from the baby Dracken's spine. As they get older the wing stumps grow with them and start slowly forming. The child feels nothing as this happens. The leathery skin between the wings starts growing in when the Dracken is between seven and nine; it is pitted where the scales will grow in. As the child grows, the wings that are growing from the child's spine start strengthening, lengthening and stretching. The scales do not grow in until the Dracken is between twelve and fourteen as the dormant Dracken blood starts manifesting in preparation for the full change. At fifteen the wings are completely formed and are strengthening day by day ready for the inheritance transformation that will see them mature and strong enough to move.

There is no way to find out if their child is dominant or submissive before their full inheritance at sixteen. The parents can guess if their child at fifteen is small, slender and dainty that they might be a submissive, but it is no guarantee as it could be deceptive. On the other hand, if their child shoots up in height, starts gaining muscle mass and becomes more aggressive, it is usually a sign of a dominant inheritance, but there is no way to know before the teenaged years and even then, appearances and behaviour can be deceptive.

Braiden will get his wings and colours at birth, but they won't be revealed until he is sixteen, but don't worry, you will get to know what colour they are and if he is dominant or submissive. I plan to write well past his sixteenth birthday.

**KyuubiChild717**: I hope this chapter answered your questions! As for the baby being a New Year's baby, Harry is due to give birth on the 2nd of March, but the baby could very well be a New Year's baby if Harry gives birth two months early.

**eisforerica**: Harry has only just given birth, he tires easily and usually when he gets carried he falls asleep. The dominants can see that he's getting tired, so they help him out a bit by holding him so that he actually does fall asleep. Alexander even rocked him like a child to help him relax enough to sleep, plus it also helps that Alexander is an older man and sees Harry as a child.

**BlueRoseUK**: I'd love to see any pictures you draw/paint of the Drackens if you could show me. The socks Dumbledore gave to Harry were in the original, but in the original version, Harry only got one pair of socks, in the re-write I decided, nah, he needs two pairs.

You were right with the word; cwtch is a wonderful word and makes me feel all squishy inside when I hear it.

**KLEIYH**: The Portkey is just a normal Portkey, but the poachers put it in the baby's hand, disguised as a silver coin, which is traditionally given to a newborn baby. The poachers usually do this when they know a baby is a Dracken and they've targeted the baby for collection. They could easily just steal the baby, but they've got a better chance of actually getting the baby to harvest it if they give it a Portkey, because no Dracken parent is going to stand by as someone nicks off with their baby, the one who gives the baby the coin is as good as dead, but they will still have the baby because the Portkey would have already activated and dumped the baby into their hands.

**plumtree89**: No, no, they won't use the same place twice or even three times in a row, but they can use the same place again several years later. Harry will not nest on the roof with the next clutch, the clutch after the next or even the clutch after that, but say in ten years' time, he might find the roof once more and decide it's been long enough since he last nested there and use it again. But if he can find a more suitable place then he will use it, it might also be a moot point seeing as most Drackens move often due to their growing family.

There is no average number of children a Dracken will have, you are correct that the first baby is typically just the one unless in the event of identical twins or even identical triplets, but Harry can have any number up to several babies at a time because he doesn't have one egg a month that is released like women, but it is all down to his magic and his mate's sperm and he has a lot of mates.

**Lilith91**: I'm in the process of mapping out the entire of the families; I already have a family tree for Max, which is up on my Facebook page. I have no problem keeping track of them though or who is who and belongs to what family. I think it might be because I actually created them.

I hope this chapter answered your questions on the conception and the heat, but no you won't get to know who the daddies are until the birth! You might get to find out the genders though.

Once a submissive finds all of their mates, they always get pregnant the first time with one baby on their heat, but any other time it's hit and miss. Harry will not get pregnant on every heat he has henceforth after the first time when he is newly mated. Narcissa will be coming back into the story soon, Lucius too.

**qwerty**: How would the older doms know? They've never had a submissive before despite their age. Nasta and Max know more than Blaise and Draco, but they don't know everything about being a Dracken, so when Harry destroyed his nest, they just thought he was clearing up and thought nothing of it.

**unneeded**: Kyra is a dominant female Dracken and she is very aggressive and boisterous due to being born in a family of large, rough males. She's nice enough, but she does come across as scary to those who don't know her well enough to know when she is joking or being serious.

All submissives are raised to think they are the only submissive in the world, that every dominant will fall at their feet, because it's partially true. The dominants all want a mate so badly that they will clamour a submissive, beg for attention, kill one another to get to the submissive, all of that can be a bit of a power rush to a watching submissive, who is just sixteen and has over a hundred, very good looking, strong and muscled men fighting just for her. Because the submissives are outnumbered by twenty dominants to one submissive, any submissive is treasured and spoilt and pampered and in effect, ruined by their parents, who don't want to do anything to hurt or upset their precious little girls. Not all submissives are like this, if Julinda, Talia and Alayla had been Drackens, you can bet that Myron, Ashleigh and Richard would not have ruined them. Ashleigh wasn't treated like spun glass and she grew up level headed and kind, if a bit childish and immature. Amelle was the only submissive in a family made up of dominants, so her parents ruined her. It depends if the parents are strong enough to give the submissive discipline and if the submissive isn't self-centred enough to fall into the 'I'm gorgeous no one else matters but me' pit.

The kids are very safe; the molesty Uncles would only be interested in sweet young submissives, the kids wouldn't even cross their radar.

**SilverLion**: I think you're right; Draco must really like the taste of his own foot. Maybe he uses edible foot lotion?

Don't forget that you can find me on Adult Fanfiction and Archive of Our Own for the full, unedited version of this story! I am also on Facebook under the name StarLight Mass!

StarLight Massacre. X


	48. Fun in the Sun

A/N: This chapter is dedicated to **Christopher**, without who this chapter would still be frozen and running up and down with the scroll bar on Microsoft word and to **chachamaru43, **you know why.

_Last Time_

_Harry rolled over Max and shoved the biggest man in the bed towards Blaise and Draco. Max grunted as little feet dug into his back and he rolled over twice until he was snuggled up tight to Blaise. Harry settled down in the warm groove that Max had left and cuddled into Nasta. He yawned widely and burrowed into Nasta's chest, who shimmied him over so he could fit in the bed comfortably and lay down, holding him close._

"_I love you Harry." He heard him whisper sometime later as he pretended to sleep and almost was asleep. "We'll go visit Marianna because you want to go, but I'll be damned if I'm letting go of your hand for the entire time that we're there."_

_Harry smiled as Nasta squeezed him. He made a soft, sleepy noise and Nasta relaxed his arms so he wasn't squeezing. Harry snuggled in once again and he fell asleep with a smile on his face._

Chapter Forty-Eight – Fun in the Sun

Harry was so excited even as Max and Draco shouted at Nasta, who was calmly packing an overnight bag with enough clothes for the weekend.

It was two in the morning and Harry was so excited he hadn't slept a wink. Everything was so short notice that they were only now packing their suitcases.

Harry had never been on holiday before, so he had no idea what he needed to take. He was packing anything and everything that came to his hand as Nasta chuckled and started removing things from his little suitcase.

"Braiden will not need all of these clothes love." He told him as he took out several jumpers, even more shirts and fourteen pairs of trousers.

"What if he has an accident or if it's not warm enough."

"We have blankets for him and it'll take a few minutes to come back to get a spare pair of clothes. It's not like we are Muggles and need to catch a plane to come back and forth. We'll be fine, now instead of filling the suitcase with everything for Braiden, pack some clothes for yourself."

Harry did as he was told, not willing to push his luck as he was actually being allowed to go and Marianna had been right, he only needed Nasta on his side as Draco and Max were furious and demanding that they not go, that it was stupid and dangerous and that it could potentially terminate his pregnancy, but Nasta was adamant and firm that they were going and he ordered them to pack or be stuck without clothes for a week.

"What do I need? Blaise what's Draguignan like?"

"It is going to be hot there Mio amore, but not much more than here."

"That's good, I'd hate for Braiden to be pushed into a climate where he's uncomfortable. Oh! Where are his sun hats? He's not going without his hats or his sun cream!"

"I've got both." Nasta assured. "Now pack some boxer shorts or you won't have any."

"How can you agree to this insanity?" Draco demanded.

"We are going, now pack your damn suitcase or you'll have nothing to wear!" Nasta growled.

"Don't forget your toiletries!" Blaise called after a fuming Draco.

"Don't tease him." Harry chastised. "How many bottles should we take? Do we need the extra ones?"

"Harry love, listen to me. Stop packing for Braiden and pack for yourself." Nasta ordered testily.

Harry dropped the bottle he had been about to pack and frowned at his hand as it had automatically released the bottle without his brain telling his fingers to move.

Nasta sighed and cuddled him

"I didn't mean to use the full weight of the dominance bond love, but can you please pack some clothes for yourself or are you planning on running around Marianna's home with nothing on?"

Harry shook his head and an excited grin stole over his face once more as he rushed to his wardrobe to get some clothes, Nasta giving his bum a swat as he moved past.

Draco unhappily packed his bag and Max zipped his case up in angry silence. Blaise, who had been done before all of them because the majority of his clothes were already at the house they were going to, was making sure that they had everything Braiden needed, tipping out half of the things Harry had packed to make space for the things they actually needed.

"Are you all done and ready?" Nasta asked an hour later, Harry's hand firmly in his own as his mate bounced with excited, pent up energy. It made it almost worth it to see Harry this excited over just going to someone else's house for a few days.

Once he had resigned himself to the fact that, yes they were actually going and that Harry and Braiden were going with them, Max had become as excited as Harry as he rushed around locking all of the windows, locking the doors and flooing his family to let them know where he was going to be for the next few days to a week.

Draco on the other hand had sunken into a silent sulk and was very angry and very against the idea of Harry leaving the house. Nasta had ordered him to be quiet and to stop being a pest. He hadn't spoken since.

"Are we leaving now?" Harry asked bubbly as he bounced on the balls of his feet, swinging his arm that was attached to the hand Nasta was holding and bouncing Braiden with him, who was strapped to his chest in a baby carrier that had, only that morning, been taken out of its box for the trip since the carrycot was broken and now useless and needed to be replaced.

"Yes Harry, just calm down. We'll be going now, in a minute." Nasta assured as he and Max went through a check list to make sure they had everything and had done everything that needed doing.

"Are we going now?" Harry asked a minute later as they still hadn't left the house.

Nasta chuckled deeply and pulled him into a light hug, being mindful of Braiden strapped to his chest and gave him a kiss.

"We're going now, just shut your mouth for two minutes whilst Max makes sure everything is locked and everything is turned off."

Harry waited as patiently as he could, but as he opened his mouth to ask once more if they were actually going, Max placed a large hand over his mouth.

"We're done; we're going, no more asking." He said with an indulgent grin.

Harry almost squealed as they made their way to the fireplace. Nasta had decided that flooing was more practical than getting permission for a Portkey with such short notice, but Harry and Braiden were to floo with Nasta, just in case.

Blaise went first, then Nasta forced Draco to leave, Max went next carrying the majority of the suitcases and then Nasta bundled up Harry against his chest, covered him with a blanket and flooed to Marianna's.

Harry checked on Braiden as a first priority, making sure no soot or dirty had lodged itself anywhere and then turned to grin at Blaise, who was having his back broken by his Mother.

Nasta chuckled quietly beside him and Harry smothered a giggle, even Draco managed a smile and Harry felt almost delirious at the sight of it.

"Everything is set up, Josiah and I worked through all of yesterday and half the night for you all when we heard you were paying us a visit and set everything up!" Marianna exclaimed happily.

"Set what up Mother?" Blaise asked, rubbing his ribs and looking more like he'd rather not know.

"Why, your little holiday Blaise. Honestly."

"This is our little holiday." Harry said. "Blaise said Draguignan is very beautiful."

"You can come to this place any old time!" Marianna exclaimed. "I've booked you into a lovely hotel, just the five of you, got a tour guide to recommend all the places you should visit, the best restaurants, the finest beaches, all the sights you should see."

Marianna pushed a folder into Nasta's hand as he raised a black eyebrow incredulously.

"I thought you said we could stay here Mother." Blaise reminded her. "You said you'd love for us to come and stay when I spoke to you yesterday."

"Yes, of course I would, but you need to go out into the world loves! Guadeloupe is a very beautiful island."

"Guadeloupe?" Max asked faintly.

"Where you're all going, yes. Except for Braiden. Braiden is staying here with his Grandma Marianna!"

That was where Harry disliked the idea as he cowered back into Nasta and wrapped his arms around Braiden like a shield.

"What?" He asked. "I can't leave Braiden here."

"You can't go out exploring Guadeloupe with a baby in tow!" Marianna refuted. "Josiah and I will take excellent care of him and you can floo back anytime you like, even in the middle of the night, if you want to check up on him."

"This is too much, we couldn't possibly…" Nasta began, but he didn't get much further.

"Well you are." Marianna snapped at him, proving that she was a dominant female and unafraid to stand up to him. "I would be most offended and unhappy with you if you didn't go now that I went through all the trouble of making all the arrangements and compiling all the information I could for you boys. You're going whether you want to or not, I will force the Portkey onto you all at some point with no way for you to get home for a few days, the way I see it you can either sulk and try to find a way off of the island like brats or you can relax and enjoy yourselves for a few days and come back, happy and refreshed in a few days' time. It's your choice."

Harry saw the look on Nasta's face and knew that he wouldn't refuse Marianna now that she had played so dirtily and made him feel guilty over wanting to refuse. Marianna was right, it really was easy to manipulate dominants to do what you wanted if you knew what to say and do, but he was no dominant and he did not feel comfortable leaving Braiden.

"I don't want to leave my baby. He's only a week old."

"You can come and see him every day Harry, it's only for a few days, one big, happy holiday before you go back to school. I'm sure you could use a few mornings where you can sleep in, where you don't have to get up in the middle of the night and don't have to do anything you don't want to do for a few days. It's not bad parenting to leave a child with a relative for a few days to have a break Harry, you are refreshing yourself ready to come back, pick him up and take on school, a new pregnancy as well as a very young baby."

"I…" Harry looked from Marianna to his mates. Draco did not look accepting, but then he hadn't wanted this entire trip. Blaise was debating; Max was smiling so he obviously thought it was a good idea. Harry looked up at Nasta, who was standing at his back and found those hazel-green eyes looking back.

"We could benefit from a break." He said smoothly, ignoring Draco's growl of protest.

"If you think it's a good idea." Harry said meekly, his arms still around Braiden.

"I raised Blaise alright didn't I?" Marianna demanded. "Braiden will be perfectly safe and happy here!"

"I could use a lie in after all the early mornings we've had!" Max encouraged. "Let's just do it! Marianna has put a lot of work into this for us and Harry deserves a holiday after everything he's been through."

That made Blaise make up his mind and he agreed. Draco looked torn.

"Please Draco." Harry said softly. "I won't go if you don't want me to, but I really want to go."

Marianna winked at him and gave him an approving smile before adding in. "Won't this be your first ever holiday Harry? I'm sure your mates would want you to have a holiday and will make it extra special for you, after all you're a man now, it's criminal that you've never been on a holiday before. How many times did your parents take you on holiday when you were a child Draco? At least two holidays a year wasn't it?"

"Sometimes three." Draco put in quietly as those silver eyes darkened in anger at the reminder that Harry's upbringing wasn't as lavish as his own.

"Are we going or aren't we?" Nasta asked, as if the fate of it rested upon Draco and not on himself.

"We'll go, but you have to be careful Harry!" Draco said sternly.

"I will I promise! Thank you! Thank you!" Harry cried engulfing Draco in an awkward hug around his neck, with his ass stuck out so that his chest, which held Braiden, wouldn't be crushed against Draco.

"Right, give me Braiden, you can settle him down with a bottle and a last cuddle, but your Portkey leaves in twenty minutes, I booked reservations for you to have dinner in Le Lucullus restaurant in Sainte-Anne, your hotel is also in Sainte-Anne, la Toubana hotel and spa."

"What are we going to do in a spa?" Max asked his eyebrows in his hairline.

"Spa things?" Blaise answered questioningly.

"Find a steam room." Harry said with a naughty giggle.

"You don't need a steam room sweetheart, you're already pregnant. Speaking of which, the magical staff at the hotel have been informed of your arrival, that you are in fact pregnant and they have a Healer on standby for the duration of your stay."

"I'm not that clumsy!" Harry pouted.

"You have your own private villa, with full access to the hotel swimming pool; there is an onsite restaurant and access to the hotel's private beach." Marianna continued. "You will arrive around the corner from the restaurant, the reservations are under Delericey, a seven seater car will be waiting to pick you up whenever you are done with dinner to take you to your hotel, you may then do as you please for the rest of your stay."

Marianna looked so pleased with herself that Harry laughed and slipped Braiden out of the carrier, unstrapping it from his body before he gave his baby a big hug and a sloppy kiss.

"I'll miss you love, you be good for your Grandma, I'll be home in a few days, I promise."

Harry handed Braiden over, but then changed his mind and took the baby back, cuddling him tightly.

"I don't think I can do it." He said weakly.

"You can, you're a strong man Harry." Nasta encouraged. "I'm sure if anything at all happens Marianna will inform you, not that I expect anything to happen while we are away, he's going to be fine and spoilt during his few days with his Grandmother."

Harry swallowed and slowly held out Braiden again. He pulled his hands away once Marianna had Braiden in her arms so he didn't snatch him back.

"You do have a bassinet don't you?" Harry asked suddenly.

"I have Blaise's old crib. I bought a new mattress just for Braiden and new linens too. He's going to be fine and he has everything he needs. Stop fretting."

Harry turned to move away, but turned back to Braiden, the little suitcase that Blaise and Nasta had packed for him and the nappy bag by Marianna's feet, and kissed those little cheeks and mouth again.

"Nasta, be a dear and take Harry for the Portkey ride, I'm sure that once he's away he'll be fine. It's always the hardest leaving them for the first time."

Nasta wrapped Harry in his arms and Harry was almost ashamed to realise that his eyes were burning with tears. He was the one who had wanted this holiday; he had just imagined that he'd be taking Braiden with him.

"It'll be fine Harry love, Marianna will spoil Braiden and we are going to spoil you." Max purred lustily in his ear and it made Harry laugh, before realising that the five of them were going to be in a their own private villa, with no baby, no family, no distractions for long enough that his stomach muscles clenched in anticipation. Perhaps leaving Braiden with Marianna wasn't such a bad idea after all.

* * *

The place they arrived at was dark, but the humid heat made Harry feel like stripping off and running around naked. It was hotter here than it was in Britain and France; they had been told by Marianna that it was eleven in the night in Guadeloupe. It was no wonder that Marianna insisted that they get up early and arrive at her house at three in the morning. They were all tired, but after they had eaten, they were going straight to the hotel and to bed, so they could get their bodies in time with the local time.

Draco led the way around from the dark corner the Portkey had dumped them and they found the restaurant quickly.

Nasta did all of the talking in rapid French that only Blaise could keep up with and they were quickly led to a beautiful table that seated five, with a gorgeous view and Harry made sure he had the seat closest to the window so he could peek over his shoulder and look outside.

"I bet it's even more gorgeous when the sun is rising." He said wistfully.

"Before we leave, you will see a sun rise and a sun set." Max promised, leaning over to nibble on his neck. This holiday was bringing out Max's more passionate side and he was wasting no time in showing it.

"Behave!" Nasta chastised as they were given menus and asked to order drinks.

Harry heard the word champagne and heard Nasta quickly decline before ordering them all fruit drinks and glasses of water.

Harry sucked on his straw from his fancy glass with the little green umbrella and he grinned as Blaise looked at his drink in disgust.

"You could have at least allowed us one glass of wine with dinner."

"While Harry is pregnant we will support him through his non-alcoholic diet." Nasta said simply.

"I don't mind you drinking alcohol." Harry said. "I never liked the taste of it anyway, I was never refined enough to enjoy it."

Harry indicated with his glass to Draco and Blaise, who were both grumbling snobbishly to one another about not being allowed wine when they had been allowed one glass with dinner since they were twelve.

Nasta chuckled. "I just didn't want them drinking so soon love, not when we're going straight to bed after dinner. Do you need help with your menu? It's all in French."

"Please. I want something with pasta."

"They boast a lovely ravioli." Nasta told him.

Harry grinned. "I've never had ravioli."

"Never?" Max asked scandalised. "I've never made ravioli for you?"

"No." Blaise answered. "I didn't know you could make pasta from scratch."

"Of course I can!" Max said scandalised. "I made that lasagne from scratch. I'll make you some when we get home love, I can't believe you've never tried it."

Harry frowned and looked down at the table top.

"I've never tried a beef burger." Nasta said casually, though he was looking at Harry whilst pretending to peruse the menu. He saw Harry's head come up and felt better that he had saved the mood of the night.

"You've never eaten a burger?" Draco asked.

"I'm surprised that you have." Nasta answered.

Draco actually went pink. "Blaise and I…we were in between our fourth and fifth year at Hogwarts, we went to a nearby town in Wiltshire and we saw a Muggle stand. We were hungry and it smelt nice."

Harry actually laughed at how embarrassed Draco sounded at confessing to eating a burger from a vendor.

"I had a burger once." Harry told them. "Uncle Vernon bought one for himself and Dudley and the nice man handed me one before Uncle Vernon could whisk me away. I didn't like it much, it made me feel sick from all the oil and grease, but the onions were nice."

His mates were saved from answering by the appearance of their server, who took their orders, topped up their glasses and then the mood was saved as the awkward tension passed when Harry almost climbed over the back of his chair because an iguana passed in front of the window.

"Sit down Harry." Nasta said, but he was laughing so much he could have said almost anything to Harry, who was trying to follow the iguana through its procession through the windows.

"What is it?" Harry asked as he looked at the funny lizard as it cocked its head at him. Harry did the same and heard not only his mates laughing but other diners.

"It's an iguana Harry." Blaise told him.

Max came and lifted him back into his chair, but Harry still tried to crane his neck to search for the errant iguana.

"You'll see plenty of them on Guadeloupe, apparently they roam wild." Draco said as he read through the file Marianna had given them. "There are also wildlife parks and aquariums if you'd like to see some animals."

"Can we please?" Harry asked.

"Of course we can." Nasta answered as he sucked twice on his straw of fruit juice.

"You look sexy doing that." Harry whispered loud enough for their table to hear. "I can suck better than you though."

"Oh you think so do you?" Nasta challenged, his voice dipping lower.

Harry chuckled, his voice deeper than it had been in a while. He almost couldn't wait until they got back to the hotel room, he was almost tempted to say fuck the dinner, fuck me instead, but he didn't as his stomach grumbled under the table. He'd eat dinner first; he'd need the energy for later.

Harry's mouth watered as he was served his meal and he ate happily, making sure he tasted everything. He even took the forkful of food that was offered to him by Nasta.

"That's nice." He said. "What is it?"

"Trout meunière." Nasta answered with a perfect accent that he didn't usually have.

"Nothing can compare to Max's cooking, but this comes close." Harry flattered, looking at Max through his eyelashes as he put more of his ravioli on his fork before putting it to his mouth.

"So you're saying my cooking is better than a real chef's creation in their area of specialty?" Max asked. "You are so getting it tonight."

Harry laughed even as he twitched in his loose linen trousers and his stomach clenched in arousal. He couldn't wait for later.

"Won't it hurt the baby?" Draco asked.

"No." Harry replied immediately. "You wouldn't even know I was pregnant if it wasn't for Claire. With Braiden it took eleven days before I was dragged to Madam Pomfrey and she told me that I was pregnant. Braiden was fine with all the sex we had for those eleven days and even after! I swear if you try and deny me sex I will tie you down, suck you hard and fuck myself on you."

"You promise?" Blaise whispered lustily.

Harry had trouble swallowing and took a deep drink of his fruit drink, sucking exaggeratedly on the straw and hearing four muffled growls around him.

They were offered a dessert menu when their main plates were cleared away and before any of the others could decline; Harry took a menu and asked Nasta to translate it for him.

"Don't you want to get to the hotel quicker?" Blaise asked one hand disappearing under the table to give himself a short, subtle tug as his smart trousers restricted his blood flow.

"I want to fill up first." Harry said. "I have enough room for dessert, plus I could use the extra energy, we all could."

"However much you want to eat." Draco agreed as he looked at his own dessert menu. He luckily knew enough French to translate himself, which left Nasta to help Harry and Blaise to help Max.

"What are sorbets?" Harry asked.

"It's frozen, but it's made with egg whites and fruit purees, so it's a healthier choice for a dessert." Nasta said approvingly.

"I want a mango sorbet and a passion fruit one!" Harry exclaimed.

"I want the coconut sorbet." Draco decided.

"Papaya sorbet." Max said with a grin.

"Let's get one of each sorbet then and share them." Nasta suggested. "That way we can try them all."

Nasta gave their order and it wasn't long before a selection of the frozen, ice cream like desserts were placed on their table. Only they weren't creamy at all, they were ice, bursting with flavour and very delicious and refreshing.

Harry's favourite was definitely the strawberry sorbet and particularly the lime one, while Nasta preferred the coconut. Max liked the mango and Blaise favoured the passion fruit. Draco enjoyed them all except for the guava sorbet. None of them much liked the guava sorbet or, strangely enough, the raspberry sorbet, which Draco loved.

They all fed one another and enjoyed themselves immensely. They were all done and finished and Nasta asked the server to have their car bought around as he paid for their meals. Harry still couldn't believe Marianna had hired them a car.

Harry yawned and leaned against Draco, his seat belt securely on as he kept his eyes peeled open to see the beautiful place they were on, but it was now nearing one in the morning and it was dark.

"We'll see more in the morning cariad." Nasta told him.

Harry hummed, but kept his eyes open. He was semi-hard and he wanted to do something about it with his four lovers as their baby was being looked after by Marianna.

"Do you think Braiden is alright?" He couldn't help asking.

"I'm sure he is just fine Harry." Max told him.

"Of course he is." Nasta told him. "Blaise turned out fine didn't he? And it's always said that grandparents are more patient and more careful with their grandchildren than their children. You always look after something more carefully if it isn't yours."

Harry smiled as the pressure released from his gut. He hated feeling that Braiden was going to be distressed without him.

They arrived at the hotel they were staying in Harry almost lost his breath. It was beautiful. It looked like a jungle, full of trees and flowers and plants, with little bungalow cum villas studded around, held off the ground by stilts and close together, but far enough apart for privacy, Harry grinned as he realised that their neighbours weren't going to be able to hear him scream tonight whether they used silencing charms or not.

They arrived at the front desk and Max got the key to their own villa. The hotel staff were lovely, though one of them kept darting their eyes up to his forehead, Harry took this to be the magical resident staff on duty. Their suitcases were already in their villa, like Marianna had said they would be and Harry darted around exploring everything in their villa, watched by his amused lovers who occasionally had to remind him not to run and to be careful.

The bed was huge with white linens with red borders, it looked like two king beds pushed together, magic had had a hand in its creation. The bedroom opened up onto a large decking balcony via a sliding glass door that had a gorgeous view of the ocean and the beach and as Harry was stood by the railing, looking over, arms encircled his waist and lips were pressed to the nape of his neck.

Blonde hair blew in front of his eyes from the ocean breeze and Harry turned his head to kiss a bicep.

"It's gorgeous here Draco." He said softly.

"I'm sorry I tried to stop you from coming here. I had no idea how miserable you were until I saw your face light up in the restaurant."

"I wasn't miserable, just a bit…stifled. Suffocated. I needed a bit of room to move and instead of giving me that room; you've given me an endless expanse of space to stretch in." Harry answered throwing his arms wide. "This place is better than I could have ever imagined!"

Draco turned him around and hugged him tightly, kissing his lips soundly.

"I love you and I'm sorry if I've hurt you at all since our mating. I love you."

Harry went onto his tip toes and put his arms around Draco's neck, squeezing tightly and trying to offer himself as comfort.

"Let's go to bed to reaffirm just how much we love one another." Harry purred into one of Draco's perfect ears. "Let me show you how much you're forgiven and how very much I love you."

Draco chuckled deeply and let Harry lead him back into their bedroom where Max and Nasta were checking through their suitcases.

Harry spun Draco around and shoved him onto the bed beside Blaise before climbing onto him and kissing him, little hands burrowing under the shirt Draco was wearing to play with pretty pink nipples.

"Hey! Not starting without us are you?" Max asked a naughty grin on his face as he watched Harry attack Draco's mouth with a little tongue and a whole lot of vigour.

"You're here aren't you?" Harry asked breathlessly, leaning back down to attack that perfect, pale neck with his teeth.

Draco, fed up of lying on his back, rolled Harry over and took over his mouth, his hands shredding the shirt Harry was wearing before roving over every inch of bared flesh. Harry couldn't hold in the moan that came from the back of his throat.

Draco pulled back from him and ripped off his own shirt, his muscles rippling under his pale, perfect skin. Draco threw the, now buttonless, shirt aside before leaning down to claim Harry's mouth as his own once more. Harry's legs slipped around Draco's hips and the heels of his feet dug into the base of his spine, forcing his hips to push forward into Harry, who moaned again at the contact.

"I feel left out." Blaise said a hint of a bass growl in his voice that sent a spike of arousal through his ears and down to his aching cock.

"It's been too long!" Harry groaned.

"It's been less than a week." Max replied incredulously. "My chest still doesn't feel right."

"Stop talking and kiss me!" Harry demanded and Max fell to his knees beside the bed, pulled Harry's shoulders to the edge of the bed so his head was hanging over it before giving him such a passionate, dominating kiss Harry's toes curled.

- **Missing Scene, you can find it on other sites**. -

Max stood up and picked a drowsy, half sleeping Draco from the floor and dumped him on the bed before collapsing onto it himself with a moan.

"Every muscle aches." He whined, his voice raw.

No one replied, no one could reply. Draco was almost asleep, Blaise was asleep, Nasta was possibly unconscious and Harry was still trying to get his breathing back under his control.

Max moved Nasta in short, sharp tugs and laid him against the pillows, yanking out the duvet as he did so. Nasta groaned and swatted at him proving that he wasn't unconscious after all. Max bopped Nasta's head before he pulled Draco, by his arm, to lie against Nasta. Draco hissed sleepily at Max, who bopped Draco's head too.

Max moved Blaise to lie against Nasta's other side, Blaise did not wake up. Lastly Max scooped Harry into his arms and flumped down on the bed, holding Harry tightly to his chest, pressing Harry's back to Blaise's back, before he reached down and tugged the duvet to cover them all.

"So much for getting to bed early to rise with the sun to alter our body clocks." Max rumbled before he moved around to get himself comfortable before he stilled, waiting for exhaustion to take him over so he could fall asleep.

* * *

Remus smiled as he looked through the pictures of his school days and early twenties. Sirius and James grinning and laughing, Lily smiling as she stroked her baby bump, a toothless, grinning baby boy who was reaching clenching hands towards the camera, James sat behind him holding the little boy under his armpits to prevent him from toppling forward. James had always been so overprotective of Harry it was a wonder he had ever learnt to walk.

He smiled sadly and wished Lily and James and Sirius could be here now to see how their beautiful baby boy had turned out. Sirius had been hopeless with a baby Harry, but there was no denying that he had seen Harry as much as his own son and later in life, he had given a teenaged Harry sound advice, an ear to listen to him and a body to turn to when things got rough.

He missed them. He missed them dearly and with Harry growing up so fast and off having his own baby, it felt like he was missing everything, that everything was going too quickly for him to catch up with and he hated thinking that Harry was off having sexual relations with men and getting pregnant when he was just seventeen. Even James and Lily had waited until they were twenty before planning a baby.

Remus rubbed his gritty eyes and sighed. He wished with all of his heart that they could be here instead of him. What was he doing with his life? Who did he really have? James and Lily, even Sirius, could have been doing something and been something to someone. Harry deserved them, all three of them, instead he got an old, tired werewolf who was no good to anyone.

Sometimes he dreamed that he had a Wife and children, maybe four. Four seemed like a good number to him. He wouldn't be a werewolf in his dreams and there would be no danger of hurting or infecting his own children.

Perhaps the dreams were just a by-product of his conflict of opinion with Tonks over her want of a relationship with him, despite him giving her a list of cons against the idea. He wanted what she offered so badly, but how could he? No matter what he did or how many dreams he had, he was a werewolf, older than her by thirteen years, hated, disgusted, as poor as the most impoverished man, he had only what gold Harry had put into his vault, which made him feel even worse about his situation. He didn't deserve Tonks, she didn't deserve to be hated just for marrying a werewolf, her children deserved better than being ridiculed and bullied because of their Father.

But sometimes, sometimes he wished he could just give in and say yes, that he would stay with her. He would be loyal; he would love her and care for her, even if he couldn't provide for her. Deep down he wanted children and he wanted a Wife as wonderful as Tonks. He wanted to settle down, but no sooner did he have these thoughts did he push them away in anger. He could never have his dream. It was too dangerous, no matter how much the woman he was coming to love begged him, no matter how much she pleaded and besieged him to just try, he couldn't. He couldn't do it to her and he couldn't do it to himself. It was hard enough to stay strong now, to keep himself away from his dream, to keep her out of harm's way. If he agreed to 'just try' the relationship then he would never have the strength to walk away from her. He was not that strong.

He looked to the grinning baby photos he had of Harry, of which there were numerous, and he smiled. Harry was as close to a son as he was ever going to get and he cherished the memories and the photographs he had of time spent playing and looking after the adorable little boy.

His biggest regret was his weakness after James' death. Of his selfishness. How he could have treated Harry so poorly was a disgrace and he prayed to James and Lily for forgiveness every night for his abandonment of their fifteen month old son because deep down, he was a very selfish man.

He had left a broken, bleeding, recently orphaned fifteen month old baby that he had sworn to James and Sirius was like his own son because of his own pain. Harry had just lost both of his parents; Sirius had been arrested and thrown into prison. Harry would have been confused, scared, uprooted from his home and all familiar faces and dumped on a family who had neither loved nor cared for him.

He could have been the only familiar face Harry had, he could have been Harry's rock, he had been offered a house in the same neighbourhood as Harry, but he had turned it down and selfishly cut ties and run away, cradling his pain and his hurt to his heart.

Harry had looked so much like James, so very much like his Father. Like the brother that he had lost. He hadn't even been able to look at a photo of Harry, let alone go and see him in person. He hadn't wanted to see Harry. The pain was unbelievable, his entire pack destroyed in one night, it had hurt. Harry had reminded him so much of James, had looked just like him in miniature form that he had just packed and left, leaving Harry to rot in a cupboard at a place where the people held absolutely no love for him.

He had regretted his selfish decision for years now, ever since he had decided to cautiously peek in on Harry twelve years later when he took the Defence Against the Dark Arts position at Hogwarts. He had kept his distance, had watched him from afar and he marvelled at the amazing person Harry had become. He looked less like James and more like Lily as he had grown older. He was such a kind, caring, loving boy that Remus had wept over his selfish, cowardly decision to leave the little baby that boy had been behind. Twelve years he had lost. Twelve years where he could have been with Harry every day of his life, could have spared him the pain of his childhood. If Sirius had not been sent to Azkaban, no matter how useless he was with children, Sirius would have taken Harry in without having to think about it, he would have taken Harry in despite his looks and resemblance to James, regardless of his own thoughts and feelings and he would have done his best to care and provide for him for the rest of his life.

But not him, oh no, he had run. He couldn't take the pain, couldn't get past his thoughts and feelings on the matter so he had abandoned Harry. His best friends' son and he had never regretted anything quite so much in his life.

This was his punishment, he penance for abandoning Harry. He was miserable now because Harry had spent fifteen years being miserable growing up with the Dursleys, who he had only just found out had been abusing and neglecting Harry since that very first day he had been left with them, until the day he had left their care when he himself had picked him up the day after his birthday a year ago.

The shame he felt for leaving Harry to fend for himself, the horror at finding out that the sweet, kind boy he knew had been beaten, starved and locked in a cupboard and who knew what else every day of his life that he was in that house. It made him sick, it made him weep and it made his revulsion at himself hit a new high. He had done that to Harry, he was to blame. He had abandoned that baby boy and as a consequence Harry had been mistreated when if he had had the strength and guts to stay as any other decent person would have, he would have noticed anything amiss with Harry and put a stop to it before it had really even begun. He was to blame and nothing he would ever do would make up for it.

"Remus?"

Startled Remus looked around and hastily wiped the tears from his eyes and face as Tonks stared at him.

"Why are you crying?" She asked softly, coming over to him and taking note of all the photo albums opened to James, Lily, Sirius and baby Harry.

"Oh." She exclaimed, giving him an understanding smile. She brushed his tears away, but Remus took hold of her hands gently and pushed them away, hating himself further for the hurt look on her face.

"You caught me at a bad time." He told her, hoping that she would leave, but a part of him didn't want her to leave, not truly.

"I haven't seen you in a few days; I thought I'd pop around to see if you'd given anymore thought to what I asked you."

"I keep telling you Tonks. I'm too old for you. Too poor and a werewolf besides."

"I keep telling you that I don't care Remus, I'm an adult woman now, I can make my own decisions and I have made up my mind!" Tonks told him, brushing bubble gum pink hair out of her eyes.

"My mind hasn't changed." Remus told her, shoving down the part of him that wanted to take her into his arms, kiss her breathless and never let her go.

"Have you even thought about it?" She asked.

'Only every single day.' He thought, but out loud he simple said. "There is nothing to think about, Tonks. The sooner you let it go, the happier you'll be and then you'll realise what a mistake you are trying to make."

Tonks made and angry frustrated noise, her hands making a sharp, chopping motion as her fingers clenched, like she wanted to hit him, or perhaps throttle him, but she did neither as she stepped right into his personal space. For one moment he thought she was going to punch him square in the face, but she seized his head between her hands and yanked his face to her own into a demanding, fierce and violent kiss full of desperation and determination. She was never going to give up and as Remus slid his arms around the back of her slim body, pulling her towards him to crush her body against his, he thought that maybe it actually was a good thing that the Black family were all hard headed, steel willed and stubborn to a fault.

* * *

Harry blinked open his eyes and wondered sluggishly what had woken him. He listened and he could hear birds singing and nothing seemed amiss. Except he could only hear four sets of breathing noises.

Harry bolted upright and looked around him frantically, he was in Draco's arms, Max behind him; Nasta was behind Draco and Blaise on the other side of Nasta. His baby wasn't here. He couldn't hear Braiden breathing or crying. His baby was gone.

Harry looked around the room and didn't recognise anything, the bright, retina burning sunlight that poured through the sliding glass doors lit everything up in a golden glow and as Harry spotted the ocean through those doors, he remembered. Marianna had Braiden. She had sent them to an island called Guadeloupe for a holiday before they went back for their final year of school.

He breathed in deeply and massaged his chest before getting out of bed. His entire body ached pleasantly and every muscle burnt with strain, but he felt loose and nimble. More relaxed than he had in months.

He cleaned himself off in the sink, dressed and headed to the fireplace in the living room, to the pot of floo powder they had been given by the wizard hotel staff on duty last night; he wanted to visit Braiden to make sure he was alright.

He stopped as something niggled the back of his mind before remember what had happened the last time he had done this. He put the pot of floo powder down before trekking back into the bedroom.

He kneeled on the bed and touched Nasta's shoulder, shaking him gently and carefully so he didn't wake any of the others.

"Nasta!" He whispered urgently. "Nas!"

Nasta groaned and rolled over, but this had the fortune of waking Blaise, who blinked sleepy indigo eyes at him.

"What's the matter mio amore?" He asked softly as he rolled onto his back and stretched, every bone in his body cracking as Blaise made a sound of happy pleasure, sinking back into the mattress.

"I want to visit Braiden, but thought I'd better tell one of you where I'm going first."

Blaise nodded and sat up. He stretched again, this time without his bones cracking and stood up. He leant over the bed and licked Nasta's ear, who murmured in his sleep. Blaise bit his ear lobe and his hazel eyes snapped open and glared at Blaise over his shoulder.

He rolled onto his back and stretched, much like Blaise had; only he didn't sit up.

"What's the matter?" He asked as he spotted them both, his voice gruff and sleepy.

"Harry wants to visit Braiden; he wanted to tell you where he was going. I've decided to go with him."

The proud, happy smile that Nasta gave him made Harry feel tingly and warm. Nasta flicked his head towards the living room.

"Go on then, don't be too long though, I want these two up, I want us all dressed, fed and showered and I want to see what this place has to offer."

"Haven't you ever been to Guadeloupe?" Harry asked curiously, Aneirin had told him that he had taken Nasta to every country in the world at least twice.

"Never Grande-Terre, where we are now. I've been to Marie-Galante several times, Basse-Terre once, but Dad's associates here were never very accommodating of three kids and didn't like Dad visiting for very long, he was only invited to the very important meetings that never lasted very long, it didn't leave much time for exploring and I have never see the eastern half of the butterfly island or Les Saintes."

Nasta sounded so excited that Harry chuckled. "I just want to see how his first night was without me and maybe feed him as I cuddle and cwtch him."

Nasta chuckled as he heard the Welsh word and beckoned him over. Harry went and was dragged into a passionate kiss as Blaise hurriedly dressed.

Harry and Blaise flooed back to Draguignan and found Marianna blowing raspberries on a pudgy belly.

"There you are. I was expecting you an hour ago." She told them as she handed Braiden over immediately.

Harry cuddled and kissed his contented son, whose blue eyes were now more purple than blue and tracked his face almost obsessively as Harry held his baby up to eyelevel. It was strange having his face studied so intently by such a young baby but Harry smiled widely and hugged the tiny body to himself regardless.

"Was he alright?" Harry asked.

"He was fine darling. He takes after Blaise. Such a good, quiet baby. He only cried twice, once after you had left until he fell asleep and then at one in the morning for a bottle."

Harry looked at Marianna. "He cried after I left?"

"He missed you darling, all babies miss their Mothers. He soon settled down, he's fine now and slept happy. How was your first night on Guadeloupe?"

"It's lovely." Harry replied, accepting the bottle that Marianna passed him and fed Braiden, who latched on immediately and started eating.

"I was hoping for you to come by soon, I didn't feed him his midmorning bottle because I thought you would like to."

"He hasn't gone hungry has he?" Harry asked.

"Of course not, he started wailing for food just before you arrived, I was cheering him up by blowing raspberries on him."

Harry nodded and fed his little baby, enjoying the weight of him in his arms. Blaise came and stood behind him and wrapped arms around his chest, supporting Braiden as well.

Blaise rested his chin on Harry's shoulder, watching as Braiden suckled, before turning his head and laying a kiss to Harry's neck. A camera flashed and Harry looked up to see Marianna smiling, a camera in hand.

"I need to document my son's happiness." She explained as they both stared at her. "Speaking of which, I found Blaise's baby photos for you Harry darling. You and your lovers can come and look through them when your holiday is over."

"Mother no!" Blaise cried.

"You can't deny your mates the privilege of seeing how cute you were running around the house naked."

Blaise actually blushed and Harry threw his head back and laughed.

"If it makes you feel better I'll contact Narcissa, Myron and Aneirin and ask them for a get together to show all of their baby pictures too."

Harry felt left out that he couldn't be included in the showing of baby photos as he didn't have any parents and the people he had been left with hadn't taken any photos of him ever. The only photos he had with a baby him in them were one with both his parents and one with his Father. There weren't any more.

He smiled bravely and burped Braiden, happily changing him and dressing him, before Blaise said that it was about time they got back. Harry held Braiden and kissed him, but found it hard to let him go when it came to it.

Marianna took the baby and Blaise led him back to the fireplace and flooed him back to their hotel to find Nasta up, dressed and fed, watching over a grumbling Max who was poking at his breakfast and a half asleep Draco, who was eating a bite every other minute.

"There you are. How is Braiden?" Nasta asked.

"He's fine. He's bigger and his eyes are more purple, but he's fine." Harry answered, sitting down and digging into his breakfast.

"Don't see why we have to get up." Draco grumbled, putting another forkful of food into his mouth and chewing sluggishly.

Max seemed to have woken up a bit over breakfast, but Draco looked half dead and Harry grinned as he finished his food and stretched.

"Harry you have food on your arm." Nasta deadpanned.

"Oh." Harry exclaimed, looking at the food as if he hadn't smeared it there. "I needed a shower anyway; I'm covered in dry sweat. Come on Draco, a bit of cold water splashed on your face will wake you up."

Draco let Harry pull him up and followed him into the bathroom, where there was a toilet, a sink, a bath and a shower stall. It was the shower stall Harry was most interested in because it had a solid steel bar running across the top of it for the shower curtain and one simple reinforcement spell meant it was perfect for his naughty thoughts.

Harry stripped himself and Draco looked away.

"Don't like what you see?" Harry asked, making his voice seem upset.

"You know I do, but I think my cock is broken."

- **Missing scene, you can find it on other sites**.-

All Harry could hear was running water and Blaise and Max laughing their arses off at them. Nasta gently pulled him out of the shower and handed him to a chuckling Max, who had a towel ready and waiting to wrap him up in while Nasta extracted Draco and the shower rail.

"Seriously, what were you thinking?" Nasta berated them.

"I'm thinking that the reinforcement spell I used needs to be stronger the next time." Harry answered.

Max started laughing again as he towelled Harry's body dry before his hand stilled on his stomach. All laughter vanished and Harry was up in the air before he could ask what was wrong, Max's nose and tongue pressed to his abdomen, being licked and sniffed.

Max let out a relieved sigh.

"No sign of damage or injury." He reported. "The fall never hurt him or the baby."

"Of course it didn't, not only did I land on my knees, I landed on Draco." Harry laughed. He was on too much of a high from everything to even berate Max for sniffing and licking at him without asking first.

"Did you really not get enough action last night?" Max asked. "We'll have to improve ourselves if we're going to satisfy our little minx here, lest he start killing us off one by one due to sexual frustration."

That did get Max a bop to the head, but Max just laughed it off and gave him a kiss, waving his wand to dry his hair and body properly before giving him to Blaise to make sure he got dressed.

"And don't try having sex on the bedside table! Its spindly legs won't last a minute."

"Then why don't you come and give me one on the bedside table then, you don't last a minute either!" Harry shouted back and heard Max roaring with laughter from the bathroom.

"Cheeky little fuck!" Max called to him.

"What was that Max, I didn't hear you properly, you like fucking my little cheeks?" Harry shouted back.

Blaise let out a surprised burst of laughter and more laughter came from the bathroom as Max came out and started play wrestling with him on the bed, digging gentle fingers into his sides and making his eyes stream with tears as he wiggled and squirmed.

"No! We don't need this baby having a squirming fetish too!" Harry gasped, giggling as Max stopped tickling him only to lean down and kiss him.

"Nasta says we're going exploring today. It's very hot outside so I'm going to cover you in sun cream."

"Your cum doesn't count as sun cream mind." Harry told him.

Max chuckled and snatched up a big bottle of factor fifty sun cream, squirting it onto his hands, rubbing them together before plastering Harry's naked body with it.

"I'm sure every inch doesn't need to be covered!" Harry whined as Max had flipped him over after finishing his front and his hands went from his back, over his hips and to his bum cheeks. "When is my bum going to be bared to the sun?"

"You never know." Max growled in arousal.

Harry tutted and kicked his legs back and forth.

"Are you done yet?" He asked as Max made sure every individual toe was coated.

Nasta dragged Max off and started coating the larger man's body with the cream, quickly and efficiently, making sure all major areas were covered before shoving him towards his suitcase to get dressed.

Nasta took the excess cream off of Harry and helped him dress in a pair of shorts and a tee-shirt, before he finally covered himself and dressed.

"Are we all ready?" He asked.

"Yep!" Harry answered, not even batting an eyelash as Nasta's hand curled around his own as they left their little villa and started making their way out of the hotel.

* * *

Harry laughed as he was chased onto the white sand of the beach. The sun was just setting and he had had an amazing day exploring Grande-Terre with his lovers. There was so much to see, so many things to do, he had learnt a bit of French, had witnessed Blaise going into a screaming match in French with a market seller and had walked down roads and across beaches hand in hand with one of his mates.

Now the day was coming to a close and they were on the private beach of the hotel and it was empty.

"Stop running Harry!" Max shouted at him.

"I'm fine you spoil sport!" Harry called back as he and Blaise ran side by side, laughing.

Blaise seized him around the waist and pulled him down onto the sand, making sure he landed on his body before rolling around the hot, sun baked, sand laughing.

The others joined them and fell about laughing, even Draco, who after repeating numerous times throughout the day that Malfoys didn't act like fools Harry had gotten fed up and tipped a bucket of crabs down his back. Draco had chased him for half a mile before Nasta had scooped him up and held him out of harm's way. Draco had loosened up after that and after Max had pointed out that no one was around to notice a Malfoy acting like a fool in the first place.

Harry made several sandcastles with the bucket and spade Nasta had gifted to him when they visited Grande Anse and called it Castle Dracken, which made his mates laugh even as Max dug him a 'moat' around Castle Dracken and Harry made a high tower that was called Braiden's Bridge.

Harry had loved Grande Anse beach, he had even seen a sea turtle and followed it as it made its way to the ocean.

They stayed on the beach watching the sun set down below the horizon and afterwards Nasta carried him back to the hotel because Harry was knackered from his day in the sun. They ate at the hotel restaurant, but Harry waved away the dessert menu, telling the others they could eat more if they wanted, but he was full.

They waved away dessert too and Harry was carried through the 'jungle' and up to their villa where Nasta stripped him and tucked him into bed. Harry was asleep as soon as his head touched his pillow.

* * *

On the second day they visited Maison du Cacao in Basse-Terre for five euros each and it was amazing to walk around the gardens of cacao trees, learning about how cocoa was produced, seeing the green, orange and pink fruits growing from the very top to the bottom of the trees. Having a demonstration of how the ripe fruits were cut from the tree trunks with an axe, being shown how the seeds were fermented under the hot sun to the making of cocoa paste. They were even given a taste, though Harry didn't need Nasta to wave away the staff when they tried to give him 'liqueur au chocolat' as he would have done so himself. He did enjoy the hot chocolate drink though.

Most of their second day though was taken up by the promised visit to Aquarium de la Guadeloupe, which was amazing. Their tour guide was a helpful, friendly man who was almost as indulgent towards him as his own mates as he looked at everything and put his hand into every open tank. They happily visited the mangroves and coral reef and even went snorkelling in the lagoon, which Harry had been sure he would be left out of, but Nasta, after looking a tad apprehensive, had agreed to let him try it.

They spent eight hours in the aquarium and with all of the equipment they needed supplied and the exceptional knowledge the staff showed, they hardly wanted to leave, but they were hungry when they came back to Sainte-Anne and Nasta hustled them all into the nearest restaurant and ordered them a filling meal before they headed to back to their hotel.

The third day Harry wanted to go swimming, so they stayed by the hotel swimming pool, Max teaching Harry how to swim as Draco and Blaise messed about near Nasta, who was swimming fast, perfect laps of the pool.

"I can't do it!" Harry complained as he tried to do as Max showed him whilst watching Nasta's slick body carve through the water like a fish.

"Stop looking at Nasta's gorgeous body and concentrate, if you want to swim then do as I tell you."

"I can't!"

"Nas! Stop distracting Harry, he's getting hot and bothered and he'll drown!"

Nasta finished his lap and stopped, coming up for air and grinning. "Maybe you should take him out of the pool then before he has an accident."

"I don't want to leave!" Harry pouted as he did an awkward, very hilarious version of a doggy paddle over to Nasta.

"How did you swim in the Triwizard tournament?" Blaise asked curiously. "You had to go into the lake for the second task."

"I got given Snape's stolen Gillyweed and my hands and feet went webbed. I could just scoop the water and move really quickly."

"Keep your fingers together then." Nasta encouraged. "It won't be as big a scoop as when you were under the effects of Gillyweed and you won't be as fast, but it'll work."

Harry kissed Nasta and did as he was told, but it was slow going as he didn't use his legs properly to move himself.

Later that night Harry was sat on their bed bouncing up and down, reminiscing all about the things they had done so far. Max placed a hand over his mouth and kissed him.

"Quiet down, we know what happened, we were there. Now shush or I'm going to plug up your mouth."

Harry chuckled. "Are you going to take advantage of me because Blaise and Draco are showering whilst Nasta bathes?"

Max grinned wickedly and turned over onto his hands and knees and pinned him on either side, leaning down to kiss him.

"I don't think I'm up for sex, I'm too tired after today and the swimming lessons, but there was something I wanted to try before we left, something that I've been thinking about and wondering for a while."

"What's that love?" Max asked, his voice deepening.

"Stand up for me."

- **Missing scene you can find it on another site**.-

"That was a good scene to walk in on." Draco commented as he walked around the bed to get to his suitcase of clothes.

Harr swallowed obscenely and looked at Blaise who was in the doorway just staring open mouthed and Nasta who shook his head and brushed past Blaise to get his own pyjama bottoms.

"I wanted to try it." Harry rasped, his throat red raw.

Nasta kissed him and laid him back against the bed, dismantling his pillow stairs to place them back at the head of the bed and crawled in to cuddle around him. Draco cuddled his other side, Blaise crawled in behind Draco and Max fell onto the bed beside Blaise, sated and happy. They all fell asleep quickly and happily.

* * *

The fourth and final day in Guadeloupe was spent exploring. Nasta got them onto a ferry and took them over to Les Saintes after looking around and buying various little trinkets, they got onto another ferry to go to Terre-de-Haut where they ate lunch at a place called Café de la Marine. Everything was so beautiful, the sky was blue and cloudless, the sea was a deep blue and transparent when up close, the sand was white and hot and everything was so amazing that Harry hardly wanted to leave.

They travelled back to Basse-Terre where they made a trip around the botanical garden named Jardin d'Eau and from there went to Parc des Mamelles and Harry really didn't want to leave as they explored all the different animals, crossing bridges that went from tree to tree and over ponds and rivers.

Nasta snapped photos with the camera that had been present throughout their trip and Harry grinned happily and posed for every photo that Nasta took, or he at least posed for the ones he knew Nasta took, there were some where Harry had been so engrossed in what he was doing or looking at the animals that he didn't notice the sly photo being taken now and then.

They finished off the day with a tour around the sugar cane factory in Port Louis, in north Grande-Terre which took two hours. Learning how the sugar was grown and its history was so interesting as they walked through the media rooms dedicated to the sugar cane, before going out and exploring the fields, but the highlight for Harry was most definitely taking a trip on the old sugar cane railway.

Harry was sleepy and happy when Nasta led them back to the hotel for dinner and then to bed. They hadn't stepped foot in the onsite spa, which made Harry grin, his mates were obviously not taking any chances with the steam room.

They all went to bed early and Harry was glad to have had a chance for a holiday, but he couldn't wait until he was home again with Braiden.

* * *

Harry woke up and stretched, it was still early, the sun had yet to come up and he grinned to himself as he noticed that he had had a pretty damn good dream last night.

His mates were all sleeping soundly and they probably had an hour or so before breakfast was served and they had to leave the hotel, but until then, Harry decided that one last romp in the bed before they left was a very good idea.

- **Missing scene. You can find it on another site**.-

"What did we just do?" Draco moaned.

"Celebrated our last time in this bed before we go home." Harry answered. "We had to go out with a bang."

"I'm going out with a banging headache." Blaise complained.

"I have a potion in my suitcase for that love." Max said from the foot of the bed, one large arm thrown over his eyes.

"I'm starving now." Draco told them.

"Me too." Harry answered. "I don't think I'll make it down to the restaurant though."

"I feel revived and invigorated." Nasta told them, proving it by standing up and stretching, Blaise's release clinging to the top of his light six pack, Harry's on his abdomen where it had slipped out of Blaise and his own and Draco's release making his soft length glisten.

"You look sexed up." Harry giggled.

"And whose fault is that?" He asked, raising a sexy eyebrow at him.

Harry laughed and rolled himself up, groaning as weight was put on his bum. Nasta chuckled deeply and scooped him and Blaise up and carried them to the bathroom.

"Bring Draco, Max. We need to get them cleaned up before we leave."

Max groaned but dutifully scooped up an angry Draco and carried him kicking and complaining into the bathroom.

"Stop that." Nasta ordered Draco as he turned on the shower and stepped under with Harry and Blaise.

Draco stopped reluctantly, but Max did put him on his own two feet. Blaise too went onto his own two feet, but Harry was content to let Nasta wash and pamper him for a bit.

They made sure everything of theirs was packed and even some things that weren't as Harry robbed all the little hotel shampoos, soaps, and a flannel with the hotel name printed in the corner for keepsakes.

Nasta and Max carried the suitcases down into the main part of the hotel and left them behind the desk as they went to have breakfast. They went down to the hotel's private beach after breakfast for the last time and Harry quickly collected another bag of seashells for his already large collection and some pretty pebbles and even a few fossils.

"Don't you have enough of those?" Draco asked as Harry dug up another shell.

"No, I've never been on a beach before this holiday, I love it! We'll have to go to the beach with the kids when they're older whether I'm pregnant or not. I love it! The sea, the sand, the shells, the sandcastles, the fun and the sun! I just love it."

Max scooped him up and kissed him. "We love you Harry and we're happy to have given you this experience, even if it should never have been your first time on a beach."

"Of course we'll take the kids to the beach." Nasta told him. "I swear it."

Harry smiled wonderfully at him and Nasta felt his breath catch as Harry glowed with happiness. He was almost sad to rip Harry away from this place, but their Portkey would be leaving soon and no matter how much fun and excitement they had had on this holiday, it would be nice to go home and to see Braiden again, he had actually missed waking up in the night with the little baby, the night feeds had become _their_ bonding time and he really had missed it.

* * *

Harry took hold of Braiden and hugged him tightly. He had missed his baby so very, very much. Everyone was there to welcome them home. Marianna had invited them all to her home because she knew that that is where they would come first, because Braiden was here.

Myron, Richard and Ashleigh were hugging Max, Alayla and Talia were grinning as Max blushed. Aneirin had taken Nasta into another room as soon as they arrived, leaving Sanex to run wild with Caesar. Narcissa was kissing Draco's cheek and remarking on his good health and Harry smiled as he held Braiden, wishing deep down that he had a parent to welcome him home from his holiday and ask him how it had been.

A hand landed on his shoulder and Harry turned to see Remus smiling down at him. Harry turned with a grin and hugged him with all his might. Remus may not have been a parent, but he was the closest thing he had to a family member that he had had when he was a baby.

"You look amazing." Harry told the man and he really did. His skin and hair looked healthier, he looked happier, he had fewer lines and wrinkles on his face and his robes were nice. Not expensive or lavish, but nice.

Remus smiled and Harry saw the playful man that used to run around on the full moons with three illegal animagus'.

"I've been feeling better lately and I've been happier." Remus answered.

"Is there a reason for this?" Harry prodded as he shifted Braiden up onto his shoulder and sat down on the settee.

Remus followed suit and sat down with him, he looked nervous as Harry had ever seen him.

"I have started seeing someone." Remus explained carefully, avoiding looking at Harry.

"Really? That's wonderful! Do I know them?"

"I…yes, you do."

"I do? It's not Professor McGonagall is it?" Harry demanded.

"What?" Remus asked with a horrified laugh. "No! No it's…well it's Tonks."

"Really? Well she seems like a nice enough woman and if you're happy that's all that matters, where is she? Why didn't you bring her?"

"She's in work today Harry."

Harry grinned at the goofy look on Remus's face.

"You really do love her don't you? When are you going to get married? I expect an invite for me and the guys."

"Married? Harry we've only just begun a relationship." Remus said flabbergasted.

"Alright, but remember than anything could happen and it's always a good thing to marry the woman you love before she gets pregnant, otherwise she'll just think you're marrying her for the baby." Harry replied as he laid his own baby across his lap and tickled his belly.

"What baby? Harry, I'm not sure what you know of relationships, but most do not end up with babies."

"Really?" Harry asked, pulling a confused face. "Mine did."

"Well Braiden was a stroke of luck due to your creature inheritance." Remus said as he took a tiny, baby hand between his fingers. "The book Nasta gave me explained that you wouldn't get pregnant again right away."

Harry pulled a face. "Remus, I'm pregnant again. Nine days along."

Remus looked for a moment like he would faint.

"How?"

"I didn't so much go onto a heat as my body became heated enough through outside factors to conceive and I did."

Remus pulled Harry into a hug and held him close.

"It'll be alright, you'll be fine." The werewolf soothed.

"I know. I just didn't want to be pregnant this quickly. I am going to make sure that this baby is the last for a while."

"Oh, you know it's only the one then?" Remus asked.

"What do you mean?" Harry frowned.

"Harry, Dracken pregnancies are typically multiple babies. Only the first pregnancy is usually one baby."

"Kimberly had several single births before…"

"It doesn't matter; Kimberly is from a whole different generation. She is decades older than you are and the strain of the times and conflict that she was living through would have messed with her breeding and fertility. You on the other hand are a young, virile young man, there is every chance you are carrying multiple children."

Harry mouthed wordlessly for a bit before he stood up and strode over to Max, he stood right in front of him and glared up at him.

"What did I do?" He asked as he cowered away from that poisonous glare.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Harry demanded.

"Tell you what love? Whatever Caesar has said is likely a lie."

"Why didn't you tell me that this baby I'm carrying is likely more than one baby?" Harry snapped.

"It might not be." Ashleigh told him. "The circumstances under which the baby was conceived might mean that the usual Dracken breeding statistics don't apply Harry love."

"Is there any way to find out?" Harry asked.

"Not before your first scan."

"Why can't I have my first scan now?"

"Because you won't be able to see anything." Myron told him patiently. "The scan won't pick anything visible up until the baby, or babies, have had a chance to grow."

"If I am carrying more than one baby you and the rest can look out!" Harry threatened and stomped off with Braiden.

"I think now is time for some light hearted relief." Marianna exclaimed. "Remus, be a dear and go and fetch Harry back. Myron, go and find out what Aneirin is doing to his poor son, I'll fetch us some tea and then the fun can begin."

Harry sulkily sat on an equally sulky Nasta, who had had both his ears chewed off by his Dad for not taking care of his submissive properly, though Aneirin had been a bit lenient because Harry had gotten a holiday after all.

"Right, you have been home for an hour and already your faces look like you have been hit with a soggy loaf of bread. Drink your tea and let us make you feel better…by embarrassing the hair from your heads."

Marianna picked up a delicately embossed photo album that had Blaise Mariano Zabini scripted on it in elegant cursive along with Blaise's birth date; the twelfth of October nineteen-seventy-nine.

"Mother, please no!" Blaise begged as he stood up so quickly his tea cup shattered.

"This is Blaise's baby book; he was such a cute baby."

Marianna opened the book to show a baby that was at least three days old, lying on his stomach wearing just a nappy.

Blaise started speaking in rapid French and Nasta started laughing as Marianna giggled at her son, but obviously ignoring him as she turned the page.

"Aww, Blaise, you were so cute." Harry cooed. "You look so much like Braiden."

Max pulled Blaise down and made him sit through the entire baby book and the three photo albums after that that went through his childhood and all the way up to this summer. Blaise shoved his face into his hands at the naked pictures of his baby self, the bath time photos, the grins with the missing baby teeth and the picture where he was cuddling a stuffed toy when he was twelve.

Marianna took out a single photo from behind her back and Blaise went pale.

"What photo is that?" He demanded.

"This is a very special photo just for Harry to put in his own photo album; I thought he'd enjoy it."

It turned out to be a picture of a six year old Blaise wrapped around a five year old Draco as they slept on a rug in front of a fire place.

Draco went pink and Blaise went red when Harry cooed over the photo and thanked Marianna.

"Now that Marianna has finished, we can move onto Max." Myron said with a smirk that was so evil Harry cackled and went to sit on his lap so he could see the photo album better.

"Wait, wait wait, is this what all this is about? You're going to show all of our baby pictures?" Nasta asked his face whiter than paper.

"Of course. It's every parent's right to embarrass their children with photos." Narcissa said with a dainty laugh.

"You too Mother?" Draco asked, his already pale face going grey.

"Of course Draco darling, you were the cutest, most handsome baby I'd ever seen, I want to show you off."

They sat though Max's huge baby book, all the way to his adult years, from tiny six pound baby to eighteen stone man. Then they went onto Draco's baby book, seeing the very cute, pink ball with blonde fluff for hair to the pouty child and the angular teenager and finally the man he had become.

Aneirin delighted in showing Nasta's baby photos, from the miniscule three pound baby, the very happy and healthy child with the huge grin, there was a very cute picture of Nasta between his two older siblings, standing head and shoulders shorter than Sanex and coming to his sister's elbow and another one where Aneirin was carrying Nasta on his shoulders, little legs in a pair of shorts and a tee-shirt that was in a foreign language which Nasta told them was Polish. Harry had never seen any of them blush so much and he delighted in laughing at them.

"Alright, Harry, you're next. You've spent all day laughing up us, now it's your turn." Max stated.

"You'll have to go without then, I don't have any baby pictures of myself." Harry answered sadly.

"Did those people take even one photograph of you?" Ashleigh asked in surprise.

Harry shook his head. "They made me stand out of the shot and when I was older I was the one taking the pictures."

Myron hugged him tightly and kissed his forehead.

"I've got two pictures." Harry admitted as he stood up and went to his suitcase. He dug out the photo album from where it was wrapped in his invisibility cloak.

"You took your cloak and photo album on holiday?" Nasta questioned.

"I take them everywhere I go." Harry replied as he opened the book, skipped over the pictures of his parents and Sirius and Remus and showed them the two pages, on one side a picture of a smiling Lily and James holding a baby Harry between them and on the other side a picture of James holding a grinning toddler.

"Oh Harry, you were beautiful." Ashleigh sighed. "You can really tell you're a submissive Dracken."

"Really, how?"

"The eyes." Richard answered, pointing out how large and alien Harry's eyes looked in his head.

"Can I tell with Braiden?" Harry asked.

"Are you saying Braiden's a Dracken?"

Harry grinned and looked to his adorable little son. He felt it was a bit too early to tell them that he had birthed a Dracken, but it didn't matter too much.

"Yes he is. I smelt it on his as soon as he was born."

Ashleigh squealed excitedly and grabbed Braiden's little hands and shook them gently as his mates looked on proudly. Blaise more so than the rest as Braiden was his biological son.

"Back to the question, can I tell if he'll be dominant or submissive?"

"You can hardly ever tell using the eyes alone." Myron answered giving his two mates a reprimanding stare. "It's so difficult to tell, you'd be better off treating all of them the same, boys and girls as one of my sisters thought she was going to be a submissive and she turned out dominant. We thought for years that Caesar would be a submissive and he turned out dominant. You can never truly know you can only make educated guesses."

"You what?" Caesar demanded.

"Yeah, you used to tell me to treat him like the girls, because he was delicate and easily hurt." Max chuckled.

"Caesar had wide eyes too, not as wide as yours though and he was so slim and slender, very androgynous, I had hoped he was a submissive."

"Please stop talking." Caesar begged, covering his burning face.

"He shot up days before his sixteenth birthday and gained a lot of weight in a short amount of time. We still thought he might be submissive, but when he woke up on his sixteenth birthday, he was the man you see before you, only less of a man and more a boy, but he was a dominant like Max."

"This is where I come in." Remus said with a grin. "You might not have any baby photos of yourself Harry, but I do."

Remus pulled out a bright blue photo album that had a picture of Lily and James on the front of it.

"James thought it would be fitting to put a picture of himself and Lily on the front than a picture of you." Remus explained as Harry carried Braiden over to sit on his lap to see photos he had never seen before.

There was of course the mandatory bath photo, only baby Harry was covered in so many bubbles it was hard to see him.

"That was Sirius' fault. He preferred showers so he didn't realise you only needed one capful of bubble bath. He poured in half a bottle before he started seeing bubbles and he finally stopped pouring, you of course found it hilarious." Remus said as he pointed out Harry's wide grin. "You had such an infectious laugh."

Harry giggled and turned the page.

"Now this was a cute picture." Remus said as he showed everyone a year old Harry wearing a pair of lopsided sunglasses that were far too big for his face. "Those were your Mother's favourite sunglasses, of course you loved them and she let you have them, you broke them the day after this photo was taken by snapping out the lenses."

Harry laughed and he even stroked the photos with his parents in them with such a wistful, longing look on his face it brought lumps to everyone else's throats.

The required naked photo of Harry even made him laugh as he was in the back garden of his parents' home, in the pouring rain, covered in an inch of mud and muck. The only parts of him not covered in mud were his eyes and nose, one elbow and half a peachy, pert bum cheek.

"You can keep these Harry." Remus told him.

"But they're yours." Harry answered.

"And I'm giving them to you. I have my memories Harry. I remember all of these situations and the long days I spent with you and your parents, you don't have that, you don't have those memories as I do, so you can have the photos, you need them more."

Harry hugged Remus tightly and he didn't let go, whispering a soft 'thank you' into Remus' ear.

"Now that we have thoroughly embarrassed you, how was your holiday? I was so excited when Marianna told me what she'd done; I wish I had thought of it! What did you see, what did you do?" Ashleigh asked.

"Oh it was wonderful!" Harry said enthusiastically. "We took loads of photos; I saw an iguana and a sea turtle and I went to a beach! An actual beach!"

"You've never been to a beach before?" Sanex asked astonished.

"I have now, I've been to three beaches and I picked up so many little shells! Nasta says they're from dead molluscs and crustaceans, but they looked so pretty!"

Harry recounted everything they had done and seen, talking so happily and quickly that it made them all smile as Harry told of the wildlife parks, the botanical gardens and the aquarium.

"And Nasta even let me go snorkelling when the boat with the window in the bottom stopped! We saw so many little fishes and Max said he saw a shark, but I don't think he did because no one else saw it."

"I did so see a shark!" Max pouted.

"It sounds like you had an amazing time." Marianna told them. "Braiden and I were fine, though I had forgotten how taxing a young baby could be. Do you boys feel better?"

"Much." Harry replied. "I think I even got a tan! Despite Nasta's orders that all of us wear factor fifty sun cream all day every day."

"Nasta only made you do that because I forgot to cover him when he was eight and he got the worst sunburn I have ever seen." Sanex replied. "His skin was peeling for weeks. And he was red raw and was in constant pain. I got a beating for that."

"You did not get a beating." Aneirin denied. "I just clipped you around the ear."

"And then spanked me so hard I couldn't sit down." Sanex pouted.

"You could have caused Nasta to get skin cancer!" Aneirin growled. "Your baby brother!"

"He's not a baby anymore." Sanex said.

"I'm fine." Nasta stressed. "I got one skin mole and that was the end of it."

"Is that where it came from?" Harry asked. "I love that little mole."

"You mean you love running your tongue around it." Max chuckled. "Makes me wish I had one for you to play with."

"Maximilius!" Myron berated. "There are women and children present, including your own Mother and your child!"

Max looked abashed but he was grinning still and Harry chuckled.

"I can't believe you went four days without cooking, or did you sneak a camp stove into your luggage again?" Talia asked her brother.

"The food was really nice." Max told her.

"Not as nice as Max's, but it was nice." Harry explained further.

"Aww, he really loves you Max." Caesar cooed.

Harry chuckled and happily fed Braiden when he woke up, wailing for his dinner. They said goodbye not long after that and flooed home for the first time in days and just the smell of Max's home made him sag in relief and make him so glad to be home.

They all left their suitcases by the fireplace and went into the kitchen; where Max threw open all the windows and the back door before making them all a cup of tea.

"It's good to be home." Harry said with a smile as he sipped on his honey tea.

"You see this place as home?" Max asked a happy, hopeful glint in his eyes.

Harry nodded and swallowed a mouthful of tea. "I gave birth here, this is home to me. Though we might have to upgrade in a few years when we get more kids as you only have two spare bedrooms, though that won't be for a long, long time yet. Just let me enjoy the babies I have before giving me anymore, okay?" He asked.

Max came and kissed him deeply and Harry made a small noise in his throat. Things got heavy and passionate and then Braiden started sniffling and squirming in discomfort as he started emitting a very bad smell.

Harry laughed as Max backed away. "It's good to be home." He repeated as he took Braiden to the changing mat they kept at the end of the kitchen to change his son's dirty nappy.

Max started on making them a late dinner and was so infectiously happy to be back in his kitchen in front of his oven that it made the rest of them happy.

Harry changed Braiden and happily handed him off to Blaise, who silently asked for the baby by holding out his arms. Harry went and sat on Nasta, who wrapped arms around him and kissed the back of his neck.

"We should get to bed early tonight, perhaps with the aid of a very light sleeping potion, just enough so that we can sleep, but not enough to keep us sleeping through Braiden's cries. We should go to Diagon Alley tomorrow to pick up your school things before it's too late, you only have a few days left before you need to leave."

Harry nodded and as he was served a plate of food, conversation turned to their school schedule and child minding duties. After dinner and all the dishes had been washed and put away he readily agreed to take a sip of the light sleeping potion to make him drowsy enough to fall asleep and he cuddled up with his mates, in their own bed and snuggled in until he fell asleep a little while later, dreading when Braiden would wake them up crying, he had become accustomed to sleeping in and his body was not going to welcome the screaming baby in his ear again and though he was looking forward to going back to Hogwarts again, he realised with a grin that he wasn't looking forward to it as much as he had in the past as he hadn't even made his count down chart that summer.

* * *

A/N: That's it! It's finally over and I'm still alive! Though the muse is a sucked dry, shrunken husk. Make this one last lovelies; you won't be getting another one for a long while after this as I'm taking a break to actually enjoy the summer for a bit without worrying about writing the next update. Though the next chapter is Hogwarts! Yes, they are finally back in Hogwarts next chapter.

Those of you who want to read the numerous missing scenes that aren't allowed on this site, you can find them on **Adultfanfiction** and **Archive of Our Own****.**

You can also find me on Facebook under the name **StarLight Mass**. All links are in my profile page.

Thanks to **alinemcb54** for being the **6,800****th**** reviewer!**

**NoirxAnge**: An all-female Dracken couple can only have baby girls because a female has an XX pairing of chromosomes; you need a 'Y' chromosome to make a baby boy, something which two females' together lack. As a male has XY chromosomes, an all-male Dracken couple (or harem) can make both boys and girls because the combination their chromosomes can make are both XX (girl) and XY (boy), but boys will be more easily made than girls.  
The two female Drackens do not care that they can't have baby boys, with how difficult it is to get a child they're just glad to have a healthy baby at the end! Does this make more sense?

Max didn't almost hurt Harry or Braiden, not at all, he went feral because he was injured and could smell fresh blood that belonged to him so his Dracken shoved to the front to protect him, as there is no denying that a Dracken has more going for them in a fight than a human.

**Starvision89**: A Dracken can be a Metamorphmagus yes, but Teddy Lupin will not be. The werewolf blood he will get from his Father will cancel out any Dracken blood he may get from his Mother, so the Dracken DNA will not take hold as it will be eliminated by his stronger werewolf DNA before it has a chance to turn him.

**alinemcb54: **I do not listen to music while writing. I can't listen to anything when writing, it has to be completely silent, which is why I write better during the early morning than any other time, if there are other noises I can't control around me, I'll put the TV on a random channel and leave it on low, not low enough so I can't hear it, but low enough that it doesn't distract me. I'm terrible with distractions, if something gets my attention and can keep it, that's it and muse fades away and I lose my thread of thought.

I have some descriptions of the characters written down, but they're all in my head and I can pull up a picture just by thinking about them. Alexander's hair is not grey, it's chestnut brown with hints of grey, but not fully grey.

Braiden does not have a Godmother or Godfather and you'll find out what they decide to do about Braiden in the next chapter.

It is possible for a dominant to be infertile, but only through a very serious accident or castration. He will not become impotent or suffer with erectile dysfunction through any age related or hereditary reasons.

The name Braiden is Gaelic and I have always loved it. If I ever get a son he'll be a Braiden too. Who did you want to see from the Dracken meetings?

**BlueRoseUK**: Nasta has his grandfather Hywel Delericey, his great-grandfather Dai Delericey and still has his great-great grandfather Urien Kruger, who was mated to Nesta Delericey. They are a very robust family.

As to the punishments, Draco was biting Harry, not because he was in a public place, but because Harry wouldn't stay still long enough for him to get a proper hold on him so he couldn't spank him so he settled for biting. Nasta's biting isn't trailing off, he just tries to resort to words more than physically reprimanding his submissive and subordinate dominants, though if they are persistent he will punish them properly and bite them.

Harry could become trapped between feuding dominants, but as Nasta is the top dominant what he says goes. Nasta could overrule any punishment he sees as given unfairly and none of the others could stop him, they could bitch and moan all they like, but unless they can change Nasta's mind, it sticks. Blaise couldn't overrule Draco in the early chapters because Draco was more dominant than himself, Blaise was not top dominant in that situation even if he was the first mate, so likewise if Nasta gives a punishment that none of the other's agree with, they couldn't interfere like Blaise couldn't when Draco got out of hand.

**GrasshopperKnight**: It would have to be a very bad accident, almost lethal and likely fatal to damage the wings, which are tucked up very tightly to the spinal cord. But if it did happen, the child lived and the wings happened to be damaged and were untreatable, then the Dracken would possibly be facing a lifetime of being alone, the same as if the Dracken had a very embarrassing or humiliating colour or pattern to his wings or scales. Nearly all submissives are spoilt, vain little girls and the rare, selfless, kind indiscriminate submissives are snapped up quickly by others, there are not enough submissives to go around the dominants and even less good submissives to go around all the deserving dominants.

**Khealis**: I never actually gave much thought to the female Drackens because they were never a very big focal point in the story what with the majority of the main characters being male, but I would assume that the human menstrual cycle changed to tie in with the heat period, so that when she is on heat, she is also at her highest point of ovulation, if she gets pregnant, she doesn't need to worry, if she doesn't get pregnant, the unfertilized egg is disposed of, hence her period.

**Sarah Louise Jones**: It is very possible, out of the five babies Harry is currently pregnant with; it is highly, highly unlikely that all of them belong to one dominant. Any one of the dominants could have fathered any number of babies; Max could have one, Nasta two and Blaise two. The only one who can't be a Father to one of the babies Harry carries is Draco because he never had sex with Harry when he went onto that freak heat.

**dandeliongurl**: Harry healed himself with an accidental burst of magic that was controlled almost completely by his emotions. He had a little cut on his lip, a bruise to his stomach and he managed to stabilize his pregnancy, I'm afraid he does not have the skill, nor the knowledge, to heal both Richard, who the best Healers money can buy couldn't heal nor could he heal Ashleigh, who is barren.

**ladilyn**: Why would it be obvious that Harry is a creature because he has a pregnancy with five babies? I know she was called octomom, but the woman who carried those eight babies wasn't called a creature. It's rare but it does happen and with four lovers it's almost expected for Harry to have multiple children as a male who can get pregnant from other males does not have an egg that his lovers needs to fertilize, so a multiple pregnancy isn't caused by him releasing two or more eggs for his lovers to fertilize but by how many of the DNA pairings match up properly to form a baby, so really it's more of a surprise he had just the one baby than him having the five from a wizards point of view, but not from a Dracken perspective.

You are completely correct on the one point though, the little mention of the babies being viable at four and a half months was dropped deliberately and you are actually the only one to have picked up on it. Needless to say Harry will not be able to carry this clutch to term.

Nasta is technically on leave, he is doing paperwork for the reserve, he visits now and then and will give advice to the junior handlers and he will go to the reserve in an emergency, but he is on paid leave because he is still doing work for the reserve.

**Tsukkina**: I said that Harry had a passing resemblance to Brent Corrigan, but the whole head is all wrong. The body though…

As for the other's looking like actors, no. I have yet to find anyone who looks remotely like Nasta or Max or the way I see Draco and Blaise, I'm sorry I can't be more of a help.

**Nene**: I have started to read Merry gentry, but I find that I love Anita Blake so much more. I just can't get into the Merry Gentry series; do they pick up a bit more after the first few chapters? Because that's all I've read even though I have the first five books.

Thank you all for reading and reviewing! Please remember that you can ask any questions you like, but if they have already been answered, you may be directed to the chapter it was covered in instead of getting a direct answer.

StarLight Massacre. X


	49. Castle Calm

_Last Time_

_Harry nodded and as he was served a plate of food, conversation turned to their school schedule and child minding duties. After dinner and all the dishes had been washed and put away he readily agreed to take a sip of the light sleeping potion to make him drowsy enough to fall asleep and he cuddled up with his mates, in their own bed and snuggled in until he fell asleep a little while later, dreading when Braiden would wake them up crying, he had become accustomed to sleeping in and his body was not going to welcome the screaming baby in his ear again and though he was looking forward to going back to Hogwarts again, he realised with a grin that he wasn't looking forward to it as much as he had in the past as he hadn't even made his count down chart that summer._

Chapter Forty-Nine – Castle Calm

Harry yawned as he was rocked back and forth by the scarlet steam train, the Hogwarts Express. Braiden was strapped to Max's chest in the baby carrier and it looked so hilarious but so sickeningly adorable at the same time and it was hilarious to see the amount of women, Muggle and magical alike, coo at Max as he walked through the station with Braiden strapped to his chest, a huge hand adding extra protection to the back of a three week old Braiden's head.

Harry couldn't believe his baby was almost a month old already, he had no idea where the time had gone and as he lolled around the train compartment, listening to his mates talking and conversing with one another, he smiled and closed his eyes again, pillowing his head on Draco's lap.

Draco's hand rested on his shoulder and rubbed gently, one thumb stroking him. Harry was in a relaxed, happy state of mind, right up until the compartment door burst open. Nasta was on his feet standing in front of all of them before Harry could even get his body into a seated position.

Nasta collapsed back into his seat right beside the door with a groan and revealed a started Hermione, who had her usual summer tan and her usual holiday gift for him in her hands.

She edged around Nasta and plonked down opposite him, presenting him with her gift.

"Thank you Hermione, how are you?"

"I've been well. My parents took me to Spain this year, you wouldn't believe the amount of Spanish wizardry there is to discover! Did you know that it was a Spanish wizard who invented the vaccination for Dragon Pox?"

Harry chuckled at the familiar overload of information he was given from Hermione about her holidays and her newly found information.

"Braiden needs to have his first Dragon Pox inoculation soon. He'll need four primary injections and two follow up injections, one a month after birth, one when he is four months, one at nine months and the final one at thirteen months and then a final booster jab at three and five years."

"Poor thing, I heard they hurt terribly."

"They burn more than they hurt." Nasta said civilly.

"You remember what it was like?" Hermione asked interestedly.

"I work with Dragons; I need to have a booster every five years."

"I had mine as soon as I arrived at the castle, the first morning I was there. I've been trying to forget it ever since." Hermione said with a shudder.

"I never. It was assumed that I was vaccinated because I'd had had my four primary jabs. As soon as these overprotective louts heard that I had never had my two follow up jabs they booked me a precautionary booster jab." Harry grumbled rubbing his left arm in remembered pain, glaring at his four lovers.

"Better that you are angry with us that dying of Dragon Pox." Draco answered, kissing his cheek.

Harry was surprised, he would have thought that Draco, out of all of his mates, would have closed off and gone stiff and cold in Hermione's presence.

"Draco wanted you to have the full course again." Blaise told him, looking unhappy that he was seated next to Hermione.

"You just try and get me to have that injection again!" Harry snarled.

"My Grandfather died of Dragon Pox, it runs in my bloodline!" Draco explained angrily.

"We'll make sure all of our children are vaccinated Draco, no child of ours will ever be susceptible to such a disease." Nasta assured, stroking gentle fingertips through Braiden's dark downy hair that was starting to grow in thicker and fuller.

"May I hold him?"

Hermione didn't single out any of them, but asked them all as a whole and when Max looked ready to disagree, Harry gave him a glare and the big man sighed and carefully and unhappily pulled Braiden out of the carrier, supporting his head and handing him over carefully to Hermione.

Hermione was awkward and clumsy and Blaise twitched, as if he was aching to support Braiden's little body. Harry just smiled, it reminded him of when he had first started out with a newborn baby and he didn't know what to do. Braiden was fine, he had survived through Harry's parenting and he was likely better off with Hermione because there was no way she hadn't read at least three pregnancy and baby care books over the summer.

He placed a hand over his soft belly. What was he going to do if this baby was actually two babies, or more? This was the downside to Dracken pregnancies Kimberly had told him. The very high chance of multiple births.

"Do you have a stomach ache Harry?" Hermione asked.

"No. Hermione, this might come as a surprise, but I'm pregnant."

"Again?" She asked shocked. "But how are you going to focus on your N.E. this year Harry? And two babies are a huge handful, especially ones so young."

"I know, but you know what I am. These things can't be controlled. We can't even use contraceptives because the heat period takes away our minds so condoms are out and the high temperature of our bodies' burn up any potions."

"What about a charm?" Hermione suggested.

"They need to be recast every forty-eight hours, the heat lasts for six days; it'll wear off before the end of the heat period."

"Is there nothing you can do?"

"I can go out and fuck a human to destroy my own womb." Harry said his tone heavy in disgust, which kept his mates from growling or hissing. "But it will make me permanently barren so I'll never have any more children. The best I can do is hope that when this baby is born that my body takes a very long while before it repairs itself so I won't have another heat period."

Hermione bit her lip. "That doesn't sound like a solid plan; you're relying too much on chance and maybes."

"It's all I have. Unless I want to be permanently barren or go completely celibate and lock myself in a little box where these four can't get to me, neither of which I want to do, then there is nothing more I can do other than hoping and wishing."

"You have endless amounts of people around you to help and support you." Nasta said softly. "You will not be going through anything alone."

"At least there's that." Harry grinned. "I'm heading for hell, but I get to drag the four of you with me."

Max laughed amusedly and plucked Draco from his seat to exchange places with him so he could hug Harry properly.

"You could have just asked!" Draco hissed.

"And give up an opportunity to touch your luscious body? Never!"

Draco went pink, but it was less from anger and more from pleasure as he averted his eyes from Max and started a hasty conversation with Blaise.

Harry had enjoyed actually being able to go to Diagon Alley without incident. Myron had made the media rue the day they had set foot on the alley and no one bothered them, except for two little girls who had pointed at him holding Nasta's hand and confusedly asked their Father why two boys were holding hands.

Their Father had looked up at them sharply, seen the baby in Harry's arms, went to Nasta who stood head and shoulders taller than him and was twice as broad, before his eyes went to Harry's forehead. Harry glared and the man had swallowed.

"They're married Lauren." The man managed to get out of his tight throat.

"But they're both boys! How can they be married?" The youngest girl demanded.

"They love one another, so they married. Now come on!"

"So two boys can marry if they're in love, does that mean I can marry a girl if I love her?" The oldest girl asked. The Standard book of spells, grade one clutched in her arms aged her to eleven.

The man looked horrified and shot an accusing glare at Harry and Nasta growled threateningly, starting to release pheromones that instilled fear into the man.

The man's eyes went wide and he hurried his two daughters into the nearest shop. Nasta had wrapped him up tighter and kissed his forehead, right in the middle of the alley. It had made Harry feel better and they had carried on shopping, Harry finally getting into the baby boutique shop to buy some outfits for Braiden and to also slyly look at the prices for cots and bassinets. They had one bassinet and one cot; they would have to move Braiden out of their bedroom and into the nursery before he was ready because of the new baby, or babies. Harry swallowed as he saw that the prices of cots ran into hundreds of Galleons, one absolutely gorgeous solid wooden, hand carved, cot costed over a thousand Galleons.

None of them were short of Galleons, but how many cots and bassinets would they have to buy? If he got pregnant again just after this baby was born he would have to buy even more cots, not to mention every baby needed a new mattress and new linens. Harry had a vision then of a room the size of the Great Hall and every inch of the room was covered in cots holding sleeping babies. He shuddered and cuddled into Nasta, who looked at him with a frown, but draped an arm over his shoulders. He never wanted that vision to become reality, there had to have been at least a hundred babies in that room, he was going to struggle with two.

Harry held Blaise's hand as he made his way into the school. He breathed in deeply and smiled as he realised that he no longer considered the castle as his only home. Max's house was the place he most considered home now and he grinned as teenaged girls swooned over Max, who had once again put Braiden securely into his baby carrier and was striding through the castle like a virgin's wet dream wearing just a sleeveless vest and a pair of loose, linen trousers.

Harry himself was following quickly, just to keep that gorgeous ass in his sight; tugging Blaise with him and leaving Nasta with Draco, because Malfoy's never rush.

They all sat at the Slytherin table, because all the girls from all of the other tables were shoving each other to 'make room' for Max to sit next to them.

"Awww." Harry complained.

"Don't worry Harry, they can say and do what they want as long as they don't come anywhere near me." Max told him.

"Huh?" Harry said slowly.

"Why don't you tell Max just why you are so disappointed?" Blaise teased.

"You sat down." Harry said with a grin. "I was enjoying the view."

Max laughed and pulled Harry gently onto his lap to kiss him with a lot of tongue; Harry pulled back and kissed Braiden's head.

"I like this baby carrier." Harry announced. "He's safe, protected; no one can take him from us and unlike with the carrycot we don't have to put him down where he can be kidnapped."

Max run his fingers through his hair, watching as, instead of bouncing back into place like normal hair did, it stayed up in ruffled tufts and thick layered clumps. Max loved Harry's hair. It was so soft, thick and clean, but so different to everyone else's hair that it was its own entity.

"I spent an hour doing that hair!" Draco scolded, trying to salvage Harry's hair with his fingers. Harry was wholly unconcerned with the state of his hair but he purred deeply as Draco's fingers massaged his scalp.

Draco stayed behind Harry playing with his hair throughout the sorting ceremony and then the food was there and Harry dug in happily, having missed Max's usual large lunches for pumpkin pasties and cauldron cakes, which just couldn't fill him up properly anymore, not since he had met Max.

His mates watched him as he ate and when it seemed that he was actually going to eat more than usual they focused on their own plates. Harry stopped eating halfway through and pulled out a bottle from the black dragonhide satchel on his shoulder. It was his new nappy bag that he had seen in the baby boutique and he had fallen in love with it and after Nasta had made absolutely sure it was shedded hide and not from a murdered dragon, he had actually bought it for him as a present. Though he had spent ten minutes checking the quality of the hide and checking the thickness of the hide, apparently if it was more than an inch thick, it made a higher quality item and looked much better, but to go an inch deep into a dragon's hide meant to injure and kill it, if it was less than an inch thick, like Harry's bag, then it was shedded hide, which didn't look quite as good, vibrant or shiny, but still made a strong, durable and fire resistant item. For Nasta's piece of mind Harry didn't care that his black nappy bag was a dullish grey-black instead of shiny, jet black like the living scales of a dragon. It made him sick to think that people paid hundreds of galleons per square inch for the hide of a murdered dragon just for them to wear.

Harry tugged Braiden from the carrier and bounced him lightly to ease him gently from sleep so that he could have his bottle. He rubbed the bottle teat on his cheek and watched with a smile as Braiden rooted for the nipple before taking it into his mouth.

Harry fed him quickly and efficiently, burped him, wiped the spit up milk with a soft cloth and slipped Braiden back into the carrier on Max's chest and placed a little ear flat over Max's strong heartbeat, Braiden was asleep again within moments.

Harry happily dug into his slice of treacle tart and even had a second one, watched by a disapproving Nasta, who was eating an apple, but his oldest lover said nothing and as long as he said nothing, Harry was happy to eat treacle tart until he was full…or sick, whichever one came first.

Harry managed three and a half slices of treacle tart, watched on in amazement by those around him and when he finally put his fork down and pushed the last half of tart away from him it was Daphne Greengrass who spoke first.

"Where did you put all of that?" She asked him, not unkindly, but looking pointedly to his slim frame. "I can see that you've put weight on since last year, but not enough to be eating near four slices of tart after a large meal."

Harry shrugged. "I'm pregnant." He told her and loved the shock that covered her face and the faces around her as they heard.

"Again?" Theodore Nott demanded.

"I do have four lovers." Harry pointed out, giving him a glare as he looked to see where Blaise was. He trusted Blaise completely; he didn't trust Nott not to touch his lover, not one bit.

"Whose baby is it this time?" Pansy asked neutrally.

Harry shrugged again. "Absolutely no idea. I am a man of carnal desires and have a harem of men at my beck and call. I can't help myself, when I get started I can't seem to stop until I'm unconscious."

Blaise and Max chuckled, Nasta just rolled his eyes but Draco looked scandalised.

"That is not something you should be talking about publically!" He chastised.

"Relax Draco, I wasn't going to tell them about the time you fucked me in the shower so hard you ripped down the shower rail." Harry said with a devious glint in his eyes.

"You just did Mio amore." Blaise pointed out with a chuckle.

"Oops."

"When was this?" Daphne asked, striving for nonchalance, but Harry could see the lust in her eyes.

"Oh we went to Guadeloupe this summer on holiday. I think it was the first morning we were there, wasn't it love?" Harry asked evilly.

"Are you having four babies?" A girl a year below them interrupted curiously.

"Why would you think that?" Harry asked.

"There's a male carrier in my family, he has a male harem too, though he only has three lovers. Every pregnancy he had was triplets, one baby for each lover except for one peculiar pregnancy where he had six babies, but it turned out that those three extra babies were a set of identical twins and a set of identical triplets."

Harry mouthed a bit as the girl continued.

"I'm surprised your first pregnancy only gave you the one baby, but then I suppose you only had Draco and Blaise at the point of conception, but maybe you'll make up for it with this pregnancy." She eyed his still reasonably flat stomach with considering eyes. "You'll want to gain a bit more weight and start taking a bone strengthening potion or you'll be in agony soon enough. Cristobel was when he hit three months, his body wasn't big enough to support all six babies so he was confined to a bed and force fed nutrient and bone strengthening potions and he came out of it alright, though at this point he had eighteen children. He made his lovers go for vasectomies."

Every male listening except for Harry winced. "Did it work?" He asked.

"Of course it did, if no sperm can get into the sac, no baby can be formed."

"Absolutely no way." Max hissed. "I don't care if we get a hundred babies, I will not have a vasectomy!"

Harry thought back to the vision of the hundred cots in a room the same size of the one he was sat in, all full of babies and rather thought that if Max had shared this vision he would be the first in line for a vasectomy, but Harry said nothing and just smiled sweetly.

"Not even if I have four babies a year?"

That stopped Max short and he looked to be thinking it through.

"In ten years we could have forty babies. Maybe even more if I get pregnant twice in the same year like I have this time. That's a lot of dirty nappies, vomit and snot Max."

Max licked his lips and seemed to be warring between the two points.

"Even you don't have a hundred relatives." Harry pointed out. "We'd run out of people to fob them off on to. We'd never be able to go anywhere or do anything as we'd always have four newborns with us, I'd have my sac ripped out first."

Blaise chuckled and kissed his cheek.

"If we get over forty babies, then I'd say it was time for a vasectomy."

"Agreed." Draco answered, looking on in horror. "If we have forty babies, I'll go for a vasectomy."

Harry chuckled. "Forty does seem a bit much, but some of our older children will be grown up, our little Braiden will be on his way to Hogwarts in ten years' time. So we won't ever have forty babies."

"By the time we have forty kids Harry; I will be more than ready for a vasectomy." Draco told him.

Harry yawned, but dutifully looked up at the top table when the dishes vanished. Harry barely heard Dumbledore's start of term speech and when he was done he was leaning against Draco, nearly sleeping.

Nasta scooped him up from the bench and carried him to their old rooms. They were just how they had left them and Harry smiled, inhaling the familiar scent and welcoming the rush of happy memories these rooms brought him.

"I love these rooms." He told them happily.

"Let's get you to bed love, you, Draco and Blaise have lessons tomorrow." Nasta told him softly.

"Are you working tomorrow?" Harry asked.

"You know I'm on paperwork duty for as long as I can stick it. Though they may need me soon, breeding season is almost upon the dragons and it's the worse time of the year for a dragon handler." Nasta told him with a smile. "Max goes back to work in a few weeks unless an urgent call comes in for a stock of potions."

Harry nodded as he was put in the bed and tucked in after being stripped and redressed. Braiden was placed in his bassinet and the three week old baby squirmed as he lost contact with Max's warm body, but fell quiet and still a few moments later.

Draco groomed himself and got himself ready for bed while Blaise just stripped to his boxer-briefs, pulled on a pair of pyjama bottoms and climbed in beside him.

Max, who had forced Harry to stay in bed that morning when Braiden cried at six in the morning for his bottle, let out a jaw breaking yawn and climbed in on his other side, pulling Harry and Blaise tight to his chest. Draco climbed in behind Max and faced away from him, back to back, one leg hooked around Max's and Nasta climbed in behind Blaise, closest to Braiden. He would be the one to wake up in the middle of the night with the baby.

- X

Harry blinked open gluey, emerald eyes and it took him a moment to realise where he was. He was being squashed and remembered that they were back at Hogwarts. Their bed here was smaller than the one at Max's, so it was a tighter fit. Not that he minded as he rolled out of bed and scooped up Braiden before he started crying, trailed carefully down the stairs from their platform bed and wandered into their kitchen area to boil some water for a bottle and a cup of tea, perhaps ginger this morning as he was feeling slightly nauseous. He hoped he never had morning sickness as bad as he had with Braiden. He hated it more than almost anything else about pregnancy.

Harry sipped the ginger tea and fed Braiden, a tiny hand covering his own as he held the bottle and Harry grinned happily as Braiden's fingers brushed gently against his skin. Braiden was growing and learning.

"You're such an amazing baby and I'm so sorry I got pregnant again so soon, I swear I'll still play with you and pay attention to you, this baby won't take anything away from you, I promise. I still love you and you'll always be my first child, no one can ever take that away from you Braiden." Harry told the suckling baby, kissing his forehead as bright purple eyes flitted open to look at him. Harry loved that Braiden had taken Blaise's gorgeous indigo eyes.

Harry burped Braiden and kissed him gently as they cuddled quietly together as Harry sipped his tea to ease his queasy stomach.

Max came out at twenty past six halfway through a yawn, his hair all rumpled and his face still sleep creased.

"Morning Max." Harry greeted softly.

"Alright Harry?" Max said back, coming to give him a kiss, pulling Braiden's head to his face for a kiss, before grinning as he went into the little kitchenette. "It's not my kitchen, but it's good enough."

Harry chuckled as he finished his tea.

"Do you want another one?" Max asked him as he started making pancakes for breakfast.

"Please. Ginger tea though."

Max turned to him as quick as Harry could blink.

"Are you alright? You haven't been sick have you? I didn't hear anything."

"I'm fine, I just felt slightly queasy this morning, so I think it might be safe just to stick to ginger tea."

Max nodded and quickly made the tea and placed it in front of him.

"Thank you Max."

"That's alright love. Nasta's up and showering quickly before Draco gets in there."

Harry smiled and drank his tea, thankful that he felt better.

"I smell ginger." Was Blaise's first comment as he came into the kitchen slash living room.

"Just a queasy belly. I'm fine." Harry smiled, hugging Blaise as he kissed Braiden.

"You're sure you're alright?" Nasta asked as he greeted Max with a deep kiss, his hair still damp from his shower.

"Where's my kiss?" Blaise demanded.

Nasta chuckled and pulled Blaise into a toe curling kiss, sitting him in a chair as he came to Harry and kissed him deeply, his tongue stoking over Harry's in greeting. Braiden got a peck to the lips as well as his eyes landed on his Daddy Nasta for a moment.

"Don't forget Draco's kiss." Max reminded Nasta.

"Draco had his first." Nasta replied with a grin as he set the table.

"I missed it? Damn it!"

"Stop being a lecher." Draco demanded as he walked into their living room slash kitchen already dressed in his uniform.

"I like being a lecher." Max replied as he served up some pancakes for everyone, before going back to make more.

"I wish I could take him with me." Harry said softly as he looked to Braiden's sweet little face and huge, trusting eyes.

"Perhaps it was a good idea that we went on holiday without him, it's helped you learn to carry on without him." Nasta said thoughtfully.

"At least it won't be days on end without seeing him, you can see him for lunch and then after dinner you'll spend the evening with him." Max pointed out.

Harry smiled. "At least there's that." He conceded brushing his knuckles against the so soft skin of Braiden's chubby cheek.

At half past eight in the morning they made their way down to the Great Hall and slipped to where their Head of House were handing out the students' schedules to sleepy, unhappy, grumbling pupils. Max came with Harry to the Gryffindor table to collect his schedule from Professor McGonagall, who gave Harry a rare smile and chucked Braiden under his chin as she handed him his schedule.

Harry read it and frowned as he counted his subjects and realised he was one short and that he had free periods on his timetable, no N.E.W.T student had free periods.

"Professor, has there been a mistake with my schedule? I seem to have free periods and I'm down a subject."

"You have been taken out of your Potions course Potter." Professor McGonagall informed him and Harry made an 'ah' sound, understanding all at once. He was pregnant again and couldn't do the course, not to mention he had to cancel his Ministry tests because of his pregnancy, he should have realised. He'd have to make sure he didn't get pregnant next summer and that he took his N.E. in Potions.

Harry wandered back to Draco, Blaise and Nasta and handed over his schedule before it could be snatched from him.

"Why do you get free periods?" Draco demanded.

"Because I've been kicked from the Potions course due to pregnancy." Harry grinned.

Draco blanched as he searched Harry's schedule for Potions and didn't find it.

"I'll take the tests this summer." Harry assured. "But I'll need to do a lot of work."

"We'll all help and support you." Nasta told him as he checked all of their schedules against one another. "Your first lessons aren't together."

"I didn't take Arithmancy." Harry said. "I have Charms first."

"Me too." Hermione said as she popped up behind him with her schedule.

"There we go. I'll be with Hermione, she's not a you-know-what, but she's damned fast with her hexes and curses, she'll keep me safe."

Harry chuckled as the whole idea was ludicrous. He was a Dracken, he was decent at defence and he had defeated Voldemort at fifteen. He didn't need protecting from a bunch of students.

"Be careful, you hold onto the bannister rail if you go up and down stairs, you do not run and you tread carefully." Nasta told him sternly. Hermione giggled.

"I'll be fine, I promise." Harry answered as he handed Braiden to Nasta and held onto Hermione's arm. "Come on Hermione, if we're going to get to Charms this side of Christmas we'd best leave now, every step needs to be measured and weighed carefully."

Harry exaggeratedly picked his foot up and slowly put it down half an inch in front of him, making sure his toes were firmly on the stone floor before he eased his heel down, made sure his foot was securely on the floor before peeling his other foot up and putting it half an inch in front of him and repeating. It took him four minutes to move past Blaise, who was almost crying in mirth.

Nasta swatted him bum with a grin and told him to get to it and that he'd see them at lunch. Harry giggled and set off at a normal pace with Hermione towards Charms and after that he had History of Magic and then Transfiguration with Draco then Defence Against the Dark Arts and finally Herbology with Hermione and Neville.

He met up with all of his mates and shared a kiss with them all as they sat around the Slytherin table for dinner and told of the exhausting first day they had had and the mountain of homework they had been given by merciless Professors.

"I'll be fifty before I get through with it all." Draco complained and he speared a broccoli floret with his fork and popped it into his mouth, chewing moodily.

"I have a Herbology essay that needs to be in tomorrow!" Harry whined.

"I need to go to the library after dinner." Blaise joined in. "I have twenty Defence questions I need to answer by tomorrow."

"What questions are they?" Harry asked interestedly, wondering if they were the same ones he had been given and had already answered with ease. They were.

Harry giggled as he pulled out his already completed Defence questions and handed them to Blaise, who pulled his head into a deep kiss before scouring the homework, taking in the information instead of just copying it.

"When did you get the time to answer them? Wasn't Defence your last but one lesson?"

"I answered them in the half hour break between Defence and Herbology." Harry gloated proudly.

"What lessons do you have tomorrow?" Nasta asked as he pushed his empty plate away from him and picked up his pumpkin juice.

"Double Potions, Charms, double Defence and Arithmancy." Blaise answered moodily.

"Double Potions, History, double Defence and Arithmancy." Draco answered just as unhappily.

"A double free period, History, double Herbology and Charms." Harry grinned. "I'll get to sleep early, wake up with Braiden and do my homework in the two hours before my lessons start."

Nasta nodded his acceptance of Harry's plan. "You two need to do your homework before you go to sleep and you can lie in tomorrow morning." He told Draco and Blaise, who nodded themselves, unhappy with the prospect of an evening full of homework.

They went to their rooms and Harry snuggled with Braiden, but decided to get his Transfiguration essay done and over with when Draco pulled his out, they had Transfiguration together, so had the same homework, so it made sense to work through it together. Harry was tired when he finished, so he fed Braiden his ten o'clock bottle, kissed all four of his mates goodnight and went up to bed.

It felt nice being back in the castle, nice being back into the flow of a balanced education and the castle was so welcoming and calm, despite the hustle and bustle of everyday student life, that he felt calm and balanced himself, which put him in a good mood despite the mountain of homework he had and put his mates in a good mood. He was sure all of that would change once exam month rolled around and if his two youngest dominants were anything like there were last year, during the practise and mock N.E. , what were they going to be like when the real thing rolled around? Plus he'd have given birth already, Max and Nasta would be back in work and he was sure everything would be one huge mess. His last thought before he went to sleep was a prayer that he was pregnant with only one baby.

- X

A/N: Writing break is over, my week holiday from work is about to start. I feel a creative burst coming on!

Thanks to **TeddyReBelDe** for being the **6,900****th**** reviewer**! Almost 7000!

**FoxxyWeasel**: Blaise could be a higher dominant if he chose to be, but he doesn't want to be. He's happy where he is. If he had fought, he would not have beaten Nasta or Max, but he could very well be above Draco if he wished to be.

**America's the Hero**: Hmm…You could very well be onto something there with the chromosomes, but I shouldn't look too deeply into it. Not every carrier of the male pregnancy gene is going to have an XX chromosome pairing and not every dominant female is going to have an XY pairing, but some of them may very well have.

**Arquenniel: **Nope, I have never been to Guadeloupe, I did a hell of a lot of research and scouring for information to build up the last chapter, using real places, real attractions and real destinations, that and the length of the chapter is why it took so long to get out.

**Bad-Habit**: No. Absolutely not. Drackens repel anyone that has too close a blood tie, the person would not even be seen as a potential mate and a submissive would not chose two dominants for the same reason, like Harry could not have had Max and then chosen Caesar. His Dracken would have smell the close blood tie and rejected the one in favour of the other, a Dracken wants children from a wide, strong and healthy gene pool, taking two brothers as mates would seriously affect that and limit the children's gene pool.

**SierraSliver**: Your link this time didn't work! It's been driving me absolutely, completely insane.

**roosickle**: Max didn't actually see a shark. He was teasing. As if Nasta would have let Harry stay in the water if there had been any sharks about. It was a saltwater lagoon filled with coral reef and schools of fish, nothing more dangerous than a squid. The salt water information in the book was partially wrong. It will only start irritating the skin if they remain in the water for an hour or longer, getting increasingly worse the longer they stay in, there is a cream that can be applied to reduce the rash, but you can be sure there will be no swimming in the oceans for little baby Drackens.

**MadMoony:** Oh they most definitely will hear all about what Harry went through with Voldemort as soon as it pops up. Hints are coming out in the chapters, but one huge, blow out scene will open the flood gates and everything becomes known. As for Ron, he won't ever be good sorry. He'll never be redeemed in my eyes from the original books.

**qwerty**: I am on deviantart under the name StarLight Massacre, but don't expect any pictures or art or anything, I joined to see the mature rated content readers are sending me links to.

**Good:** I have no idea what a pdf version of anything is or even how to do it, sorry.

**Sera21**: The Dracken side of them wouldn't have allowed them to roll on top of Braiden, like the dominants speak to one another when they sleep, the Dracken side would have kept all mates acutely aware of the baby in their midst.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with Braiden, he is a happy, healthy baby and yes he's quiet and sleeps soundly. Not every baby is alike, some can't sleep for more than an hour without waking up, some sleep right the way through the night. Every baby is different and Braiden takes after Blaise, who was also a quiet baby, though come to think of it Harry was quiet a quiet and calm baby too. Braiden has just taken his two parents calm and quiet, he's completely fine.

**EverAfter:** You make a good point. The two wars with Voldemort threatening their country could account for why there are more dominants than submissives, but that doesn't count for all the other countries, who are also suffering a low submissive count, the wars only ever affected Britain, so it's a brilliant theory and it could also be a huge factor in the declining numbers of submissives, but it doesn't add everything together.

Thank you to everyone who read and reviewed! If I've missed out any of your questions I'm sorry!

StarLight Massacre. X


	50. Hectic Hounding

_Last Time_

_It felt nice being back in the castle, nice being back into the flow of a balanced education and the castle was so welcoming and calm, despite the hustle and bustle of everyday student life, that he felt calm and balanced himself, which put him in a good mood despite the mountain of homework and put his mates in a good mood. He was sure all of that would change once exam month rolled around and if his two youngest dominants were anything like there were last year, during the practise and mock N.E. , what were they going to be like when the real thing rolled around? Plus he'd have given birth already, Max and Nasta would be back in work and he was sure everything would be one huge mess. His last thought before he went to sleep was a prayer that he was pregnant with only one baby._

Chapter Fifty – Hectic Hounding

Life soon dissolved into chaos, it was just one week into school and Harry had taken to tearing out clumps of his own hair. Braiden was a little over a month old, he was a month pregnant, he was drowning in his own homework and Max had been called back into work urgently for a huge order of Rubella draughts as a break out of the disease had started in a Magical community.

It started one morning and they had no warning as Harry darted awake in the early hours of Wednesday, a week after term had started and puked his guts onto Draco's bare shoulder, who had had the misfortune of sleeping next to him when the morning sickness struck as quick as a viper.

Draco woke screaming and cringed away from his own shoulder as the warm, wetness slid slowly and sickeningly down his arm. He rushed off still yelling into the bathroom to shower, Braiden had been startled into crying and Blaise groggily pulled him into his arms to sooth him as Nasta tried to sooth Harry as he dry heaved over and over again until he thought his own stomach was trying to come up his throat, his eyes streaming, his nose running as his body shook uncontrollably.

Max, who had gotten home very late and was due an early morning, was not happy to be woken up to such noise and activity, but he dutifully rubbed Harry's back as the spasms threatened to make Harry collapse.

Harry finally stopped, but lay spent and sobbing on the bed as Nasta wiped his eyes and nose for him as Max dabbed the vomit and bile from his mouth. Draco, finished showering and having a fit, brought Harry a glass of water to wash his mouth out with and still huffing and quivering, Harry took a few shaky mouthfuls, swilled his mouth out and spat on the carpet, which was already covered in vomit, before Nasta removed it all with a simple wave of his wand.

"I'm sorry." He croaked out, his throat feeling like a raw wound.

"You have nothing to be sorry for." Nasta told him immediately as he carefully eased him up and into his arms, one hand rubbing his belly softly.

"As long as you don't puke on me again, I can forgive you this once." Draco told him, kissing his sweaty forehead.

Harry chuckled weakly as he tried to control his shaking with no success.

"Should I call the Headmaster and tell him you won't be in lessons today?" Nasta asked him.

"No. No, I'll be alright. I can't afford to miss any lessons. I just need some tea and maybe a few crackers."

Nasta nodded and carried him slowly and carefully into the living room where Blaise was feeding Braiden and placed him on the settee and wrapped him in a blanket as he was still shivering and a bit shocky from the suddenness of waking up only to throw up. He was given sweet, ginger tea and a packet of salted crackers, which he sipped slowly and nibbled on until the queasiness went away. It was only just coming up to six in the morning and none of them wanted to be awake this early, Max least of all, who had been herded back into the bedroom by Nasta and shoved back into bed, which had been stripped and changed by Draco, who was getting so much better at small domestic things like that.

They sufficed with cereal and toast for breakfast as Max tried to get a few more hours sleep before he spent the day making more potions and Harry was far too shaken up and weak bodied to cook.

At eight Max was up, showered and dressed for work and he kissed them all goodbye hastily, as he smothered a yawn behind his hand and flooed off to work. Harry only hoped he didn't make a mistake or have an accident, which could ruin an entire batch of potion and mean Max would be working for longer as he started again.

At ten to nine Harry shakily held onto Draco as they made their way down to Transfiguration, leaving Braiden with Nasta, who was napping, and leaving Blaise on the fifth floor as he headed to Ancient Runes.

"You look terrible!" Hermione greeted worriedly as he sat between her and Draco at the front of the classroom, a concerned Professor McGonagall listening to them.

"Morning sickness came back with a vengeance." He smiled weakly as he took out his parchment, quills, ink and completed homework.

"Are you alright though?" She persisted.

'Not really' He thought disparagingly, but he just smiled and nodded as he waited for the double period to be over, they had a half hour break after Transfiguration, but where Draco and Blaise would be heading to Potions afterwards, Harry had a free lesson and he was going to damn well use his two and a half hour break to catch up on some sleep.

Harry battled through the double lesson as much as he could, but his attention just wasn't there and Professor McGonagall knew it. She stopped calling on him for answers and let him work at his own pace as she pushed the other students and when the bell rang for the second time signalling the end of second period and the start of their first half hour break, Harry weakly climbed to his feet and let Draco carry him and their book bags back to their rooms.

Nasta was up and ready for them as he indicated the bed he had made for Harry out of cushions and blankets and wrapped him up and sent him straight to sleep as Draco sat and relaxed for a bit before heading off to Potions to meet Blaise before lunch.

Harry was woken up groggily and fed some chicken broth and some more ginger tea before he was sent off to Charms at one thirty. He felt much better once he had woken up some more and thanked heaven that it was Wednesday and he had had that little respite right in the middle of the day where his Potions lesson should have been.

After dinner, they all relaxed back on the settees with groans and sighs, Harry happily taking Braiden as he had barely seen his baby at all today and he was feeling a tad guilty for that as he played a game of 'wiggle worm' with Braiden, which was a game he had made up where he took one of Braiden's limbs, an arm or a leg, and wiggled it about gently but vigorously and called his son a little worm. Braiden loved the game and showed it by flinging out his arms and legs and stretching them, building up muscles and gaining control of his limbs at the same time.

It was as Harry was playing this game with Braiden, that his son let out two short huffs and every mate stopped and looked at the baby. They cocked their heads, lowered eyebrows and looked at Braiden consideringly and Harry curiously took hold of Braiden's leg again when his son squirmed unhappily and wiggled it. Braiden huffed three times as Harry wiggled his leg this time and Harry grinned.

"I think he's trying to laugh!" He exclaimed excitedly.

"He's not trying, he is laughing!" Max said with so much enthusiasm it was almost as if he hadn't been dozing off just a few minutes before. "Do it again!"

Harry wiggled both legs together and Braiden screeched with huffy giggles and it startled Harry into letting go of Braiden's legs.

Blaise tickled Braiden's side and got the same screech of delight and both arms flew over Braiden's head and out to the sides.

It turned into a new game as all of them took turns to make their son giggle, huff and screech. It was amazing. Yesterday Braiden hadn't been able to laugh, only coo in happiness, even this morning he hadn't been able to huff in delight, but now, their four week old son couldn't stop as they tickled him, wiggled his limbs and blew raspberries on him.

"This is amazing." Draco exclaimed as he held Braiden up to his face and nuzzled their noses together.

Things got better then, Harry's morning sickness didn't come back the following day, Braiden delighted them all by keeping up a steady stream of coos, giggles, huffs and screeches and on Tuesday morning, he grinned a huge, cheesy grin that Max captured with a camera.

It brought tears to Harry's eyes and he wiped them away, feeling like a fool. Nasta chuckled and pulled him into a kiss.

"It's alright love." He said with a soft rumble. "He's growing by the day, he's learning, developing. He's growing up and he wants to show us that he is."

"I'm being stupid, damn hormones." Harry complained as he wiped the tears away, cupping his belly, that had started to swell minimally, but it was now obvious that he was gaining weight, and not losing it and those who hadn't yet heard that he was pregnant again, were pointing and speculating as if it were some huge secret.

When October rolled around, Braiden was brightening up the rainy sky with continuous giggles, coos, exclaimed grunts and kicks. He was able to push himself up on his arms and hold his head up to look at them for a few moments before he dropped back down. Braiden had taken a special interest in his own hand; particularly his left one and took to chewing and sucking on it.

Nasta was back in part-time work, but he had volunteered himself for the graveyard shifts, so that he was with Braiden in the day as Max was in work. Lessons were in full swing and Harry only barely had enough time to do everything with his free periods, he had no idea how Blaise and Draco were dealing with their homework load, but Harry spent most days carrying Braiden around with him, keeping a running commentary of what he was doing because Braiden cried and fussed when Harry stopped talking for a long stretch of time.

He was two months pregnant and though he was feeling queasy in the mornings, he hadn't yet had as bad a time than that morning three weeks ago when he had woken with vomit already in his throat. He was due a scan this afternoon and through a stroke of bad luck, once again none of his mates would be there.

Harry carried a gurgling Braiden into the hospital wing, his belly looking like he had swallowed a Quaffle already, but he put it down to the fact that he hadn't lost his baby weight from Braiden before getting pregnant again.

"Morning Madam Pomfrey!" He called out to the matron, who was tutting over two fourth year girls.

"Good morning Harry, if you'd have a bed, I'll be with you in just a moment."

Harry climbed awkwardly onto the bed and laid Braiden on his back and began tickling him, filling the hospital wing with his huffy screeches of laughter.

"I see little Braiden has learnt how to laugh."

Harry grinned and nodded.

"He's coming on fantastically well Harry. How old is he now?" Madam Pomfrey praised as she shimmied two protesting girls out of the hospital wing once they were fixed up.

"Two months, just about nine weeks."

"So you are eight weeks pregnant, yes?"

"That's right."

"Most first scans aren't until twelve weeks, but as Drackens develop a lot quicker, let's see if we can't find something to take a photo of."

Harry grinned and stripped off his shirt, reclining back with Braiden tucked into the crook of one arm. He watched as the picture was projected from Madam Pomfrey's flat wand on his stomach and moved his head closer without dislodging the wand, squinting as he tried to make sense of the mess his eyes were showing him.

"Oh dear." Madam Pomfrey exclaimed and covered her mouth as her eyes scanned the image.

"What? What is it? I can't see the baby like I could with Braiden? Is it alright?"

"Calm yourself Harry, please." Madam Pomfrey ordered as she made a photo of the picture and gave it to him, Harry tracked it restlessly, trying to find his baby, but it was just a mess of white, lines of grey and a mass of black.

"I'm sorry Harry, but this is frightful news."

Harry swallowed and curled in on himself, expecting to be told that his baby was dead and he was having a stillborn.

"What is it?" He forced himself to say tearfully.

"There have to be at least four babies inside of you."

"Fo…four?" He croaked out, feeling a sense of relief that the babies were alive, but a tremor of fear sliced down his spine. Four babies in a single pregnancy, one had been hard enough and four newborns into exam week was going to ruin them.

Madam Pomfrey took the photo, duplicated it and ringed four masses of grey with a red circle with her wand, then she grimaced and circled a fifth.

"Five babies. These masses of grey are hearts Harry, five hearts, five babies."

Harry quivered as he took the photo with the five red rings and looked at the very pale grey masses inside the white masses. Hearts. His babies' hearts. The fear almost made him sick, he felt self-loathing as the thought that he didn't want these babies flitted through his mind. He didn't want them. Not one of them, but at least he might have had a hope in hell of coping if it had been just one baby, what was he going to do with five newborns?

He burst out crying and he couldn't stop, he sobbed and cried and sniffled in the bed and he cried so hard he made himself sick.

"I'm going to call a specialist Healer Harry. He'll swear to a secrecy oath, but you need him."

Harry just continued crying and didn't answer as the misery threatened to consume him. The next he knew, strong, able hands were over his belly, feeling and pressing and Harry hissed and swiped, but one of those strong hands caught his and he was looking into icy brown eyes. How such a warm colour managed to look like chips of ice, Harry didn't know, but a calming draught was shoved down his throat and his crying tapered off into huffy sniffles.

"Harry, this is Healer Almus, he's a pregnancy specialist and most particularly specialises in male pregnancy."

The Healer turned out warmer than his eyes indicated and calmed him down further before going back to feeling and pressing on his stomach.

"There are five babies." He confirmed as he finished pressing and poking. "Five heads and five bottoms. I take it this is more than you bargained for, how many lovers do you have?"

"Four." Harry replied miserably, his voice thin.

"Is that little boy one of four or…?" Healer Almus trailed off, looking at Braiden pointedly.

"No. It was just him on his own."

"How unusual."

"Not for a Dracken. Dracken's first pregnancy is always the one baby, unless in the situation of identical multiples."

The Healer hummed thoughtfully. "I confess I know next to nothing about Drackens and have never treated one, but I am a specialist in male pregnancy, I can't believe they'd differ too drastically, so I'm going to treat you like any other patient, I'll prescribe you bone strengthening potions and nutrient potions that you are to take no questions asked, you could also benefit from a light sleeping potion in the evenings and perhaps a small supply of calming draughts, I'll get the hospital's Potions Master on making some for you immediately."

"Just tell me which potions they are; one of my lovers is a Potions Master."

The man's eyebrows lowered in suspicion, as if he thought Harry was lying.

"What is his name?"

"Maximilius Diadesen Maddison."

The man's icy eyes showed recognition and he pulled back in surprise with a small smile.

"I had heard that Max had settled down, I don't believe anyone who is even a small acquaintance of Myron Maddison doesn't know by now, but I had no idea that it was you he had settled down with, Myron neglected to mention that part when we met."

The Healer, who ironically was named Maximillian, wrote down a list of potions and numbers and X's that Harry couldn't make heads or tails of.

"Hand that to Max and he'll know what to do with it. You are fine for now, you seem to be adjusting quickly and your body is responding readily, but judging from the look of that little one, that is hardly surprising, that baby can't be much over two months old."

"Nine weeks." Harry admitted, refusing to make eye contact with the Healer, who was looking disapprovingly at him.

"And you are eight weeks pregnant, how long between the birth of that baby and the conception of these five?"

"Four days." Harry said after a lengthily pause, his cheeks flaming as he found more interest in Braiden than those ice brown eyes.

The Healer hummed knowingly. "Perhaps this will teach you to take more care the next time. Now, onto the future of this pregnancy…"

"I am not terminating them." Harry hissed.

"I wasn't going to suggest it." Healer Almus told him back. "But perhaps you might consider thinking about selective reduction."

"What's that?" Harry asked, not liking the sound of it.

"It's a medical procedure where we remove one or more of the weaker foetuses to give the others a bigger chance of survival. With your slight size and narrow hips, the amount of foetuses in the pregnancy and the size of that baby, I would advise you to take away three babies and leave the two strongest to reduce the risk to you and the risk of having a stillborn baby."

Harry was sure he was gaping like a fish and despite the calming draught in his system; he could feel a bubble of hysteria building up as his eyes burned with tears.

"No!" He gasped out. "No! Absolutely not!"

Healer Almus was unflinching as he carried on, handing him a booklet on the procedure and telling him survival rates and the benefits of the operation.

"The only downside is that there is a higher chance of miscarriage to the remaining foetuses, but it is lowered drastically with the taking of a stabilising potion just after the procedure."

Harry felt the tears cutting down his cheeks as he looked at the booklet and cuddled Braiden, who had fallen asleep sucking his own fist.

Harry wandered back to their rooms and found two worried, pacing mates waiting for him.

"There you are!" Draco said relieved, then he saw the tear tracks, old and new, even as he started crying fresh tears. "What's the matter? Are you alright?"

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry!" He wailed as he just slipped to his knees and started bawling his eyes out.

"Blaise, floo call Max and Nasta." Draco ordered as he went to the floor with Harry and wrapped arms around him.

Harry could hear Blaise desperately trying to get hold of Nasta, but he just repeatedly apologised and rocked and cried, before large, strong, comforting hands picked him up from the floor and cradled him to a chest that smelt like musk and fire. Nasta. The smell of pine sandwiched his back. Max.

Harry eventually cried himself out and into exhaustion and he found himself on the settee, wrapped in a tangle of arms, hiccupping and sniffling.

"Can you tell us what's wrong?" Max asked with a voice that cracked halfway through, he was still wearing his Potions overcoat.

"I'm sorry." Harry sobbed.

"You've apologised several hundred times Cariad, but you've yet to tell us why you're so sorry." Nasta exclaimed gently. "Is it the baby? Is something wrong?"

Harry pulled out the scan photo and shoved it at them; they twisted it, turned it, squinted at it but looked back to him confusedly.

"Usually I'm good with scan pictures; I've seen enough of them, but this." Max shook his head.

"Is that it? There is no baby?" Blaise asked.

Harry shook his head and sniffed, pulling out the second scan photo, the one with the five red circles. His mates couldn't make any more sense of that one either.

"I still can't see what I'm looking at, is the baby…malformed?" Nasta asked, hesitating over the word.

That made Harry give out a weak cough, but he laid the photo flat on his knees. "One, two, three, four, five." He croaked out, pointing to each circle. "Five hearts, five babies."

"Five?" Draco gasped in shock.

"Five." Harry confirmed.

His mates were silent and Harry felt tears well up again. "I'm so sorry." He burst out as more tears he hadn't thought he had left trailed down his cheeks.

"Stop that." Nasta ordered and pulled him in tight to his neck, forcing him to inhale his scent to calm him down. "We'll get through this, we will."

"I've been told to considered selective reduction." Harry informed them.

Nasta stiffened and Max hissed, but Blaise and Draco looked confused.

"How many do they want to take?" Max growled, trying to force his voice into neutral and failing.

"Three."

"Take three what, where?" Draco demanded.

"Selective reduction is an operation performed on a person pregnant with multiple children to terminate a number of foetuses before they are born to give the remaining foetuses a higher survival rate." Nasta informed the two subordinate dominants. "The Healers want to take three of the five that Harry is pregnant with and leave him with just two."

"I told the Healer no. I told him over and over no, but he just kept telling me to think about it, to tell you and to consider the scenario where I refuse and me and all five babies die. He said that at least if I went through with it I had a good chance of surviving even if none of the babies do."

"Say you went through with it and had three babies removed, why would the remaining two then die?" Blaise asked calmly.

"The procedure gives an increased risk of miscarriage." Harry told them.

"We will think about it as an option." Nasta said and held up his hand when everyone went to interrupt them. "But not today. We are all going to calm down today; you are going to bed Harry, or at least taking a nap on the settee, you three are calming down and doing what you're supposed to be."

"I need to get back to work, I put the potions under the care of the apprentice, but I don't trust her not to blow up her own face." Max said disparagingly, not for the first time, of the twenty-one year old that was desperate to become a Potions Mistress, but lacked the intellect and talent for it. Max complained every night that she should never have been accepted into an apprenticeship, but her Father held sway with the appointers of the Potions Academy so he and his co-workers were stuck with her.

"Max!" Harry called him back before he could floo away; he pulled out the list of potions and all the numbers and little X's. "The Healer said I need those."

Max looked at them and then to him and Harry bit his lip, perhaps it might have been better to let the Hospital's Potions Master make the potions for him from the way Max was looking at him in shock.

"You need all of these? These are hideously strong potions and the dosages on them are at the addiction level!" Max shook his head and sighed.

"The Healer told me to give them to you, because you're a Potions Master."

Max nodded. "I'll make them all for you, but I'll be administering them personally."

Harry nodded in acceptance and allowed himself to be tucked up on the settee with Braiden as he was feeling exhausted and drained from today and the pregnancy didn't help. It might have just been his mind but now that he knew he was pregnant with five babies, his bump looked that much bigger, felt that much heavier and he seemed just a tad more drained than he had before he knew. He couldn't wait until March came around and he birthed these babies, but on the other hand he could wait, because once they were out of him, there would be five, squawking, squalling, crying newborn babies in his ear day in, day out, throughout the night and he was sure none of them would be able to cope. It wasn't fair!

* * *

It was Halloween and Harry had sent all four of his mates to the feast, telling them he wanted to mourn in peace. They all knew why and nodded understandingly, but all Harry wanted was some space and time to himself as he had been taken everywhere by the hand for the last three weeks and he couldn't take it anymore, so he had booted them down to the feast, denied any company and huddled himself on the rug in front of the fire to relax as he listened to the wood popping and crackling beside him and nothing else.

They had done nothing but argue and scream at one another for three weeks and had had two Healer consultations with Maximillian Almus, who was just as frustrated with them as they were with each other.

They couldn't come to an agreement over the pregnancy. They couldn't come to an agreement on whether they wanted the selective reduction or not, there were pros and cons for each side and Harry just could not decide. None of them could and as Healer Almus, who had thrown himself into factual books on Drackens and their pregnancies, pointed out, they were running out of time. The babies would be viable soon and it would be illegal to terminate them.

Harry stroked the bulge he had grown overnight. He looked six months pregnant at three months and he was growing still. He kept himself covered at all times as, unlike with Braiden, he was getting disgusting stretch marks around his lower abdomen and thighs. He hated them and no matter how many times Draco or Blaise, Max or Nasta said they were fine, that he was still gorgeous, he still didn't want anyone to see them. He didn't want to see them, so he remained covered even if he was sweating because of the heat of being cuddled up to four bodies during the night.

Harry cupped the misshapen bulge and sighed.

"I don't want any of you." He admitted out loud. "But I can't just kill you all off, or pick three of you to die. How do they expect any Mother to pick out three of his or her babies to die? I know it's to give two of you a higher survival rate, but how do I go on and live knowing there were supposed to be five of you? Maybe I'm just being selfish." Harry considered. "Maybe it's not about me, but about you, maybe you feel differently, but I don't think I can bring myself to do it. I know I change my mind every other hour, but I think this is the final decision, the others will feel differently, they change their minds as often as I do, but at the end of everything, it will always be _my_ decision and not theirs."

Harry patted his belly and thought about his parents. What would they have done? He didn't know because he didn't know anything about them and that brought tears to his eyes. He had been so teary and so emotional through this pregnancy that Max had bought him a man sized box of tissues.

The worst though were the cravings. He had had a few cravings with Braiden, most of them normal foods and a few odd ones, like the peas on toast, but this time around he was craving so many different things together than none of the others could stand to be near him when he was eating. Harry blamed the five babies, saying that every baby must have been craving something different as he ate a multitude of combinations which included cheddar cheese cut into sticks, covered with garlic butter and honey, he ate mustard from the jar with a spoon, covered chunks of cucumber with rock salt and smothered absolutely everything he ate with honey. He just had to have honey and when they had run out and Max had told him there was none in their rooms, he had screamed, cried, thrown an absolute fit and almost made himself sick until Max had rushed out and come back with a jar of honey. Harry had then spent the evening dipping his fingers into the jar and sucking it from his fingers.

Just thinking about it made Harry roll to his knees, get to his feet and go rummaging in the cupboards for the stock of honey Max now kept. He pulled one jar down, twisted the lid off, picked up a table spoon and ate spoon after spoon of honey before he went searching for something else, he didn't know what he wanted until he saw the bottle of vinegar. He pulled out a bowl, tipped quarter of a bottle of vinegar into it, spooned out half a jar of honey, mixed them together and smothered a piece of bread with the mixture and ate it. He managed six pieces of bread, which he soaked with vinegar, before the door to his rooms opened and his mates came back with a surprise. Myron, Ashleigh, Richard, Alayla, Talia, Kimberly and Alexander had come to visit and Harry waved as Marianna, Narcissa and Aneirin followed before closing the door.

"What are you eating?" Max demanded in horror.

Harry shrugged and swallowed. "Bread, honey and vinegar. I'm thinking of adding some horseradish, do we have horseradish?" He asked as his eyes drifted to the cupboard.

Talia actually gagged and heaved and Richard rubbed her back soothingly as his eyes remained on Harry.

Harry went digging in the cupboard and he made a happy sound as he found a small jar of horseradish at the back, he pulled out the ever present jar of mustard too and he set to mixing them all together again before spooning the mixture onto more bread and eating it.

Talia darted for the bathroom, but no one else moved as they watched Harry devour the vinegar soaked bread covered with honey, horseradish and mustard. They were transfixed as Harry went back to the cupboard as he decided he wanted something else and he pulled out gravy granules and added them to the mixture to make a thick, brown goo that he polished off an entire loaf of bread with watched in horrified fascination by a group of people he had come to see as family.

"Are you still hungry?" Draco asked, his eyes pleading him to say no.

Harry shook his head. "I'm stuffed." But despite claiming to be completely full, Harry took down another jar of honey as he put his dishes in the sink and sat in front of the fire eating it with his fingers.

"Max said you had something to tell us sweetie." Ashleigh exclaimed, looking like she'd rather not disturb him from his honey as she cradled Braiden.

"Ah!" Harry exclaimed as he grinned widely. "We've decided that it's time to inform you about the pregnancy."

"It seems to be going well." Richard exclaimed with an evil grin.

Harry handed them the old scan photo that Madam Pomfrey had taken what seemed like a year ago, but was only three weeks.

"I can't make any sense of these stupid things." Richard pouted.

"Can anyone see what it shows?"

"I'd say that it was showing there was nothing there, but that's obviously not true." Marianna stated. "So come on, tell us what we're seeing."

Harry pointed to each, fingertip size grey dot in the middle of the huge mass of white that was his five babies cuddled together.

"Are those limbs?" Narcissa asked curiously.

"Nope, those grey specks are hearts. Five hearts. Five babies."

It took a moment for that information to sink in before there was uproar and it took Braiden crying in fright to shut everyone up. Harry took his baby and cuddled him, sitting the two month old baby on his massive bump.

"Five?" Aneirin was the first to exclaim in shock.

"You're too small to carry five babies. You'll snap your own ribs or the babies will crush your spine or pelvis as they grow." Myron told him.

"I've been told to consider selective reduction. They want to take three babies."

"Are…are you going to go through with it?" Ashleigh asked, licking her lips. "I don't think it's a good idea."

"Ashleigh." Myron growled warningly.

"What if one of the three babies chosen is our Max's?" She demanded. "His first child and it might be killed off before it's even born because of this _selective reduction_! It's a fancy word for abortion."

"Don't be a fool." Narcissa scathed. "Would you rather all five babies and Harry die? If the Healers are suggesting it, it's because it's the best option for the health of all involved."

"You're only saying that because there's no chance any of the babies are your son's!" Ashleigh hissed and Draco went ash white.

He had been devastated to learn that none of the babies could be his, but he had taken it in his stride and consoled a tearful Harry, who had been trying to guess who the Father of each baby was as they kicked him in various different places with different levels of pain, only for Harry to realise that Draco hadn't had sex with him the night he had conceived.

Myron dragged Ashleigh to her feet and marched her straight out of their rooms and Richard sighed unhappily.

"Don't mind if I stick around for a bit do you? He's going to tear her a new asshole for what she said and how she's acted."

"Richard!" Kimberly chastised.

Harry remained quiet and no more was said about his pregnancy, the five babies or the selective reduction, instead they talked about the leaps and bounds Braiden had taken and how well he was developing and how brilliantly he was doing until Harry could stick it no longer and claimed to be tired before he fled to the bedroom in tears.

His mates came in ten minutes later, after seeing everyone out and promising to update them if anything else happened or came about, but Harry was already asleep with tears staining his face, his arms wrapped around his considerable belly.

* * *

A/N: Another one for you! How do you all like it? What do you think of the selective reduction and Harry's food cravings?

Massive thanks to everyone who's reviewed this far! 7000 reviews and fifty chapters! How unreal is that?

Thanks to **ColferFan1217** for being the **7000****th**** reviewer**!

Some of you seem to be confused by the last chapter. The Slytherin sixth year who has a male carrier in her family, who had three lovers and had triplets with every conception is not a Dracken. He is just a wizard capable of male pregnancy and the girl believes that Harry is also just a wizard capable of male pregnancy. Unlike with women, males capable of pregnancy, including Drackens and other creatures, do not have wombs or ovaries, so instead of releasing eggs for another male to fertilise, a male has a sac, a bit like a womb, but they do not have ovaries or eggs. So where it is rare that a woman will have high multiples without the aid of fertility drugs, a male has a much, much higher chance of having multiple children because conception doesn't come from one egg and one sperm, but how many viable pairings of DNA are created in the sac.

**Random Reader OO1**: Not every submissive needs two or more mates. Some only need one. It has everything to do with power as a weak submissive will only need the one dominant to be a mate and also a grounding mate. Likewise a very powerful dominant can entice a submissive and keep him or her grounded without another mate being brought in. In the case of a very powerful submissive, like Harry, the submissive needs numerous mates in order to get him pregnant and also a grounding mate to absorb the excess magic. So not every submissive needs more than one mate and it does have everything to do with power.

**unneeded**: No. They do not have more control when the heat is induced. Harry goes onto heat and they can feel that he is, but it slowly drives them feral, they only have more control when the heat is induced _before_ the potion blocking his pheromones wears off, as soon as that potion is gone, it's a free for all with very little thinking and a lot of relying on primitive instincts. Again the charm would wear off before the heat ended.

The fan art is never going to look like everyone's perception of how they see the characters, I can't draw and I'm the only one who knows exactly what they look like, so I can't show you what they look like, I can only give you other's impressions of what they look like. Nasta is much more rugged than that picture, a lot more manly, bigger and broader, but it's still a very good picture and a very good likeness of Nasta's face and facial structure.

Thank you to everyone who read and reviewed! Next milestones are of course 60 chapters and 8000 reviews!

StarLight Massacre. X


	51. Autumn Misery

_Last Time_

_Harry remained quiet and no more was said about his pregnancy, the five babies or the selective reduction, instead they talked about the leaps and bounds Braiden had taken and how well he was developing and how brilliantly he was doing until Harry could stick it no longer and claimed to be tired before he fled to the bedroom in tears._

_His mates came in ten minutes later, after seeing everyone out and promising to update them if anything else happened or came about, but Harry was already asleep with tears staining his face, his arms wrapped around his considerable belly._

Chapter Fifty-One – Autumn Misery

November was bleak and wet. Harry was three months pregnant and looked eight. Everything was a strain, he was snapping at everyone, including the teachers and his misshapen bulge was an agony he had never experienced before. It ached all on its own; his unborn babies kicked and punched him and likely each other as their space constricted around them.

Max gave him his potions every morning, except for the one which was giving just before he went to sleep at night. Harry had taken so many bone strengthening potions that he was sure that if he was hit by the Hogwarts Express it would crumple around him rather than the other way around, but it was doing its job as his body moved around the five babies struggling for space inside of him. He was sure he'd at least have a broken rib or two by now if he hadn't been taking the potions.

School was a torture and looking after an increasingly bouncy Braiden was taking its toll on him, even with the free periods he had, Harry was finding it difficult to stay awake during lessons and even harder to concentrate and focus on the lesson, he was more of a distraction really as the second year Ravenclaws had taken to calling him the famous whale and now everyone was calling him it because he burst into tears every time it happened, which made Draco and Blaise livid and they were now serving detentions with Professor Flitwick for attacking said second year Ravenclaws. Though it had made Harry laugh so much he had pissed himself, something he was getting used to as a single kick to his bladder and it released, no matter where he was or what he was doing at the time. Max had joked that they should put him in one of Braiden's nappies. Harry had been sleeping on the settee since.

Harry woke up there once more and stretched, cracking his back. The best thing about this pregnancy was that the morning sickness had not come back and his mornings were vomit free as he stuffed himself so full of grotesque foods it was no wonder he had put on two stone of weight.

Ashleigh had not apologised and had not come back, though Richard came by nearly every other day, saying Myron and Ashleigh were at each other's throats and that he wanted to keep his away so it didn't become a target.

Harry had refused the selective reduction, thanking Healer Almus for his time and advice, even as his mates screamed bloody murder, but Harry had remained firm and said that his five had been conceived together and they would live or die together. Blaise, who had been in favour of the selective reduction from the start, had not spoken to him for three days afterwards.

Healer Almus had accepted his decision with a wry smile and told him plainly that he would help as much as he could, wherever he could to get him and the babies through the pregnancy.

Harry rolled himself to his feet and stood still as his central balance adjusted to make him steady as the massive bulge threatened to take him over as he wobbled about like the floor was made of jelly. It wasn't fair!

Harry went digging through the cupboards and the cold storage to find something to fill his growling belly with. He found a bag of frozen peas and wanted them straight away. He boiled them, tipped them into a bowl and then slathered them with vinegar, butter and honey and sat at the table eating them with a spoon. He knew logically that it was supposed to taste vile, but he moaned after every spoonful.

It was how Max found him and his biggest mate turned right back around and told Harry to call him when he was done eating. Harry chuckled, to use to this now to be hurt by it.

Nasta came out and sat by him though, rubbing his belly and murmuring softly to it as he had taken to doing, it made Harry smiled as he placed one hand in Nasta's hair, stroking and combing through it as he talked to the five babies inside of him.

Blaise brought Braiden out and fed him the bottle Harry had already made up in preparation. Braiden had started sleeping for longer and all of them couldn't wait until he started sleeping through the night, because though only one of them got up to feed him at two o'clock in the morning, all of them were woken up by his crying.

"How are you feeling Prezioso?" Blaise asked as he burped Braiden and handed him to Harry, taking away the empty bowl in front of him.

"Hungry." Harry sighed. No matter how much he ate, he just could not feel full.

"I'll make crepes for breakfast." Max announced as he came back into the room, his hair and bare chest damp from his shower.

"Put something on!" Harry demanded. "It's November, you're going to freeze!"

Max chuckled amusedly, but dried his hair and body with a spell before pulling on the jumper that he had tied around his waist.

Max made the crepes quickly and easily, filling them with sliced peaches and blueberries. Harry spooned half a jar of honey onto his three crepes and happily devoured them.

"How you don't have several cavities I don't know." Draco said as he bit into his fourth crepe.

"I'm special." Harry said with a grin, bouncing Braiden, who was now getting strong enough to hold his own head up, but not for long periods of time.

Harry finished his breakfast and savoured the feeling of not being hungry for a moment, even if he wasn't completely full, he made sure he had his snack pots, which he had been given permission by Dumbledore to carry and eat in class because of how much food he was getting through and handed Braiden to Nasta and allowed himself to be led down to Hermione, who he had Defence Against the Dark Arts with first. He thanked Merlin it was a Friday and that the weekend was soon upon them, but he really couldn't wait for Christmas to come. Three weeks off from school was going to do him the world of good.

* * *

"How much bigger can I get?" Harry screamed as he stood off the scales after realising he had gained another eight pounds almost overnight. He had gained nearly three stone in weight and his body was aching and sore and his joints were agony.

Blaise rubbed him gently and kissed his cheek. "You look stunning." He whispered. "You make me hot and hard for you."

Blaise proved it by pressing the hard length of himself into Harry's back. Harry giggled and turned to cuddle Blaise. Even though it was only superficial proof, it was still proof that Blaise loved him and still found him desirable, which made him feel infinitely better and more secure.

Harry sunk heavily to his knees and rubbed his cheek against the front of Blaise's boxer shorts.

"I'm going to make you feed me." He growled, his Dracken coming out. He really wanted his mates' seed. Any mate would do, but he wanted it badly.

* * *

**Missing scene**

* * *

"That...what was that?" Blaise exclaimed weakly as Harry nuzzled him softly.

"I think the Dracken cravings are coming out. With Braiden I craved blood, this time I'm craving something a bit different."

Harry giggled and then the hunger came back, his Dracken took over and he knew just by scenting him that Blaise would not be able to feed him again. He took two mouthfuls of blood, fed Blaise a lick of his own blood from his bitten lip, before he crawled out of the bathroom, out of the bedroom and into the living room where his other three mates were. They looked up at the smell of the blood that was dripping down his chin from his lip, where a fang had bitten deeply.

"Harry?" Draco questioned softly, putting his textbook aside.

"I'm hungry." He complained with a soft growl.

"You're always hungry, what do you feel like?" Max asked happily as he stood up to go to the kitchen.

"I don't want food." Harry hissed.

"You want blood, for the babies." Nasta said with understanding, suddenly realising why his Dracken was out and why his lip was bleeding. "How much did you take from Blaise? Is he alright?"

"I only took a mouthful or two. He's fine." Harry assured as he crawled to Nasta, who was closest and rubbed his cheek up and down his leg.

"You want blood from my leg?" Nasta questioned confusedly as Harry undid his belt and yanked his trousers and boxers off together. "Harry!"

"I never said I wanted blood." Harry countered as he pulled Nasta straight into his mouth and sucked.

* * *

**Missing Scene**

* * *

"Thank you." Harry said softly as he rubbed his full belly with a happy sigh.

Max chuckled so deeply it was more of a grumble. He sat himself up and pulled Harry into a hug.

"I love you." He declared strongly. "No matter what we face, no matter what we go through. I'll always love you."

Harry yawned and Nasta pulled him from Max's arms, kissed him deeply and settled him on the settee, covering him with a blanket and kissing his head gently.

"You have a nap now, you've exerted a lot of energy and now that you've been fed, you need some sleep."

"Potion?" Harry asked hopefully.

Max shook his head. "No. You're becoming dependant on them for sleep, we need to break that habit before it fully forms, try and sleep without it."

Harry pouted, but he dutifully curled up as much as his belly allowed and tried to calm himself enough to sleep. He managed it with ease and he was soon breathing softly and lightly in his nest on the settee.

Draco smiled at him softly and brushed a lock of hair out of Harry's sleeping face. When he was asleep all the lines vanished, all the worry lifted and the black bags under his eyes seemed less apparent.

He felt so bad for Harry and was sorry that he had been making things worse by shouting and yelling. It wasn't Harry's fault he was pregnant with five babies, it wasn't anyone's fault, it had happened and now that Harry had refused the selective reduction, they were committed to having five babies.

He sighed; everything was getting on top of him. His Father's continued silence, school work, the exams that would be upon them after Christmas, Harry, the babies, the pregnancy. He swiped a hand through his hair, before realising he had ruined his hair and smoothed it back down. He was picking up bad habits from Harry. He smiled and kissed Harry gently. They could do this, they could get through it. He didn't have to get a job straight out of school; he could stay at home for a while to help Harry cope with the six children, they had enough money and with Max and Nasta working, they had a steady income. Everything would be fine as long as they could survive school, which would be a huge challenge.

* * *

Harry disgusted his mates further the next week by mixing a large bowl of mashed potatoes with coconut yoghurt. He sat next to them and ate it with a table spoon.

"No honey Harry?" Draco questioned, looking faintly green, but that could have been from the Slytherin green jumper he was wearing.

Harry shook his head.

"What are those black things?" Max asked, trying to get a closer look, but he didn't really want to get any closer.

"Raisins." Harry answered as he took another spoonful.

"Raisins?" Max questioned.

"Raisins." Harry confirmed with a nod as he shoved another spoon into his mouth.

"Can you please hurry up and come out." Draco demanded to his massive belly.

Harry giggled and flicked Draco's forehead. "Leave the babies alone, I think three or four of them are sleeping; only the one is active."

Harry finished the mixing bowl of potatoes and reclined on the settee. He still felt hungry, but he didn't want to disgust his mates any further, so he left it. No. He wanted chocolate.

"Blaise?"

His mate hummed from the floor.

"Can you go and get me my chocolate stash please?"

"You can't be hungry still." Max told him as he bounced Braiden on his knee, still supporting his head and neck, but Braiden was getting stronger by the day and Harry was sure by the time Christmas came around Braiden would be supporting himself upright, his four month old baby.

"I am." Harry pouted. "I'm always hungry."

"That's no lie." Draco teased.

Harry blushed as he was reminded that he sucked all of them dry every morning and sometimes once again in the afternoon or evening.

Blaise came back from the bedroom with three bars of fudge chocolate and Harry moaned at the first bite, sucking on the chocolate and enjoying the flavour. He drank his tea, made Max get him another one and ate another bar of chocolate before Nasta came home and took the third one from him with a frown at the two empty packets on the coffee table.

Harry pouted, but he didn't mind too much as he popped the last bite into his mouth and curled up to sleep some more. It seemed all he did these days was eat, sleep, school work and look after Braiden, there was no time for anything else.

* * *

Things got more stressful with Nasta and Max in work and the Professors were heaping the homework onto them in preparation for the Christmas holidays.

Harry hadn't slept in what felt like weeks, but was only maybe a few days. He tossed and turned and had taken to sleeping on the rug in front of the fire. He told his mates it was more comfortable, but really it was because he didn't want to keep them awake with him as he tossed and wriggled about all night. He of course took Braiden with him so he was doing both the two in the morning feed and the six in the morning feed so his mates could sleep through the night and feel a bit more rested in the morning and he was so stressed and frazzled he burst into tears at the slightest provocation.

Despite his night and morning care of Braiden his mates were still very tired and so stressed themselves they seemed not to notice him, his mood or his health, either that or they were purposefully ignoring it.

Harry sagged as he heard Braiden sniffle as he woke up for his bottle. He hadn't had any sleep, but thankfully it was Saturday and he had no lessons to go to. He forced himself up, even though he really wanted to curl up and sleep for the next month.

He fed Braiden and burped him, his son was now unrecognisable from the tiny baby he had once been and Harry smiled tiredly as Braiden gum grinned at him. He was fourteen weeks old and he was developing so quickly. He had even tried launching himself across the floor with his feet when Harry had put him on a quilt on the living room floor. He had laughed at that and wondered if they'd have to baby proof their rooms, it seemed like Braiden would be crawling before no time, it was like he was raring to be on the move. Harry just knew Braiden would be crawling around soon.

Nasta came out of the bedroom at half six and gave him a tired kiss, taking Braiden off of him to give him a break from the baby. He was in work today, so was Max. Draco, Blaise and he all had homework to get through and usually passed Braiden between each other as they completed their work.

Today was different though as apparently both mates had reached the end of their tether, it was mid-afternoon and Draco had gone to the library to help him with his essay as his tired brain couldn't come up with the answer by itself and Braiden needed a bottle and a nappy change, Harry had been awake for hours and hours, days even, and his energy was draining quickly. He wanted nothing more than a nice long nap.

But as he stood up to go to bed for an hour or two, Blaise handed Braiden to him with an irritated huff as he tried to focus on his Ancient Runes essay and his Arithmancy equations simultaneously.

"I'm tired." Harry whined, even as Braiden was passed to him, wailing as his soiled nappy became uncomfortable.

"All of us are tired Harry." Blaise snapped.

"We'll I'm the only one whose pregnant!" Harry spat back as a baby kicked him harshly.

"With the way you're always reminding us, waking us up in the night and whinging over everything we might as well be pregnant too!"

"Well you're not! You wouldn't even last a day in my shoes!"

"You think I'm having a cake walk of this?"

"What do you have to worry about?" Harry shouted. "Homework and school? I'm the one who could die from this pregnancy!"

"I was all for you having the selective reduction, you're the one who chose not to go through with it, fuck what the rest of us think!"

Blaise packed up his homework and stomped to the fireplace.

"Where are you going?" Harry demanded.

"Away from you!" Blaise hissed as he threw floo powder into the fireplace and vanished.

Harry felt as if a piece of him had been ripped out as Blaise left. He didn't even have it in him to send out a distress call. He didn't know what to do, so he did what he always did these days. He cried. He cried silent tears as he changed and redressed Braiden, cried as he fed and burped him and as he rocked him back to sleep. He huddled in the corner of the living room as the pain inside of him became unbearable.

A knock sounded on the portrait door, but Harry barely heard it. The door pushed open five minutes later and Myron poked his head around it curiously, dark eyebrows lowered over deep black eyes. He saw Harry and rushed to him as Richard came in behind him.

"What's the matter? Are you alright?" Myron demanded, giving into his dominant instincts and trying to sniff out an injury.

"Are you here alone?" Richard demanded as he listened for any other sounds or movements from the rooms.

"Gone. He left." Harry sobbed. "He said he wanted to get away from me."

"Who?" Myron demanded with a growl as he eased himself onto the settee and wrapped Harry in the blanket from the back of the settee.

"Blaise."

"You look terrible Harry, have you been sleeping?" Richard asked concerned.

Harry shook his head. "I can't sleep. It's too hard, they're all kicking and I'm just too uncomfortable to sleep."

"I thought that's why you had sleeping potions."

"Max thinks I'm getting addicted to them and too dependent on them for sleep, he won't give me anymore."

"You sleep now." Myron demanded as he slipped Harry onto the settee and passed Braiden to Richard. "We'll look after you. I can't believe they can't see how exhausted you are."

Richard found Max's potions and the one marked 'Sleeping potion – mild (For Harry)' and handed it to Myron, who uncorked it and held it to Harry's lips.

"Max said I shouldn't."

"A few sips aren't going to kill you or the babies." Myron rumbled soothingly and Harry took a few sips. His eyes dropped closed immediately.

Harry slipped into sleep quickly and as he did, Myron ordered Richard to watch over him as he flooed to his son's work place. He was known by sight and the expression on his face stopped anyone from speaking or stopping him as they pointed in the direction of Max's lab, as if he didn't already know where it was.

Max looked up as he barged through the door and he looked shocked.

"Dad, what…?"

Myron grabbed Max and dragged him from his lab, back through the building and snapped at Max's supervisor that his son was not going to be in work for a while due to family obligations.

"Of course Mr Maddison!" The man agreed, almost wetting himself in fear as Myron was releasing angry, fear inducing pheromones.

"Dad, what's going on?"

"You're a fool!" Myron hissed as he flooed them back to his own home, ignoring Ashleigh who was sitting in a chair sulking as she had been doing for the last couple of weeks.

"What did I do?"

Myron hit him. He had never wanted to beat one of his own children as badly as he did now. When he had seen how terrible Harry looked, how exhausted and drawn he was as his pregnancy drained everything from him, he wanted to break Blaise's neck for leaving him on his own, he wanted to cuddle Harry into his side and never let him go. Harry was as good as his own son now and his youngest son was suffering terribly.

"Don't you hit him!" Ashleigh screamed at him.

"Sit down and shut up!" Myron roared at her. She had hurt Harry as well; he had seen it on his face immediately.

"Don't you speak to Mum…" Max started but Myron cuffed him again.

Ashleigh jumped on him, but he caught her easily and twisted her ear so hard she fell to her knees and clutched his leg apologising.

"Have you looked at your mate lately?" He demanded of Max, who was standing so straight and stubborn before him, two inches shorter than he was.

"Of course I have." Max scoffed. "I saw him this morning."

"Then by any chance have you gone blind?" Myron snarled.

"Look, I'm sure Harry's fine." Max assured. "He's a bit tired, we all are, but he's fine."

"Then I've raised a complete ignorant fool. Harry is exhausted. He has not slept in days."

Max blinked and Myron shook his head. Max had absolutely no idea of the condition of his own mate. Myron grabbed Max and tugged him to the floo and went straight into the boys' rooms, instead of detouring to the Headmaster's office for privacy's sake.

Myron threw Max to the floor, on his knees and held his head looking at Harry.

"Look at him!" Myron demanded. "Look how ill and pale he is. You're killing him! You are watching him die slowly before you and are doing nothing!"

Max swallowed as he took in the black bags under Harry's eyes that seemed worse than he had last seen them. His unwashed, scruffy hair, the pale, thin, gaunt face even though his belly was still growing. Harry looked sick and it made bile rise in his throat as tears burnt his eyes, why hadn't he noticed? Harry meant the world to him, how could he not have noticed? Was he so wrapped up with his own life and lack of sleep that he was ignorant to Harry's?

"I…I…"

"Do you see it now?" Richard asked calmly. "Do you see what you and the others have done? He is pregnant Max, you know pregnancy will drain every last ounce of energy, every last resource it can from him, he has _five_ babies inside of him, all sucking him of his energy, his vitamins and minerals, his blood, his oxygen, his nutrients are all being sucked out of him by those five babies. You think you're tired? From what, waking up a few times a night? Harry has not slept in days and has been Braiden's primary carer."

"Blaise was…"

"Blaise fucked off home to get away from Harry, leaving the both of them here, alone and unprotected. Harry using his last energy to cry and rock himself in the corner of the room. He didn't have enough left inside of him to even send a distress call." Myron growled.

Max felt like he had been shot. He mouthed a bit, but he couldn't think what he wanted to say, what his Dad's wanted to hear, so he closed his mouth again, forcing himself to look at Harry, at how ill and sickly he looked, how frail. Why hadn't he seen it before? Why had it taken someone pointing it out to him to show him that he was not taking care of Harry properly?

He inched forward on his knees and rested his head gently on that thin chest. How could Harry still be so thin when he ate so much, when his stomach was bulging so, when he had gained three stone in weight.

He listened to the steady heartbeat, just to convince himself that there was still time to help Harry, that he could fix this. It was going to be hard, but then it was always going to be hard, they had known that from the moment they had heard about Harry's pregnancy.

"What happened?" Draco demanded from the doorway, spilling an armful of books onto the floor, striding forward and reaching for Harry.

Max caught him and shook his head.

"Let Harry sleep." He said in a voice thick with unshed tears.

"What…"

"Harry's near the point of complete exhaustion; I can't bear to think on what would have happened had he collapsed." Max rested a hand on the bulge to emphasis his point.

"He was fine this morning."

"He wasn't. Harry hasn't slept for days."

Draco's silver eyes widened and he looked at Harry in a new light, his gaze tracking over every feature of the little face. He swallowed at what he saw.

"Blaise is gone."

"Gone where?" Draco asked confused.

"Home, wherever, but he left Harry and Braiden unprotected and that cannot go unpunished. Nasta will have to be told."

"He doesn't get off work until eight."

"Draco, don't you see. Harry should always be our top priority, Harry and the kids. Hell, to think I was worried over my damned _job_, I'm one of the few Potions Masters in Britain, I like my job but I can always get another one, I'd have people begging for me to come work for them. When will I ever get the chance to have another Harry? To have another family like ours? I love my job but I love the family I have more. I love you and Harry, Nasta and even Blaise, though I'm not happy with him at the moment. I love Braiden and I'll love these five when they come too, I love my family more than anything and to think I was even neglecting my family in such a way that Harry and the babies could have died, it makes me sick. Nothing should ever be more important than Harry and the children."

Myron petted Max's head. "You have finally understood Max. Everything, absolutely everything is second to your mates and children, nothing comes before them, nothing is even on the same level as them. Your Mother and I are fighting because she's a stubborn mare, but I still love her and I will still stand in front of her if the need arises. No matter how angry I am or how upset or insanely angry she makes me, I will still stand in front of her, because she is my submissive mate, because she is my Wife and the Mother to my children. I love her and I do my best, even at risk of my own health, to protect her, love her and keep her happy. It should be the same for you and Harry."

"It will be." Max swore. "I'll make it so."

* * *

Nasta had been livid when he got home and had been informed of everything that had transpired. He sat on the floor of the bedroom and stroked Harry's shrunken cheek with bile in his throat. Why had none of them noticed quite how bad Harry had gotten? He felt a fool and if he could have someone beat him, he'd beg for them to do it.

He had called his colleagues and explained what had happened and put himself back on paperwork duties. He hated paperwork, he hated not being with the dragons, but he'd do it gladly for the rest of his life if it helped ease the stress and pressure off of Harry, even just a little bit.

Nasta climbed onto the bed, where he had placed Harry as soon as he had come home and been informed of what had happened, and he settled Harry on his stomach, his body supported around the huge bump with body pillows and he lightly and gently massaged his back, smiling as he remembered the first time he had ever given Harry a back rub.

It had been the very first night he had been mated to him; Harry had been such a little tease, all lithe and comely with his wide, imploring eyes and upturned, pouted mouth. He hadn't known what he was doing as he brushed that bare back with his fingertips, he had never given a backrub in his life, he had fucked and learned how to please lovers, he had never given or received a backrub until he mated to Harry and then that little tease had rolled him onto his stomach, striped off his shirt and straddled him naked and proceeded to show him exactly how to give a proper backrub. Nasta had fallen a little more in love with Harry that night and even more so after what came next. He grinned a naughty grin that no one could see as he stroked lightly along Harry's skin and sides.

Harry moaned lightly and smiled to himself as he felt rough hands glide up his spine and fan down his sides.

"Do you feel better?" Nasta bent down to whisper in his ear.

Harry nodded and lay still as he relaxed into the mattress and let Nasta's fingers calm and sooth him. He couldn't really remember much of what had happened before he went to sleep, he remembered arguing with Blaise, then he had been crying, then Myron had been there with Richard and then he had woken up to Nasta. He felt confused and wondered why he felt so unhappy and distressed. He wanted to send out a call, but he didn't know why. Then it came to him. Blaise had gone.

"Blaise!" Harry said, shooting up.

"Blaise is fine, he's cooling down at Marianna's, he was fast asleep when I went to get him. I left him there after being assured that Marianna had had several stern words with him and had made him realise exactly what he had done." What Nasta didn't tell Harry was that Marianna had also told him that she expected him to take Blaise to hand once she sent him back. He planned to.

Nasta eased him back down and stroked his belly for him, helping him when he wanted to move onto his side.

"Do you need anything?"

"Where's Braiden?" Harry asked.

"Having some much needed quality time with Draco and Max, who are both teasing him rotten by tickling and nibbling on him like a sweet treat."

Harry chuckled deeply. "Can I see?"

Nasta scooped Harry up gently and carried him into the living room, where Max had spread a quilted blanket on the floor and had lain Braiden on it. Max sat on one side of the squalling baby and Draco on the other. They were tickling him, nibbling him, poking fingers into his sides and armpits, kissing him, blowing raspberries on him, wiggling his toes and arms and Braiden was giggling in his huffy way so much it brought a wide smile to his face.

"Look who's awake." Nasta declared as he approached them with Harry.

Nasta settled him between Max and Draco, sitting by Braiden's feet and sat himself behind Harry. Draco kissed him first and stroked his cheek; Max kissed him and then licked across his cheek to his ear. Harry pushed him away and wiped his face but he was laughing.

Harry bent down to kiss Braiden, but his belly got in the way, so he pulled Braiden up by his arms, his son having enough strength to hold his head up as Harry pulled him from the floor, but unwilling to take any chances, Harry kissed and nuzzled him quickly, before lowering him back onto the blanket.

"Harry, we're sorry. All of us…"

"You don't need to say it." Harry said with a soft smile. "We've all had a horrible time of this and this past week has been awful."

"But not as bad a time as you Harry, you're pregnant, we should be taking care of you, not passing you the most responsibility." Max explained. "I'm taking a leave of absence from work. They've assured me that they'll take me back with open arms whenever I decide to go back to work."

"I'm back on paperwork duties, the dragons have all laid their eggs now, the breeding season is over, the Mother dragons will now incubate the eggs for three, four months and then it's just keeping an eye on the nestlings and making sure the male dragons don't eat the hatchlings and fledglings." Nasta explained.

Harry smiled and lent back against Nasta's chest, loving the arms that wrapped around his huge stomach, stroking and caressing. A baby kicked Nasta's hand and his lover chuckled and kissed the side of his neck.

"I love you."

"I love you more." Harry teased.

Nasta chuckled. "You must do if you're willing to put up with us after what we've done and look after our six kids."

"Oh imagine the night feeds." Max groaned. "I hope they all wake up at the same time, half an hour feeding them all and then back to bed. Knowing my luck though they'll all wake up an hour apart from each other."

Harry chuckled. "It won't be long, as soon as I'm out of school everything will be fine, will be easier, we just have to survive until June."

"Just seven months." Max sighed. "Seven more months and then our biggest hurdle to date will be behind us."

Harry kissed him and told him with his eyes how much he loved him and appreciated that he was willing to give up his job, even temporarily, to help ease his stress and work load.

"Have you finished your homework?" Nasta asked.

"It's Saturday." Harry complained.

"And if you finish it all today, you'll have the entire of Sunday to relax and do nothing."

"Ooo." Harry perked up at that and made his mates chuckle as he slipped over to Draco and they did their last few pieces of homework together on the coffee table.

* * *

Nasta was waiting when Blaise came home late that night. He looked miserable and his eyes were red rimmed from tears.

It had to be said though that Blaise just lowered his head as he stood in front of him, willing to accept his punishment like a man.

"Do you know what you did?" He asked softly, unwilling to raise his voice and risk waking Harry, Draco and Max, who had gone to bed an hour or so ago.

"I left when I shouldn't have." Blaise answered in almost a whisper. "I should never have left them unprotected. My submissive mate and my own son. I'm not fit to be a partner or a parent."

Nasta's heart clenched. Blaise was so young. He had been expecting something like this for a while, from either of the younger dominants, but he had been expecting it to be Draco over Blaise, so he supposed he owed the blonde an apology.

Nasta steeled himself for the punishment, he didn't want to do it, but as the top dominant it was his role to keep the submissive and subordinates in line. He had to, to get it through to Blaise that he could not just leave Harry and Braiden unprotected. Anything could have happened to Harry, he could have tried to console himself in his pillow and fallen down the stairs to their bed, he could have fallen, tripped, been attacked, if he had left their rooms he could have been kidnapped along with their son and five unborn children and they wouldn't have been able to get to him in time to help him. Blaise needed to understand that.

"They could have been killed Blaise. All seven of them could have died or been kidnapped. Do you understand that?"

"Yes." Blaise whispered. "At the time I was so tired, so frustrated with my homework and so angry at everything that I didn't think properly and I'm sorry. I don't expect anyone to forgive me or what I did. I'm a terrible person."

Blaise started crying then and it was all Nasta could do to hold himself firm and not wrap him up in a hug, kiss him and tell him everything would be alright.

"Understand that if anything, anything at all had happened to them, I would have killed you Blaise. I would have _killed_ you."

Blaise hunched down just a bit, the tears still falling from his eyes and his shoulders shaking.

"If anything had happened to them I would have killed myself." He admitted thickly through his tears.

Nasta shook his head and decided to get the punishment over with quickly. He pulled Blaise to lean against him, unsheathed his fangs and sunk them slowly and painfully into Blaise's neck juncture, just where it met the shoulder. He bit down and he clenched his jaw, holding, holding, holding as Blaise's body seized up in pain around him, clenching, trying to twist away, but Nasta held him tight.

He carefully pulled his teeth and his fangs out and left Blaise to bleed, not offering him his blood to heal the mark.

"You will wear that mark, you will look at them when they scab over and you will remember to never do anything like this ever again." Nasta ordered.

Blaise nodded and then the punishment was over and Nasta pulled Blaise into his arms and held him as he cried, shushed him, kissed him and held him until he fell asleep in his arms, his face soaking wet from tears, his neck plastered in dried blood and still murmuring soft, sleepy 'sorries' under his breath.

Nasta had tears in his eyes himself and he hoped he never, never had to punish a subordinate mate in this way ever again.

* * *

Blaise wore his scabs on show to everyone, wearing one of Max's jumpers for the first time, which was so large it fell off the one shoulder, the shoulder that Nasta had bitten. Nasta hated seeing it, but he knew that Blaise looked at it often and remembered what he had done and steeled himself to never do it again. Soon the scabs would heal and there would be no mark left to remind him, so the message had to sink in before they healed. Nasta was sure it would have sunk in so deep by then that none of them would forget.

Life went on as normal, only things were easier now that Max had given up work and Nasta was on paperwork duties again. Harry, Draco and Blaise were getting through their homework, Braiden was fine, the only real challenge now was the pregnancy, which was moving into its fourth month and making Harry so miserable all of them were feeling down and miserable.

Harry was facing the very real possibility of failing his general education and the thought made him cry, he didn't want to stop his education, he had to remain in the school anyway for Blaise and Draco, why should he have to give up his education when he had to remain in the school regardless?

He strove to prove everyone wrong, that he could do it, that he could finish his education, but only served to prove them right when he had collapsed in Defence Against the Dark Arts. He had woken up in the hospital wing, surrounded by worried mates and an unhappy Braiden.

Harry had still refused to give up his education after that incident and had also refused to drop a subject pointing out that he already dropped Potions so he was struggling through, just waiting for the Christmas holidays to start so he could have a few weeks break. It wasn't long now, it was the fifteenth of December, just one more school week and then the holidays, he could survive until then.

Braiden had surprised them all by rolling around the floor. Harry had laughed so hard he almost wet himself as Blaise scooped Braiden up before he rolled into leg of the coffee table. Braiden grinned at them cheekily and Blaise had put him down again, only for Braiden to roll continuously to his right until he had to be picked up before he hit something. They tried getting him to roll to his left, but he favoured his right side and would only roll right. They moved him out of his bassinet and into his cot the same day. Harry was taking absolutely no chances with Braiden rolling now of having the bassinet tip when Braiden was inside.

"He looks like such a big boy now." Harry said tearfully as he put Braiden into the cot and tucked him in.

Draco chuckled and kissed his cheek. "He is a big boy now, look at the size of him."

Harry looked at his son now and pictured him when he was just born, that tiny little baby in his arms, and he couldn't. He only really got a true understanding of how small Braiden had been when he looked at his tiny newborn clothes and held them to Braiden's body. It was hard to imagine that he had ever once fit in them, let alone only four months ago.

Harry went to bed himself not too long after Braiden. It might only be half ten at night, but he was aching, tired, sore and he wanted some sleep. He took a few sips of sleeping potion as Max looked on and he fell asleep almost immediately as Max tucked him up and kissed him goodnight.

* * *

A/N: Another chapter down! Christmas is next! Christmas in July, wonders never cease! I'm in such a happy, amazing mood today, do try not to spoil it with horrible, thoughtless words lovelies!

Thanks to **think-pink-jess** for being the **7,100****th**** reviewer**!

**femaleJoey:** Harry received Grimmauld Place from Sirius, ownership of Kreacher and a sum of money that was added to his own, as stated by Dumbledore in canon, the Potters were wealthy and one additional vault was opened to Harry when he turned seventeen and the remains of Godric's Hollow. Those are the only two properties Harry owns, he has no manor tucked away. Max's house isn't a summer home; it's where he lives permanently and is bigger than most suburban homes as it is a detached, four bedroomed house in the middle of nowhere. Harry had already said it'll be fine until the five babies are born, at which point he said they'd have to think about moving into a larger house.

As for Harry getting pregnant and the trauma to his womb, his body didn't have time to realise the baby was gone before he was pregnant with another baby, so there was no chance for the womb to heal itself because as far as Harry's body is concerned, there is still a baby inside of him and his hormones are still being produced in his body, telling him that he's pregnant, so his body acts accordingly.

**TwoSexySlytherins**: Harry is not the first small statured Dracken to get pregnant with multiples, some female Drackens have had up to nine babies, but in that case not all the babies survived the labour. Potions help immensely as shown in this chapter. Bone strengthening potions stop bones from snapping and breaking around the growing babies, sleeping potions help the Mother to sleep, nutrient potions help feed the babies and keep the Mother healthy, but no amount of potions, magic or creature ability will help make the pregnancy easy or smooth. It can all help and it is, but it cannot make it a cake walk.

**Lizzosaur**: No, they wouldn't treat him like Ashleigh. Harry would be choosing to terminate his baby in a sterile, professional way. Ashleigh's son was ripped out of her by men who didn't care if she lived or died as long as they got some gold. They weren't gentle, they were vile, abusive men that taunted and harassed her as she lay chained down as her son was cut from her and dangled in front of her as he died. It's not because Ashleigh lost a child that people think she's unstable, it's the manner in which she was treated and how she lost the baby that makes other submissives wary around her.

**SnowTigerQueen**: Surrogacy is not an option for Drackens. The submissive would smell another woman on the baby, a woman who was not a mate and they would outright reject the baby as not theirs. Besides it would be almost lethal to the babies to try and remove them from Harry's sac. Dracken pregnancy is very delicate; it's almost a certainty that the baby will be dead before they can even get it into the surrogate mother.

**Anonymous**: Blaise is not made for carrying a baby. None of the dominants are, they don't have a sac or anywhere in their bodies to hold a baby. That's the difference between a submissive and a dominant, if dominants could get pregnant too, then there wouldn't be a need for submissives.

**Lara_Lynx**: Actually I had no idea that English was not your mother language until you told me it wasn't, so I think you're doing fine! As for Harry and Draco, they have a hundred years more or less to get a baby together, it doesn't really matter if Draco doesn't have a blood child at the beginning, he will eventually get one and I think he'll have his hands full with six children.

**Ikichi: **The dominants cannot carry the babies; they don't have a sac to hold them in their bodies. That is the difference between dominants and submissives; if the dominants could get pregnant there would be no need for submissives. The non-Dracken wizards who can get pregnant, as stated before in the story, are wizards who were born capable of childbirth, in other words, they were born with a sac, like Harry was, which made him a male submissive when his Dracken inheritance manifested.

Thank you all for reading and reviewing!

The vote that is not a vote is back! Five babies, who are their daddies, that is what I want to know. Tell me your thoughts, feelings, choices etc. I'd love to hear them, but remember it's not an official vote and the story is in no way affected by the winners of said vote.

StarLight Massacre. X


	52. Christmas Tidings

_Last Time_

_Harry looked at his son now and pictured him when he was just born, that tiny little baby in his arms, and he couldn't. He only really got a true understanding of how small Braiden had been when he looked at his tiny newborn clothes and held them to Braiden's body. It was hard to imagine that he had ever once fit in them, let alone only four months ago._

_Harry went to bed himself not too long after Braiden. It might only be half ten at night, but he was aching, tired, sore and he wanted some sleep. He took a few sips of sleeping potion as Max looked on and he fell asleep almost immediately as Max tucked him up and kissed him goodnight._

Chapter Fifty-Two – Christmas Tidings.

Harry was so glad when they arrived at Myron's home. They had been invited to spend the holidays with Myron, Richard and Ashleigh, who had apologised to him sincerely, but Harry remained stiff and cool towards her. Which seemed to surprise her and upset her, but Harry didn't care. She should never have said those things to him and she should have apologised sooner if she felt any true regret, she had said it over a month ago, almost two months ago now and he hadn't heard a word from her. He also growled every time she went too close to Braiden, not because he thought she was dangerous to him, but purely because he did not want her near him.

Harry also became spiteful when he played on her own living room floor with Braiden, making him huff and giggle and laugh and refused to include her when she asked. Myron just looked at Ashleigh unimpressed and told her that she had brought in upon herself when she went crying to him. Richard was more sympathetic towards her, but not by much.

Harry enjoyed being fawned over by Alexander and Kimberly when they came for Christmas, Aneirin had been invited and he and Sanex were there, Marianna hadn't come because Josiah was actually home for Christmas for once, but overall it was lucky that Myron had such a big house, though it was sad that they had bought a big house in preparation for a huge family that had been ripped away from them.

"Braiden, say Mama." Harry encouraged as he sat cuddled up with Braiden, who was looking at him through Blaise's eyes.

"Ah!" Braiden exclaimed as he bounced in Harry's arms.

"Mama." Harry repeated.

Braiden just stuck his fist into his mouth and sucked on it. Harry sighed. He had been trying to get Braiden to say his first word for a month now, but his son just did not want to speak.

He was in the living room on his own as everyone rushed around decorating and preparing for Christmas day. Harry had started helping, but when a fine tremble started in his knees he had quickly demanded Richard, the nearest person to him, to help him to a chair. Richard had hefted him up and carried him to the settee and then Draco had dumped Braiden on him as he was roped into help with finding the tree.

Harry hummed Braiden to sleep and took a nap himself as the hustle and bustle went on around him. He was woken up to a kiss on his lips and he smiled.

"You're not supposed to laugh as I kiss you." Max's voice came to him. "You're supposed to open your mouth to accept my talented tongue and moan."

Harry chuckled sleepily and peeled his eyes open to find Braiden missing and himself covered with a thick, woollen blanket on the settee.

"We left you to sleep as long as possible, but you slept through lunch and Nasta's having kittens about you sleeping through dinner as well."

Harry smiled and stretched his body, but not too much, he'd been warned that he could rip his sac and his skin if he stretched too much or too far. He did not want open sores on his belly as well as stretch marks and bruises; he was already going through a bottle of moisturising lotion every few days to keep the dry skin on his belly from splitting.

He held his arms up to Max, who grinned as he indulged him by picking him up and carrying him to Myron's kitchen, which wasn't as open and spacious as Max's, but was very large.

Max sat him between Alexander and Nasta and Harry sleepily rubbed his eyes, even as he was served dinner and his belly rumbled loudly. He was passed a jar of honey automatically and Harry smiled gratefully as he slathered his chicken with honey, everyone at the table acting like he had done anything more than ask for more carrots. Which he was thankful for.

Harry finished eating his black cherry pie and custard; of course it also had a good helping of honey as well, and sat back with a pleased groan. He felt full…for now.

"Ma ma!"

Harry's neck cricked with how quickly he turned to face Braiden, who was in his brand new, state of the art, carrycot gifted to them by Alexander, at the end of the table. No one moved or said anything as they stared at the baby struggling with his straps.

"Ma ma!" Braiden repeated and Harry forced his body up using the table top and went to Braiden, unstrapped him and held him up to eye level.

"Say it again Braiden love. Say Mama."

"Ma ma ma!" Braiden babbled and Harry hugged him tightly with tears in his eyes.

"He's talking!" He told the others unnecessarily. "He said his first words!"

"Of course Mama would be his first." Max grinned as he kissed Braiden's cheek. "Such a clever boy."

Harry kissed Braiden repeatedly and Braiden huffed his little giggles and Harry was so happy.

"Oh I wonder when he'll be walking!" Ashleigh considered out loud.

"Soon enough I bet." Max answered with a quick, uncertain glance to Harry, who had ignored the comment.

"May I be excused? I'm still tired and I want to get some sleep." Harry asked Myron, who nodded.

"You remember where the bedroom is?" Richard asked.

"He's not walking up those stairs alone!" Nasta countered astonished that it was even suggested.

Harry giggled and held an arm up to Nasta, who pulled him up onto his hip, one arm under his bum, the other helping him support Braiden as Harry's free arm wrapped around Nasta's neck.

Nasta carried him to bed and sat him carefully down on the mattress, Braiden still in Harry's arms.

"I can't believe he spoke." Harry said happily.

"Next step is getting him to say Dada." Nasta said with a grin. "Or even Baba."

"Ah ba!" Braiden told them seriously.

Harry could have cried as he peppered Braiden's face with kisses.

"He's so clever!" Harry praised.

Nasta chuckled and kissed him, then kissed Braiden, before taking him from Harry's arms, stripping him, putting him in his sleepsuit and then putting him in his cot. Nasta tucked Harry up and kissed him before kissing his huge belly.

"Don't touch it!" Harry hissed unhappily. "I don't like you touching it; it's bad enough you have to see it."

"Don't be so ridiculous." Nasta told him softly as he nuzzled the belly. "My children are in here, of course I want to touch, kiss and hold it as much as I can. I love you, I love Braiden and I love them."

"I…I don't want them Nasta." Harry told him, looking away ashamedly.

Nasta held Harry to his heart and brushed that thick hair with his fingers. "That's alright Harry. They came suddenly, they're growing at an alarming rate, changing your body and your emotions, of course you'll have some reservations about them. It's alright that you feel this way at the moment love; it's when they're born that we have to watch out for. If you still don't love them then, or if you refuse them or don't protect them, then we'll call a healer and see if you're suffering from postnatal depression."

Harry looked at Nasta with a frown. "Will…will the Healer make me love them?"

Nasta smiled at Harry and kissed him soundly. "I have every faith in you Harry and in your Dracken, I'm positive it will never come to that. As soon as these five are born, you will never let them go again, just like Braiden."

They both looked to the baby, who was sucking slowly on a few fingers, drifting slowly to sleep. Harry smiled, reassured by Nasta and he allowed his oldest lover to nuzzle and kiss his belly, which felt like it was tearing from the inside out as it grew rapidly.

"The one thing we'll have to look out for the most though is directly after birth." Nasta confided. "You may kill them yourself."

Harry looked at Nasta horrified.

"If your Dracken doesn't want them, or sees them as threats or intrusions, then you may well kill them, or some of them, before we can reach you."

"I can't!" Harry whispered hoarsely. "Please, don't let me kill them Nasta!"

Nasta smiled. "Your reaction has just told me that we don't face that problem. I remember a few years back, a dominant killed his submissive, because she killed their quadruplets. She'd just given birth to triplets on her previous heat, they were nine months old when she birthed the quadruplets, her dominant had lost his job, they couldn't afford more mouths to feed, she resented them because she was angry and upset with her mate, she kept telling him she didn't want them and that they had ruined everything, that she was going to kill them, he brushed it off as submissive dramatics and carried on looking after their triplets and their firstborn daughter. She went into her nest, birthed the babies and then he heard her killing them. He rushed to her nest just in time to watch her spear their last child on her claws. He tore her head from her shoulders and presented it to the counsel."

"Wouldn't they have killed him then? What about their four other children?"

"The counsel are fair and just Harry, they listened to his story and cleared him of the murder of his mate for her heinous actions, that would have made the most mild tempered dominant livid, feral and unreasonable, and allowed him to join the meets to take another mate after therapy."

"Did he find one?" Harry asked.

"He was still relatively young, very handsome and strong and not every single submissive is like Amelle. He found a woman that loved children so much she was willing to take on his four other children as well and she enjoyed the maturity that came to him from parenthood. They are still together and have eleven children altogether so far."

Harry smiled at the happy ending and let himself be eased back onto his side, a body pillow under his huge, straining bump and he fell asleep without the aid of the sleeping potion. Perhaps he should have taken some as he woke in the middle of the night, sweating and shaking; he had dreamt he had torn the heads from all five of his children as he birthed them.

He felt sick and fevered and he quickly took Braiden and fled down the stairs, going down them on his bum like he had become used to at Hogwarts whilst pregnant with Braiden.

He put Braiden down into the pop-up travel cot that had been placed by the end of the kitchen table, where the bassinet had once been, but now Braiden was rolling, Harry refused to use it for safety reasons.

He made himself a cup of tea and after seeing that it was three in the morning, he left Braiden where he was. He hadn't woken up for Braiden's night feed, which was unusual, even with the potions he woke when Braiden started crying for his two o'clock feed.

Harry stayed awake for the rest of the night, his mind in turmoil from his dream, a hand pressed firmly against his bump, stubborn thoughts going through his mind until at half five in the morning Alexander came into the kitchen.

"I thought I could hear movement down here. Harry sweet one, what has you so troubled?"

Harry bit his lip and tried to control his anguish, but it all flooded from him as he looked into those kind, concerned, compassionate eyes and he broke down sobbing.

Alexander held him and listened to him as he told him about his conversation with Nasta, his feelings about his pregnancy and his new children and the dream he had had.

He was given a shaky sip of calming draught and Alexander sat next to him at the table and took both of his hands into his own.

"Look at me Harry. You have been through so much, in such a short space of time. No one can blame you for your thoughts and feelings on this matter. I will confide to you a piece of information that only my Wife knows. When she was having her first large clutch, our Keanu, Edward, Enrique and Oliver, our first quadruplets after a string of six singletons, I was apprehensive. I was afraid and fearful for her health. I pleaded with her to terminate them. I told her that it was too many, that her body had become too used to birthing single babies that a sudden clutch of four would damage her. She refused, remained stubborn and insisted she was going to go through with it. I hated them all Harry, every single baby from conception, all throughout the pregnancy, until the day my mate laid them in my arms. Kimberly was so proud of them, so pleased with herself as she handed me my four newborn sons. I have loved them ever since Harry. I learnt a very strong lesson that day, a very important lesson, to have faith. Kimberly had faith in herself and in her abilities to birth the children and look after them when we already had six young children, our oldest, Xerxes, was only eight when Kimberly birthed our quads. Since that day, I never even suggested termination again, I was by her side throughout the rest of her pregnancies, even the clutch of five she had later in life, that frightened me more than anything else, seeing her swollen up with five children, much like you are now, but I calmed myself and reminded myself of holding my first four for the first time and I began wondering what five would feel like in my arms, I kept faith in myself and in Kimberly, so have some faith in yourself Harry. Your dream was not a premonition of the future, it was just a bad dream brought on by your talk with Nasta and your stressed, restless mind. You are a kind, loving, wonderful and strong boy, if anyone can get through this, it will be you. Now if Caesar came home and told that his Amelle was pregnant with five, I'd fear for him and the children, but with you? I feel only calm and growing excitement of getting five new great-grandchildren."

Harry smiled happily, feeling so much better and completely reassured he hugged Alexander tightly and allowed the hands on his bump and the kiss to his forehead.

"Now let's get you some more tea and maybe a jar of honey before that spoil sport of a Delericey comes down and takes it from you." Alexander winked and Harry laughed, feeling genuinely happy for the first time in what seemed like months.

* * *

Severus Snape holed himself up in his rooms for the Christmas break, immersed himself in Potions, texts and an odd glass of Firewhisky or elf made wine.

Seeing Potter so happy with a baby at his breast and a bump already forming had been almost more than he could bear. Regulus had been apprehensive, but so excited for their daughter to be born and then Potter senior had dashed those hopes and plans to pieces.

Regulus had been distraught when he had been told that their daughter was no more, that the little baby girl they had been looking forward to welcoming had been killed inside Regulus' sac. The worst part of it was when Regulus had to have the operation to remove the dead foetus from inside of him. Regulus had been having nightmares for years afterwards.

Severus took another gulp of whiskey and savoured the burn down his throat. He had sworn that he would pay Potter back in kind, that he would one day kill his firstborn, with whoever he settled down with, but he hadn't counted on that woman being Lily. Strong, fiery, sweet, loving, kind, lovely Lily. How could he kill Lily's child, but he had sworn to kill Potter's firstborn for his own daughter, for Regulus.

He saw that boy now, the baby he had sworn to kill before he was even born, he had his own child now and more on the way, Severus would guess at three or four from the size of Potter. He had seen a submissive pregnant with six children in an illustrated book. She had looked like she was swimming in her own flesh, her stomach so rounded with child that she couldn't move, not even to roll over. Potter didn't look like she had, but he was very large.

Severus scanned the history book once again, turning the page and scouring it closely for even a hint that his mate had gone to the Potter wedding party. He had looked a hundred thousand times, through photos, through texts, through written accounts of guests and newspaper articles, but he could find no hint of Regulus being there, but where else would his vengeful mate go? Regulus had also sworn to kill Potter, the elder not the junior that had yet to be born, so it made sense that his mate had gone to the wedding party when Lily had innocently invited him, plus one. Neither of them had gone and it was likely that Potter hadn't even told her that he had killed their daughter, so she saw no harm in inviting them. Regulus had been in fits of rage for the week preceding the wedding and when they had argued on the night of the wedding, Regulus had stormed out and Severus had let him go, before realising two hours later once he had cooled down, that if Regulus went and killed Potter, he would be arrested, if he showed his Dracken attributes, he would be executed. He had rushed to the Potter wedding, searched high and low for Regulus, had startled Lily badly when she had come across him searching and demanded to know if she had seen him. Regulus hadn't been there, so he had gone and scoured every haunt and known place Regulus would go, from Hogwarts, to his parents' home, where a tearful, nasty, vile elf had screamed at him to go away and leave Master Regulus in peace, that he had ripped the Black family apart, that he had hurt his poor Mistress. He had deduced that Regulus was not there after booting the elf aside and scouring the Black ancestral home as Orion Black was in work and Walburga Black at the Malfoy home.

Nothing made sense. Regulus had been in fits about the invitation, but he also went on about a locket. Severus could find no mention anywhere of any Black's owning lockets. He had scoured through the Black family history, through all the private Black family journals he had taken as soon as Sirius Black had died and the house passed to Potter and found nothing, not even in Regulus' journal.

Scrubbing his face with long, thin, potion stained fingers, Severus knocked the book he was reading to the floor. He just wanted to know what had happened to Regulus. He wanted to find his bones and bury them in the empty coffin he had bought and buried so long ago now. He just wanted peace and solace for Regulus as well as himself. He needed to know what had happened all those years ago and where Regulus had gone and why.

* * *

Christmas Day was a buzz of activity as Harry helped Braiden open a mountain of presents that stood taller than Harry did when he was sat down and was wider across than he was tall.

"I told you all not to go overboard!" He chastised, even as he knew damn well that half of the presents in front of Braiden were from himself.

His mates sat around him chuckling, all of their gifts already opened, watching Harry as he and Braiden opened the presents together, revealing clothes, toys, books, shampoo and soaps, brushes and combs, a blanket, two new cot sets, a snow suit and an inflatable ball pit, including three hundred brightly coloured hollow plastic balls to go inside it.

"Thank you, everyone." Harry said a bit tearfully as he watched Braiden pull a fabric block to himself and put it straight into his mouth.

"We have another present for you." Ashleigh told him. She was smiling for the occasion, but she hadn't been her usual bubbly self.

She handed Harry a brightly wrapped box and he opened it. Inside were five beautifully designed, beautifully made, pure white cotton nightdresses. Each one had a delicate design on the front, they were similar, but different and Harry loved them.

He swallowed the lump in his throat, taking his pride and stubbornness with it and he hugged Ashleigh for the first time in two months, thanking her softly.

"You want them to all be girls then?" He asked as he wiped his eyes on his robes, not caring that they were expensive velvet made just for him to wear on Christmas Day and presented to him by Draco the night before.

"Honey, they're unisex. A baby boy can wear a nightdress as much as a little girl. Here, I found these in the attic." She handed him a dusty photo of a big baby laying sleeping on a bed in a white nightdress similar to the ones she had gifted to him.

"That's Max." She told him and Harry chuckled as Max groaned and whined behind him as Harry passed the photo around.

"Hell you were a big baby." Draco teased.

Max pulled him into his lap and kissed him silent as 'punishment'

"This one is Caesar." Ashleigh told him as she showed the picture of a smaller baby in a little nightdress, his legs pulled up to his waist, his nappy on show. "He always slept like that."

"Braiden always sleeps with his legs splayed." Harry grinned as he stroked Braiden's back as his baby lay on his stomach, resting on his elbows, his indigo eyes tracking the fabric block that Blaise was waving slowly in front of him. "Since we've put him in the cot, it's gotten worse because he has more room to spread his legs out."

They all laughed at that. "There's another present underneath those, for Braiden and the five new ones." Myron told them and Harry pulled out all five of the nightdresses and picked up the six white boxes underneath. They were hand and foot casting kits with spaces for a photograph and an inscription and Harry hugged Myron tightly, thanking him and making a mental note to use the one kit quickly, before Braiden grew even more.

Harry spent the rest of the day playing with Braiden and his new toys. Christmas dinner was very, very filling and Harry felt truly full for the first time in weeks, until the Christmas Pudding was brought out, then he decided he wasn't quite full after all.

They had taken enough photos to fill two new albums, had worn Braiden out by the time seven o'clock rolled around and worn themselves out by nine. They went to sleep happy, full, wound up and eager for Boxing Day.

* * *

Lucius Malfoy could see that his Wife was miserable. Her crystal blue eyes would continuously dart to the spot where their Draco usually sat for Winter solstice, the gift they had chosen together to give him sat where his plate would have been, untouched and unopened because their son was not here with them to celebrate the holiday.

Dinner was a quiet affair; usually Draco kept them entertained with stories from Hogwarts or delighted them by showing off another Outstanding in his studies. He complained about this Hufflepuff, whined about that Gryffindor, updated them about his small circle of friends and talked over any plans he had for when he went back to school.

Life was quiet without Draco. Life was peaceful without his seventeen year old son whining like a child in his ear. The summer had been particularly quiet and drab without Draco to accompany them on their summer break to Milan, though his Wife had informed him that Draco had had his own holiday to an island called Guadeloupe with the four men he had chosen to settle down with. Narcissa had also informed him that Potter was pregnant once again, this time with five children.

It was a strange thing, to think of the small, scrawny boy that was Harry Potter pregnant with five children. That anyone of those children could be his first grandchild, but then Narcissa had dashed those ideas when she informed him that their Draco was not a Father to any of the five children.

At first he had been angry, thinking that perhaps it had been Potter's fault, that he was denying Draco his needs, but Narcissa had assured him that Potter getting pregnant had been an accident and had taken all of the boys by surprise and that Potter couldn't be held responsible when Draco hadn't taken the chance to continue his line.

Now he didn't know what to think or how to feel, how was any man supposed to feel about the boy he had repeatedly tried to capture to take to his death settling down with his son? How was he supposed to act around Potter? What was he supposed to do and supposed to say to the boy he had tormented since he was a young child?

He went to bed beside his Wife, his mind spinning around wild thoughts and sleep did not come to him easily. He saw Draco as a very young child, about five or six, thanking him with a hug and a huge grin for his several holiday gifts, Draco hadn't hugged him since he was ten years old and that thought had never bothered him until now. Draco was polite and cool like he himself was with acquaintances and business partners, but he had never acted as such to his family. Was that his failing? Had he taught Draco to become a cold, distant, aloof man? He would have liked to say no, that that wasn't his child, that his child had not become what he had strived to keep him away from, but with a sinking heart, Lucius realised that he had in fact taught his son these lessons through his own behaviour.

He had stopped mollycoddling Draco at ten to prepare him for Hogwarts, to help him to grow up a bit more, but it seemed now, in hindsight, to have backfired on him. The more he had refused to give Draco hugs and kisses, refused to allow him childish comforts and stopped him from having tantrums, fits and other childish behaviours, the more childish Draco acted. The boy was seventeen and he still whined like a toddler, still pouted and threw a fit when something didn't go his way. Draco had yet to grow up and realise that he was a man now and should not act like a spoiled child and it was his failing as a parent, the blame rested heavy upon his shoulders and the guilt settled in his stomach like a stone.

The sky was just lightening to a steely grey when sleep took him and it was only a few short hours later when he felt the bed move beside him and woke him from sleep. Narcissa was awake and had moved straight to her vanity table to brush the knots and tangles from her hair as she did first thing every morning.

Lucius sat up and tried to ignore the guilt he still felt, which only grew as he saw his Wife's sad and distant eyes through the mirror as her hand automatically stroked the brush forlornly through her golden hair.

He showered with the imprint of those miserable eyes stuck in front of him, he dried and dressed himself and brushed out his own hair before tying it in a ribbon.

Narcissa looked at him strangely when he came into the dining room for breakfast; he only tied his hair up when he left the house and they had no plans for today.

"Did the Minister floo call you Lucius? I believe he promised to let you have Boxing Day off from work as well."

"He did promise and no he never called Cissa."

"Then where are you going dear?"

"We are going to accept that invitation after all." He spoke as he sipped his tea, speaking of the invitation from Myron Maddison to join him and his family at his home for the festive period, along with his children, his parents, his grandchild and son-in-laws, which happened to include Draco, their son.

Narcissa blinked before her entire face brightened. Then her mouth downturned.

"But Lucius, we responded that we weren't going, they aren't expecting us, it's rude to drop in unannounced."

"Draco is our son; we don't need an appointment to see him." Lucius held back his sneer at that thought by the skin of his teeth.

Narcissa nodded distractedly as she made herself presentable and plucked up Draco's gift, still on the table from yesterday, untouched, unopened.

"Should we wait until it's more reasonable a time dear?" Narcissa fretted then.

Lucius could have shook her. He was going to go now before his courage failed him social politeness and etiquette be damned, otherwise he was never going to be able to share in his son's life. His son, his only child.

"I'm sure someone will be up to receive us darling." He answered as he took her arm and led her to the fireplace.

"But what if they aren't dressed or presentable, we'll embarrass them!"

"Narcissa, I do not care if they receive us in their undergarments! If I wish to see my son at seven in the morning, I shall."

That made his shrewd Wife suspicious; he could see it in her narrowed eyes and thinned lips.

"What do you want with Draco so early in the morning on Boxing Day?"

Lucius sighed and cursed himself for a fool for marrying Narcissa Black; he should have taken the offer of Irene Goyle instead and saved himself the questions and stalling.

"You will see when we get there dear, if we ever do get there that is."

Narcissa closed her mouth but the glaring to the back of his head let him know that she was thinking about caving it in with one of the solid bronze candlesticks that framed either side of the antique marble fireplace in their receiving room.

Her fears were unfounded as they found nearly the entire household enjoying breakfast, the only one's missing were the ones he had come to see.

"Draco is not awake yet?" Narcissa questioned warmly as she engaged immediately with the women of the room.

"They're all awake, they like to bathe Braiden in the mornings and shower before coming down and it takes a while for five adults to shower if they don't double up."

"You can bet they are doubling up." Myron's Husband, Richard, commented with a grin that made Lucius' breakfast threaten an embarrassing reappearance.

"Not at the breakfast table Richard." Myron chastised, like Richard was one of his children and not a spouse, but then how did you treat a spouse that acted like your child? "Please be seated and help yourself, my son took the liberty of making breakfast when he woke up before going to wake his lovers."

Narcissa tittered amusedly. "Maximilius is a wonderful man." She complimented graciously. "A very creative cook as well."

Myron inclined his head at the compliment before turning back to Aneirin Delericey, whom Lucius had only heard of by name and reputation before and had only met him once, in that disastrous meeting that had led to the three men in front of him, threatening to kill him.

He was invited to join them and he did so, talking about the Ministry and the new upcoming bills that would hopefully come to pass in March.

It was another half hour before Potter himself was carried in by Aneirin's son, Nasta. Lucius couldn't help but stare at the size of the boy, who must have put on at least two and a half stone of weight and had expanded his waistline by at least thirty inches. He looked almost unrecognisable from the chest down, but there was no mistaking that ethereal face, with those large, wide eyes and the lightning bolt off to the side of his forehead, above his left eye.

They paid him no mind, for all the notice they gave him he was an empty chair, but they both greeted Narcissa warmly and exuberantly, Potter even handed the Zabini child to her, who had grown considerably as well and was now holding his head up for short spaces of time, even if Narcissa still supported his neck.

Maximilius was the next down, grinning so much like his unbiological Father that he wondered if Myron had had a paternity test done to know he was his own. Max kissed his Mother and hugged both of his Fathers and even his grandparents, not caring about anyone seeing or watching and Lucius swallowed, reminded harshly of how much he had ruined Draco with his past decisions.

Draco came into the kitchen with a smile, his hand clamped around Blaise Zabini's, their fingers laced together like honeymoon lovers. It was the warm smile on his son's lips that drew his attention the most, Draco looked like he was happy, like he was enjoying life to its fullest and Lucius couldn't fathom how. How could sharing your lover with three other men bring him happiness? How could looking after six children that weren't even his put that glimmer of love and peace in those silvery eyes. What was he not comprehending, what was it that he wasn't seeing that attracted Draco, a spoilt, very unsharing and possessive boy, to this lifestyle?

Draco caught sight of his Mother and then turned to him and Lucius felt like he'd been dealt a huge blow as he watched the happiness slide off of that handsome, angular face and a cool mask settled in its place. Draco let go of Blaise's hand so quickly it was as though he had been burnt as his hands flew to the front of his shirt and straightened it unnecessarily.

"Father, how nice of you to join us." Was the calm, cool, drawling tone he was used to hearing from Draco. Did his son wear a mask at all times around him? Was it only him who didn't know the real person his own son was? Was the son he saw, spoke to and lived with just a mask? Was there a completely different, much warmer, happier man living underneath the mask of the man he thought was his son?

"Good morning Draco." He greeted politely, before mentally hitting himself, it was this behaviour and cool, polite distance that had gotten him into this rut with Draco. "If I could take a moment of your time. In private." Lucius hit himself again. This was his son, not some Ministry official, but he couldn't snap the ingrained responses.

"Of course." Draco replied indifferently "Mr Maddison, if we may use your front room?"

Myron looked livid, and with good reason. They were Father and son and were treating one another like distant work colleagues.

"You may." The man rumbled his deep voice tight with anger.

Lucius followed Draco and steeled himself for whatever was going to happen in this room. One way or another, he would either have his son back, or he would no longer have a son that recognised him.

Lucius closed the door behind him and turned to find Draco looking at him through those dull, cold eyes and Lucius did not want those eyes looking at him anymore. He crossed the room in four long strides and pulled Draco to him in the first hug he had given the boy in seven years.

Draco remained stiff and distant in his arms, until he realised that Lucius was not going to let go. Then those huge shoulders started quivering and then shaking and then large, muscled arms slipped around his slim waist and he was awkwardly holding a seventeen year old man who was sobbing for all his worth.

Lucius remembered the last time he had hugged Draco, the small, happy, slender ten year old boy who came up to his elbow, it had been the same day he had gotten his Hogwarts letter. He had held a grinning, excited Draco in congratulation and pride, but he had told himself then that it was time for Draco to grow up, but Draco hadn't grown up, he had hidden.

He felt his shoulder become wet where Draco was resting his eyes and Lucius wondered at what point Draco had become taller than himself. It was a strange thing, to see his son but to only just now realise that said son was taller than him, was broader through the shoulders, it was only now he had his son in his arms for the first time in seven or so years that he truly took notice that Draco was taller and bigger than himself.

He had always said that Draco would surpass him in both looks, body and excellence, but to see this strong, strapping man his tiny, pink bundle of baby with white fuzz had grown into brought a lump to his throat.

Draco was the best son any man could ask for. He was intelligent, a straight O student, handsome, well behaved, eloquent and well spoken, he had impeccable mannerisms and was the light of his Mother's eye. He could see that now. Narcissa's happiness revolved around Draco. The sadness and melancholy of that morning had vanished as soon as Draco had walked into the room, her blue eyes sparkling with inner happiness at the sight of Draco's apparent happiness.

It was himself that was the problem, he was the one destroying Draco and he couldn't stand the thought that his son was suffering because of his actions. He promised to change, to be more accepting as he held that huge man to him, remembering with sadness the small boy he had been the last time he had held Draco this way. It should never have been so long, it should never have happened. It would never happen again, he should never have let him go all of those years ago, his biggest regret was that he would never get that time back now that he had finally realised his mistake.

"I'm never letting you go again." Lucius whispered into that platinum blonde hair, holding the tears back by the very edge of his fingernails, he would not cry, Draco needed him to be strong for him, he could do that much for him. "Never again." He repeated as he gently brushed Draco's silky hair with his fingertips.

* * *

Harry was concerned as Draco remained in the front room with Lucius all morning. Narcissa was tense as well, keeping half an ear towards the front room, likely expecting screaming and shouting like he was.

Harry ate a big lunch cooked by Max, who possessively waved his Mother away from her own cooker and started making lunch for everyone.

Harry sat on a chair cuddling Braiden, resting the baby, who was refusing to go to sleep, on his considerable bump.

"Have you tried him on solids Harry?" Narcissa asked him. "He's four months now isn't he?"

Harry nodded. "I don't think he's ready yet, I want to bottle feed him for a month or so more first, but we tried giving him boiled carrots the other week, Max made sure they were really soft and completely pureed but Braiden just dipped his fingers into the puree on the spoon as it came towards his mouth and I don't think he liked the feel of it, he didn't even think to put it in his mouth, he just looked at the orange muck on his fingers and started crying."

Narcissa chuckled delicately. "Draco didn't try until he was eight months old. He was a breastfed baby and he was happy on the breast until eight months, when he actually took an interest in what Lucius ad I were eating."

Max roared with laughter and the grin on his face told them that he was not going to let Draco forget that he had been sucking from his Mother's breast for eight months.

"Max refused to latch on." Ashleigh commented. "I thought that it was something I was doing wrong, until I had Caesar, who latched on immediately. He was unhappy when his little sister came about because I had to wean him quickly to free up my breasts for Julinda. Max was just a fussy baby, he'd only take milk at a certain temperature, it had to be the same strength and the same taste or he'd refuse it, I was actually glad when he started showing an interest in food at four months. I used to cut up bits of food and put it in front of him and let him pick and choose what he wanted."

"A chef in the making from birth." Blaise teased.

Max saluted him with a smile before he tugged him into a deep lip lock. Harry chuckled as Braiden watched his Dads kissing interestedly, one of his new animal toys stuck in his mouth being gummed to the rubbish bin.

Draco made an appearance at one in the afternoon and he was so happy that Harry smiled, wrapping Draco in a hug, who kissed him before kissing Braiden and diving into the conversation with vigour. He was a changed man and Harry looked to Lucius Malfoy who was standing in the doorway and gave him a small smile and a nod, before turning back to his conversation with Nasta.

Caesar came around that afternoon for dinner; he brought an unhappy Amelle and a smothered Eleonora, who was five months old and not happy with being confined to her Mother's arms when all she wanted to do was explore her new surroundings.

Harry had to sit through a monologue of how Eleonora was just so much better than Braiden, how she had already started trying to push herself up and was on her way to crawling, how she was already eating 'real' food, how she kept saying her first word (ooh) which Harry didn't think was much of a first word and was just more of a noise.

Harry maturely endured through all of this, ignoring the woman as best as he could and making humming noises when she stopped speaking as if in agreement with her. His family were so proud, even as Caesar told Amelle to keep quiet and his mates got angrier. That is until Braiden opened his little mouth and clearly said "Ma ma." Harry grinned.

"My Braiden also said his first words." He told Amelle gloatingly before turning to Braiden. "Haven't you baby?"

"Ma ma ma!" Braiden babbled.

"Ooh!" Narcissa cried in delight. "You never said he was talking Draco!"

Draco grinned. "He started the other day. He likes saying 'ba' and 'ah' as well."

"Ah ah." Braiden replied before huffing out his little giggles when Narcissa tickled under his chin.

"It's outstanding how quickly he's developing." Aneirin commented. "But then you see that with the Dracken born babies, they're much more advanced than babies born by humans, though none are more advanced than the merpeople's young, they are practically born children with fully formed teeth, hair and communication skills and understanding."

"Who's the least advanced?" Harry asked curiously.

"Vampires have the least developed start to life. Their young are so dependent upon their parents that if left alone for any more than an hour they could die, but they make up for this in their childhood, they develop so quickly during childhood that they are fully grown at fourteen, fifteen and have a higher understanding over others their age."

"Which is why vampires are such snobs." Nasta put in.

Harry chuckled at that.

"But, unfortunately, it's the Faeries who have the second most underdeveloped children, like the vampires they also have a slow start, but unlike the vampires, Faerie children stay underdeveloped throughout childhood and are years behind other children their age. It's only when they are teenagers that they start quickening and developing and they continue on throughout their adult life."

"Why unfortunately?" Ashleigh asked curiously.

"Faerie blood runs in the Delericey bloodline. Anyone of the children Nasta could give me could be a Faerie." Harry answered already understanding that if he had a Faerie child, a whole host of problems would arise.

"It's not very likely Harry; a Faerie hasn't been born into the Delericey bloodlines for a hundred and fifty years or more." Aneirin said.

"Don't say that!" Harry whined. "I'm Harry freaking Potter, of course if you say that it'll happen! I begged for one child and I got five!"

"That doesn't prove anything."

Harry snorted. "My entire life has gone from bad to worse, well until I found this lot." Harry kissed Blaise and snuggled Braiden.

"I would have thought it went from worse to bad." Max said quietly, after all they didn't like bringing up the abuse. "You were in Hogwarts for most of the year when you hit your teens or…or did it get worse the older you got?"

"That too." Harry said flippantly.

Nasta swallowed and licked his lips and Harry knew what was coming and prepared himself for the therapy.

"If you want to talk about it Harry, we will listen, but don't stress yourself in your condition."

Harry considered and wondered if he felt up to telling them, maybe not about the Dursleys, but about his _adventures_ at Hogwarts.

"Well after Hagrid saved me from the house on the rock…"

"Wait what?" Max interrupted. "Rewind a bit love, what house on a rock? Didn't you live in Surrey?"

Harry glared at Max, who mimed zipping up his lips. Harry chuckled.

"When I started getting my Hogwarts letter, I was forbidden from opening it. They even moved me out of the cupboard under…"

"What cupboard?" Narcissa demanded, her blue eyes alight with fire.

Harry sighed and realised he'd have to go right back to the beginning.

"After my parents were killed I was sent to live with _them_. They never wanted me, never cared or even gave a passing thought to me. I was kept in the cupboard under the stairs until I was ten, just before my eleventh birthday when I started getting my Hogwarts letters."

"What barbaric people. I hope you have done something about this."

"I filed the report on them two weeks ago, they should be going into review soon, then they will be arrested and kept in holding cells until a court hearing can be set. Everything is moving smoothly and I'll push to get it over and done with quickly so it doesn't drag out. It's a pretty cut and clear case." Richard answered, turned into a mature, grown man for just a moment.

"Well anyway, one of my Uncle's attempts to stop me from reading my Hogwarts letter was to take us to a broken down shack on a pile of rocks out to sea. I thought the roof would cave in at any moment. But Hagrid came on my eleventh birthday and gave me my letter, took me shopping for my school things and told me about the wizarding world in general. But fast forwarding, in first year I saved Hermione from a mountain troll…"

"A mountain troll? In a school full of children!" Myron hissed before turning to Lucius. "You were a school governor at this point, what did you do?"

"There was a full inquiry." Lucius answered smoothly. "A teacher let the troll into the school as a distraction, but that teacher died before the inquest could be completed."

"I killed him." Harry said.

"You were an eleven year old boy!" Aneirin refuted with a head shake. "You couldn't have killed him."

"I burnt him to death, I watched him turn to ash under my fingers." Harry said hollowly.

Blaise hugged him and Nasta made a distressed sound in his throat as he came and sat on his other side, holding him comfortingly.

"I also met fluffy, a monstrous three headed dog that was in the forbidden corridor."

"Trust you to go snooping in the forbidden corridor." Draco said weakly.

"There was also Norbert the Norwegian Ridgeback, Charlie tells me that the dragon was renamed Norberta after emerging that he was actually a she."

"You came across a fully grown drag…"

"No, no. Norberta was just a baby. I watched her hatch."

Nasta's eyes were wide. "Harry I can count on one hand the amount of times I've seen a dragon hatching and I've been a dragon handler for twenty years. The dragons are too protective of their eggs to let anyone go near them."

"Norberta only had Hagrid and though he's a protective Momma bear he let me, Ron and Hermione watch. Draco was also there if my memory serves me right."

Draco blushed. "My ear has never been the same."

Harry chuckled. "Then I think it was when we actually went to retrieve the Philosophers Stone from the trapdoor underneath Fluffy."

"Excuse me, you did what?" Myron demanded and Harry huddled up, no longer excited about telling the story. Myron's right hand clenched and Harry swallowed. He wondered if he was now going to be spanked for the first time in his life by a parental figure, he could see it in those jet black eyes that Myron wanted to do it.

"I…we, me, Ron and Hermione, went through the trapdoor that Fluffy was guarding because we thought Snape was trying to steal the stone." Harry defended weakly.

"You thought Severus was doing what?" Narcissa actually giggled.

"Pray tell what was beyond this trapdoor?" Lucius asked.

Harry avoided looking at anyone as he scratched the nape of his neck embarrassedly. "Devil's Snare."

"I couldn't have heard you right." Aneirin told him. "I thought you said you encountered Devil's Snare, a very vicious, murderous plant that strangles and crushes anything that touches it."

Harry licked dry lips and combatting the plant didn't seem as fun or as big an achievement as it had before. For the first time, when put like that, it seemed like a dangerous and stupid thing to do.

"I did."

"How did three first years know how to deal with this plant?" Myron demanded.

"Hermione. Ron and I would have died without her there. She…she's proficient at lighting waterproof bluebell flames, she actually set Snape on fire in first year, which is a funny story, but she cast her fire and the plant recoiled away from it and released Ron and I."

"Granger set Professor Snape on fire?" Draco asked.

"Yeah, in the first Quidditch match where Quirrell was jinxing my broom, she thought it was Snape and set him on fire to break his eye contact."

Max laughed at that and Harry giggled a bit, but Myron was not amused and looked like he was going to drag him over his knee at any moment, Harry almost didn't want to continue.

"What were you doing on a broom in the first place; don't you have to be in the second year of Hogwarts before you can play Quidditch because of the violent nature of the game?" Sanex asked.

"I got special permission to play by Dumbledore because I showed great talent on a broomstick."

Max chuckled evilly and Harry knew what he was going to say before he did. "You have a _lot_ of talent on a 'broomstick' Harry."

Myron took a huge hand to the side of Max's head, the smack making everyone wince, but Max just pouted and rubbed his sore spot before grinning happily once more. That smack had made Harry wince more than anyone else; he did not want that hand on his bum.

"What came after the Devil's Snare?" Lucius asked coolly. He was not impressed either.

Harry thought hard and the tinkling and buzzing came back to his mind. "Keys." He said. "Winged keys. You had to catch the key that unlocked the next door, there had to have been a thousand keys in that room."

"And three eleven year olds caught the right key to the door?"

"It was pretty obvious. It had a broken wing from already being caught once." Harry said meekly.

"What came next?"

"A life sized game of wizards' chess. We had to take the place of three pieces and play our way to the other side of the room."

"Wizards chess is a very violent game without it being life sized and including three children!" Ashleigh hissed. "Did any of you get hurt?"

"Ron did. The only way to win the game was for Ron to be taken by the queen piece and for me to checkmate the king. He was knocked unconscious from the blow, but he was fine afterwards."

"He could have lost his head!"

"Good." Draco hissed, everyone ignored him and Harry carried on quickly.

"After that was a huge troll that was already knocked out, thankfully, it was even bigger than the one I faced before and after that was a table of potions and a riddle. Hermione solved that, but only one of us could go forward, the other had to go back."

Myron huffed irritated. "Let me guess, you went forward?"

"I went forward and found Quirrell with Voldemort sticking out of the back of his head."

"I beg your pardon?"

"Voldemort was possessing Quirrell, but because he was just a spirit, he latched onto the host's body like a parasite and sort of grew out of the back of Quirrell's head, which is why he always wore that absurd turban. I had nightmares for months after that."

"What happened after that?" Ashleigh asked almost breathlessly in fear.

"Voldemort asked me to join him. I'll always remember what he said. 'There is no good or evil Harry, only power and those too weak to seek it. Join me and together we can do extraordinary things. Better to save your own life and join me or you'll meet the same end as your parents' I told him where to shove that idea, he told me how he killed my Father first and then went after my Mother when I told him I'd never join him, I might have called him a liar as well, but afterwards he screamed at Quirrell to kill me."

"So you killed him first."

"He couldn't touch me. Dumbledore said it was because my Mother sacrificed her life for me and that because Voldemort couldn't understand that, it became his weakness and he couldn't touch me. Because Voldemort was sharing Quirrell's body, he couldn't touch me either and when he tried to suffocate me by cutting off my windpipe, his hands started blistering, the longer he held on the more they blistered until the hand died and turned to ash. He tried with his other hand and the same thing happened. I knew what I was doing, I knew I'd kill him when I done it, but I latched onto his face, pushing my hands into his face and I watched the terror in his eyes, the pain and the fear as his face turned to ash under my hands and still I didn't let go. I passed out sometime after that and woke up in the hospital wing a week later."

"It was self-defence." Richard told him as he finished. "No wizarding court in the whole of Britain would convict you for murder under those circumstances."

"They wouldn't?" Harry asked hopefully, needing the reassurance.

"Absolutely not." Richard answered firmly. "An eleven year old boy being set upon by a grown man intent on strangling him? No. It would assuredly be ruled as self-defence even if you had taken a knife to his throat."

Harry yawned widely and cuddled Braiden tightly as he slept soundly, the little and ring fingers of his right hand in cased in a softly sucking mouth.

"It's bedtime I think." Nasta said softly as he looked to the clock and to Harry's half closed eyes.

"I never had a nap today." Harry said surprised. "No wonder I'm so tired when it's only nine."

"How old are you, three?" Amelle sneered as she came in from the kitchen with a squirming Eleonora, who had been bathed, changed, fed and was now refusing to sleep.

"No, but I am pregnant with five babies and you're not, are you?" Harry said with a pointed look to her empty belly.

Amelle hissed and took a step forward. Blaise was in front of him before she could take a second.

"Don't even think about coming closer or I will tear off every finger you have and bury them in your eye sockets." He hissed.

Amelle looked around, saw that no one was on her side, looked for Caesar, who had gone to the toilet at the end of Harry's tale and realised that she was alone. She growled and hissed as she backed away and Harry waved to her as she backed herself and Eleonora out of the room. He giggled and rolled himself onto Nasta and settled himself on his lap, yawning once again before giving Nasta a little kick with his heel to get him moving.

"I'm sure you think I'm a horse." He said as he eased himself to his feet and settled Harry and Braiden more securely in his arms.

"No, you're my loving, amazing mate who doesn't want to see me struggling up all of those stairs whilst carrying your five children, oh, Braiden makes six. Do you want to watch me fight all of those stairs with six babies? What if I fell?"

"You coercing little fiend." Nasta teased, rubbing their noses together as they said goodnight and climbed the stairs to the bedroom, the others following after saying their own goodnights.

Nasta settled him down and nuzzled his face as he stripped Harry and redressed him in warm pyjama bottoms and one of Max's shirts. Blaise got Braiden ready for bed and settled him in his cot, which had once belonged to Max and his siblings, only with a new mattress and linens.

Harry yawned and fell asleep quickly, feeling loved, cherished and cared for as the soft voices of his mates murmured around him as they got ready for bed themselves.

* * *

A/N: I love this chapter. I just absolutely love it and I hope you do too.

Thanks to **mattdombast** for being the **7,200****th**** reviewer**!

**TwoSexySlytherins**: Gestation for a Dracken is 7 months. June will be easier for them because they'll take their N.E. at the end of May and though they'll still be classed as students and remain at the school, they'll have no lessons in June because they've already done their exams and the younger years will be taking their exams in June. They will have a graduation ceremony at the beginning of July and then they are free to leave the school as graduated adults. So during the month of June, they can just lounge around and do whatever they please as they wait for school to let out and their results to come back to them.

**litlittledragon**: Draco can't be a Father because he did not have sex with Harry at the time of conception and the other three did. I think your idea to make Blaise suffer by giving him a weak child very cruel. The child has done nothing wrong and I think it's stereotypical of you to assume that the weakest child would be a girl when it is actually boys who are weakest at birth and are more likely to die in their first year than baby girls.

**PhoenixRose92**: Harry did think that when Blaise walked out that it was forever. In his illogical mind, his mate had left him holding their child and wasn't coming back, and he went into a sort of shock where his mind kept turning that one event around and around in his mind and he couldn't pull himself out of that event to send the distress call.

**NoirxAnge**: Cheers for spotting the mistake! I've fixed it in my written documents and will fix it on the websites soon! As for why they didn't notice Harry, have you ever been so tired that you just look at something without comprehending what it is or what it's for? Have you ever had a prolonged period of broken, disturbed sleep where yours eyes constantly burn and blur and you can't focus on anything? That's how bad it got for them all. They could barely focus on anything, they couldn't do homework, Max was constantly making mistakes in work and all of them were suffering from lack of sleep, so it just didn't sink in that Harry was worse off because of the pregnancy and they couldn't see it until their faces were shoved in it.

**Zept**: Nasta's punishment is biting. So when he punishes Harry, he bites, when he punishes subordinate mates, he bites. If Max had been top dominant instead of Nasta, Blaise would have been nursing a very sore scalp because Max's preferred method of punishing is hair pulling. Each dominant has a preferred method of punishment and will use them in various ways with different levels of pain infliction to punish minor misdemeanours or severe acts of disobedience.

**1withthepotionsseveroussnape: **You will find out the genders with the birth, the babies are practically glued together as their space closes in around them, so it's impossible to tell their genders. Harry is due to give birth on March 2nd if he carries to the full 7 month gestation period of Drackens. All of the babies are named, gendered, Fathered and have their blossoming personalities. I know so much because it's a subject that interests me greatly and I'm always reading and willing to learn new things and yes I am aware that certain smells and tastes make a pregnant person feel nauseous, but where Harry had morning sickness and couldn't stand certain smells when he was pregnant with Braiden, he isn't having that problem with this pregnancy.

The votes results are:-

Blaise – 36

Max – 70

Nasta – 80

More girls than boys in the clutch – 20

More boys than girls in the clutch – 18

Only three people have the right number of babies per Father and only one person has the right genders, no one has guessed correctly both the genders and Fathers! You have one more chapter to join in this fun vote and then it'll all be over!

Don't forget to read the side story, **The Rise of the Drackens: The Scaled Bits!**

StarLight Massacre.


	53. Complications

A/N: This chapter may cause some readers distress, please take note of the warning lines and only read if you can handle it.

_Last Time_

_Nasta settled him down and nuzzled his face as he stripped Harry and redressed him in warm pyjama bottoms and one of Max's shirts. Blaise got Braiden ready for bed and settled him in his cot, which had once belonged to Max, only with a new mattress and linens._

_Harry yawned and fell asleep quickly, feeling loved, cherished and cared for as the soft voices of his mates murmured around him as they got ready for bed themselves._

Chapter Fifty-Three – Complications

It was a week later when things came to a head. Amelle was still staying at Myron's home with Caesar and their daughter and Harry was holding his temper, and tears, by the skin of his teeth. He wanted to hurt her so badly he was often walking around with his claws out, which made taking care of Braiden difficult and the amount of times he had shallowly stabbed himself because he forgot they were out was ridiculous.

He was also carting around two, two litre water bottles of blood from his mates as he had taken to drinking so much from them that they started feeling dizzy and nauseous if he took it all in one go. He had one bottle which he gulped from throughout the day and a second, back up bottle just in case.

The highlight of the week had been when Braiden learnt a new word. Oh ah. Almost certainly learnt from Eleonora, who still only said 'ooh' despite Amelle almost demanding her to say 'Mummy'.

Braiden particularly enjoyed bashing his wooden animals about this week before shoving them back in his mouth.

Harry was currently lying on his back on the rug in front of the fireplace, Myron was sat by his head in an armchair, in fact, Harry's head was pillowed on his sock covered feet and he giggled every time Myron moved his toes.

Braiden was on his chest, sleeping soundly through the afternoon. Harry had only woken up fifteen minutes ago and he was now rubbing the back of his head against Myron's feet. Myron chuckled from behind his paperwork and bent forward to ruffle his hair.

"Did you sleep alright?" He asked.

Harry hummed in agreement. "I could have done with an extra hour, but a baby is squashing a kidney."

"Have you been taking your potions?"

"Yes, there's nothing they can do for organ squashing." Harry said, accepting the arms that plucked him from his prone position and sat him upright as he held Braiden still to stop him from waking.

Harry now felt fit to burst and couldn't see himself going another month of this, let alone another three months, but he took every day as it came, one day after the other and it seemed to be working.

Harry's stomach grumbled so loudly Braiden made an unhappy noise and Myron chuckled.

"It's almost lunch time." Myron told him. "Max will be almost done with the meal after forcing his Mother from the kitchen."

Harry chuckled and flapped about with his one arm until Myron took pity on him and got him on his feet, tucking away his paperwork and escorting him to the kitchen.

Harry sat himself on Draco, who made a soft 'oof' noise that Harry ignored. He knew he was heavy, he was now over ten stone and it all centred around his stomach, abdomen and hips area. Draco's arms slid around him and nuzzled the back of his neck.

"You need a haircut." He groused as he tugged on the over long clumps of hair, which were so long now it was curling.

"You can cut it if you like." Harry said, uncaring about his hair, he didn't really care what it looked like, it was just hair.

"You sure it won't just grow back?" Blaise teased.

Harry chuckled. "As long as Draco doesn't plan on shearing it to my scalp, leaving five inches of fringe in front to hide my scar it should be fine, but the hair has a life of its own."

"Don't we know that." Nasta rumbled, ruffling it up and smirking as it didn't lie back down flat but remained stuck up and ruffled.

So Harry found himself sat on a chair, a towel around his neck like a bib and Draco carefully cutting and styling his hair with a comb as Braiden was held securely by Blaise to keep his little fingers away from the scissors.

"You're enjoying this too much." Harry grumbled, watching another tuft go falling past his face from his head.

"You're well overdue for a haircut." Draco said distractedly as he combed another tuft up and trimmed it.

"Maybe you should become a barber."

"My Father would die of an aneurism." Draco snorted. "His perfect, pureblood, straight O student, son cutting hair for a living out of some small shop off of Diagon Alley."

Harry chuckled at the image and caressed Draco's belly as he moved to stand in front of him. His hands were slapped.

"Stop that. I'm trying to make your hair decent."

"It'll never be decent." Harry complained as he pushed his hands under Draco's shirt.

"You randy bugger." Max teased as he stirred a saucepan of something on the cooker.

"You're only saying that because it isn't you." Harry said cheekily and Max winked at him.

Caesar came in with Eleonora on his hip, her head sitting upright on her shoulders as she looked around through chocolate brown eyes, Caesar's eyes and by extension, Richard's.

"You actually wrestled her away?" Max asked happily as he held his arms out for his niece.

Caesar handed her over and Max kissed and nuzzled her, blowing a raspberry on her cheek making her giggle.

"How are you Nora?" He asked her. "Uncle Max finally, _finally_, gets to hold you after five months."

"Ooh!" Eleonora cooed and Max nodded as if she had actually spoken like he always did with Braiden, stirring his simmering saucepan as he did so.

"Yes honey, Uncle Max is cooking lunch, do you want some?" Max turned to Caesar. "She's being weaned isn't she?"

"Yeah, mainly vegetables, but she takes some fruits as well, she hates banana."

"Harry, do you want to try Braiden on some pureed peas and green beans?"

"It can't hurt." Harry nodded. Draco bopped his head.

"Keep still; you'll ruin your hair." The blonde admonished as he studied the thick, black tufts.

"Just shave his head and be done with it." Caesar grinned, sitting at the table next to Nasta.

"Shave my head and I'll shave off both your eyebrows when you're sleeping."

"I think we're done." Draco declared. "Just don't touch it and don't grow it either!"

"Tell me to stop breathing as well why don't you." Harry huffed as he took Braiden from Blaise and cuddled him tightly.

It was half one before lunch was ready, but Harry ignored his own lunch in favour of trying to get Braiden to eat the green paste in the tiny bowl Max had given him, using the absolutely tiny, soft weaning spoon.

Eleonora was eating gutsily, Amelle, who had been in a forced sleep and had since woken up and taken control of her daughter, was gloating and praising Nora loudly as Harry tried to get Braiden to see the green paste as food.

Harry actually put a spoonful into his own mouth to encourage Braiden, but his son seemed to find it hilarious as he huffed his little giggles at him as the spoon disappeared into his mouth and came out empty.

"He doesn't want to know." He announced decisively, just knowing instinctively that Braiden wasn't ready to come off of his milk just yet.

"Of course he doesn't. He not as advanced as Eleonora." Amelle said snidely as Nora gummed a spoonful of the green paste.

Harry picked up Braiden's bowl of pureed peas and green beans and threw it at Amelle. The paste went all over her, but the little bowl caught her eye and she started bleeding, which turned Caesar feral and made Max rush to intercept his brother before he could launch himself at Harry.

Max dragged Caesar out the back door and Nasta came around the table, picked him up and carried him out of the room, Braiden joining them as Harry had snarled at Blaise, who had tried to take the baby from him.

"That was childish and foolish Harry." Nasta told him as he settled them in the front room, Harry sitting on his lap. "In front of Braiden as well, what if the bowl had bounced off of Amelle and hit Eleonora?"

Harry bit his lip. He had regretted doing it as soon as the bowl had left his fingers, but hearing that he could have hit little Nora was a blow to the gut.

"I can see you regret doing it Harry, but did you need me to tell you why you have to regret it or do you regret it on your own?"

"I regretted it the moment the bowl left my hand, I just wanted her to stop talking. I can't take her putting Braiden down so much; I can't listen to it anymore. Braiden is not second best, he's not stupid or more under developed than Eleonora, he's just a different baby. I love him how he is, why should he be put down by her because he's not interested in pureed peas? Why should he be scorned because he can't hold his head up for more than five minutes yet? I've tried to ignore her and to not let it bother me but it does! I just wanted her to shut up."

Nasta pulled his head into a light kiss to the lips and held his head against his shoulder.

"That's alright love. I know it's hard, I want to rip her tongue out myself, we all do. All of us love Braiden so much and to hear the things she's saying about him makes my teeth grind together with the effort to stop from burying my claws in her forehead. Max and I have been crushing each other's hands under the table to keep from attacking her and I've had to kick Draco's shin twice."

Harry chuckled and savoured that mental image, he felt better knowing that his mates were feeling the same as he was, that they all wanted to hurt her and make her stop talking. He steeled himself, if they could ignore her and behave, he could too, he was an adult, it's time he started behaving like one.

Nasta carried him back into the kitchen and made him swap places with Max, so Harry was at the farthest end of the table as far as he could get from Amelle. Harry was given his plate and he started eating, Braiden in the crook of his arm playing with his own hands.

Harry ate so much he thought his stomach had grown five inches as he had sat at the table, he rubbed his belly with a moan and rested his head on Nasta's shoulder.

"Do you feel better?" Nasta whispered to him, ignoring Amelle who was now showing everyone how amazing Eleonora was because she could grasp a moving object and Braiden couldn't.

"Much." Harry answered softly. "I needed that lunch."

"Ah ma." Braiden joined in, Harry kissed his forehead lovingly as Braiden practised his limited number of words.

Nasta chuckled. "He's such a cutie."

"Never thought I'd hear you say the 'C' word." Harry teased, a bit too loudly because Aneirin stopped talking and turned around.

"Who said the 'C' word? Surely not you Nasta." He hissed in anger. "Not when your four month old child is practically on your lap. I raised you better than to use such foul language."

"No Dad, the 'C' word is Harry's forbidden word, he doesn't like hearing how cute he is."

"I am _not_ CUTE!" Harry hissed dangerously.

"You are." Richard told him with a sly smirk. Harry growled threateningly. "See? It's so cute that you're standing up to me, your hair all sticking up like it's channelling your anger and your pretty eyes glaring and afire."

"You're going to talk yourself into your grave." Myron warned as he patted Richard's knee before standing up and digging out a warm chocolate pudding from the oven that Ashleigh had actually been able to make, though Max had pouted.

Harry was given the first, big slice of pudding that had been drizzled with a melted chocolate sauce; he didn't even feel the craving to shove any honey on it as he took a huge spoonful and shoved it into his mouth. He moaned around the spoon and helped himself to another spoonful.

"I can see where Max got his cooking skills from." He complimented as he licked the chocolate sauce from his spoon.

Ashleigh giggled and thanked him.

"You're welcome here any time Harry." She said happily.

"Does that mean I'm not?" Max sobbed fakely. "I'm your son, why aren't I invited any time I want to?"

"Because you steal my cooker every time you're here!" Ashleigh answered.

Max laughed and dug into his own piece of pudding. Harry grinned as he noticed that Amelle was served the smallest piece. It was petty, he knew that, but it still made him feel better to know that Myron wasn't too fond of her and when he kissed Eleonora, his only Granddaughter, as he walked around the table serving everyone, Amelle swiped at him with her claws and hissed.

"Amelle, don't do that to my Father, Nora is his granddaughter and he has every right to hold her and kiss her."

"It's not right!" She insisted. "She's not his by blood; it's strange that he wants to kiss her all the time."

"Just what are you trying to say?" Myron thundered, pulling himself up to his full, intimidating, impressive height of six foot ten inches. Even with a serving tray of pudding in one hand and a serving spoon in the other he looked so dangerous Harry shrunk into Nasta's side.

"Ignore her." Harry spoke up in a soft voice as everything was silent and no one moved or breathed, the tension thick enough to walk on. "She wouldn't know a decent person if they stood in front of her face. You can babysit Braiden while I slip away for a relaxing bath."

Harry forced himself up and made himself approach that dangerous looking man, trustingly handed Braiden to Myron, who had put the serving spoon and pudding tray down on the table top likely thinking to free his hands of weapons so he wouldn't be tempted to smack Amelle with them. Harry latched onto one of those huge shoulders and pulled himself up and Myron down and chastely pecked his lips before turning to his mates.

"Who wants to carry me up the stairs today? I really want that bath and I want it now."

They all looked at each other and Harry scowled. "Would you rather I try to get up them myself?" He demanded and Blaise ate the last spoonful of pudding, swallowed, stood up and tugged him into his arms, Harry giggling happily at having manipulated them to do his will.

"Thank you Blaise, you get a present now, you can join me in the bath!"

"That bathtub barely fits Max, how are you _and_ Blaise going to fit?" Draco scoffed.

Harry sent him his nastiest glare and turned away from him and urged Blaise up the stairs.

"Ignore him love, how about you get in the bath and I rub your back like I used to, we've barely had the time to do anything together lately and I miss you."

Harry smiled beatifically and kissed Blaise so passionately he had to stop walking or risk walking into something or falling over.

They carried onto Max's childhood bedroom, which was so cute to see with its posters of his Quidditch team, The Appleby Arrows, their pale blue robes adored with a single silver arrow and what amused them all the most was the playwizard magazine that was tucked behind his bedside cabinet. Draco had found it and had laughed uproariously and teased Max for days and still teased him now. Max had gone bright red and explained that it was from when he was a teenager and got aroused by any sight of skin, though he said he had realised quite quickly that he was more interested in the male body, but he used the magazines to get used to the female form, because he had thought he would end up mated to a female and that the most he could have hoped for was a second dominant. Harry had grinned at Max and kissed him, indicating the other three and had said 'Now you have four men to please, how do you feel?' Max had replied with a soft, goofy smile 'I feel like my wish came true and I couldn't be happier.'

Harry smiled as he remembered that conversation and he had even skimmed through the magazine, though he had felt nauseous afterwards, boobs he could look at, faces he could see as beautiful, but it was the _other_ parts that made him feel queasy.

Blaise run him a bath in Max's en suite. As the oldest child, Max had the second biggest bedroom after his parents and had the only other bedroom with an en suite, which he still goaded his three sisters about thirty years on.

Harry felt himself sink into the warm water and as Blaise stripped off his shirt and knelt beside him and started rubbing his shoulders and neck he felt the luckiest man on the planet.

"You're so good to me." Harry moaned appreciatively.

Blaise chuckled and kissed him soundly. "You deserve to be treated good and how I treated you that day…I'm sorry Harry, so sorry, I'll never be able to make it up to you but I swear, no matter how hard things get from now on, no matter if you have half a hundred babies at once, I'll be right by your side."

"If I had half a hundred babies at once you and the other three would be six feet under." Harry said seriously.

Blaise chuckled and nuzzled his neck as his smooth hands rubbed the knots from his shoulders, moving slowly lower as the water cooled around him. Harry was drowsy when Blaise finished and he was quickly dunked under the water and Blaise washed his hair and body for him before tugging him out and rubbing him dry with a warm fluffy towel. Harry felt like a King as he was then dressed in Nasta's favourite, softest pyjamas and carried back downstairs to settle in with the others, who were all in the living room, Myron with a sleeping Braiden down the right side of his chest, one huge hand that swallowed his entire back and bottom holding him in place.

Harry waddled to Max and hefted himself next to the big man and snuggled into his side, ignoring the coos it caused, he was too mellowed out to care and sighed happily as Blaise sandwiched him from the other side, Max's arm wrapping around the both of them.

"Did you enjoy your two and a half hour bath?" Ashleigh teased.

"Oh very much." Harry purred.

Harry could tell from their looks, from Myron's scowl, Aneirin's eye roll, Sanex and Caesar's grins and Ashleigh's childish delight that they thought that he and Blaise had had sex together, when he really had just gone for an extra-long bath and had all of his muscles massaged into tranquillity by Blaise's expert hands.

The soft conversations and murmurings around him, the weight of the filling meal he had eaten and the relaxing bath he had taken as well as Blaise's massage had left Harry so peaceful and quiet that not even Amelle's snide comments could permeate his sleepy bubble.

He let her made snide comments about him, Braiden, his mates, his pregnancy and his five new babies, that weren't even born yet. He just didn't care, in many ways Amelle was just a foolish child and you didn't get into a slanging match with a child, you ignored them and carried on, unless it was your own child, then some small punishment was in order, but Amelle wasn't his child, she wasn't even his mate, his friend or his sister. So he ignored her, she didn't matter, though he did perk up a bit when Caesar let out a growl and matched her out of the room, her arm twisted high behind her back, he settled down once they were gone and the calm and the peace left behind soon had him falling asleep cuddled up to Max's side, the warmth of two bodies pressing in on him keeping the chill of the December snows away from him.

* * *

The next day Harry bundled Braiden up in his brand new snow suit, attached mittens to his little hands and a woollen bobble hat to his head, thick socks on his feet which were then tucked into the snow suit and took him out in the snow.

He sat down and let Braiden pat at the snow, seeing how different it was to the grass and the carpet he was used to. It was so silent, the world muffled under a blanket of pure white, untouched snow as January came ever closer and Harry relaxed and enjoyed the time to himself as he let Braiden kick and squirm in the snow.

They didn't stay outside for long, twenty minutes if that and there was a big mug of hot chocolate waiting for him and a warm bottle for Braiden and he took them both into the living room and sat cosy by the fire as he fed Braiden the warm milk and gulped his hot chocolate.

"Did you enjoy yourself outside?" Richard asked.

Harry nodded. "Just don't tell the others when they get back or I'll lose my head."

Max had gone food shopping with his Mother as he enjoyed it so much, but Ashleigh insisted it was because he didn't trust her with a shopping list. Nasta had been called in urgently as a bull green Welsh went rampaging through the reserve in agony with a sliced up wing he couldn't fly with, Blaise had gone to visit Marianna and Harry had waved Draco off to his parents when Lucius had owled saying he would enjoy Draco's company for an afternoon. Harry smiled every time he thought of how happy and excited Draco had been as he scrutinised every item of clothing as though it were his first date. Caesar had taken Eleonora to visit Alexander and Kimberly and likely his sisters as well and left Amelle knocked out on potions again. Harry was sure it wasn't healthy for her, but he had to admit things were more peaceful without her harping on in his ear.

Harry was left with Richard and Sanex as Myron and Aneirin had gone to visit a mutual business partner over some upcoming bill or something, he forgot, politics talk bored him to tears.

He yawned and lay down on the rug and left Braiden on his little belly, pushing himself up in a push-up position, he was getting stronger day by day.

"Ah hell." Richard groused a half hour later as an owl floated through the window. He tore it open and read the curling parchment. "I have to leave you boys for an hour or two, problems with the damn Dursley case."

"What problems?" Harry asked as he lifted his head up so fast his neck cricked, his heart in his throat.

"Nothing for you to worry about Harry, just something I wasn't expecting." Richard looked grim and Harry's heart missed a second beat.

"Are they going to get off?"

"What? No! Hell no. If anything this will damn them further. I'll explain later but I need to be there as soon as possible, you'll be alright looking after Harry won't you Nex? It won't be for long. Myron and your Dad will be back soon, so will Max and Ashleigh and I won't be any longer than two hours."

"We'll be fine! What harm can possibly happen in a few hours?" Sanex replied airily and Harry felt his stomach sink, those words did not bode well for them and he laid himself back on the rug and hoped his clenching gut wasn't telling him that something would happen to Braiden.

* * *

It was only half an hour later that they found out exactly how bad things could get when Harry rolled himself to his knees and stretched lazily, thinking of scavenging for some food.

The popping sound was so loud it even made Sanex look up from where he was doing his paperwork.

"What was that?" He asked with a frown.

Harry quivered as he felt around his abdomen, feeling a looseness that wasn't there previously. He was shaking and adrenaline was pouring into his bloodstream but he didn't know why and then a smaller, quieter pop was followed by a ripped sensation that was so agonising it threw his head back as he screamed.

"Shit, Harry. What is it? What do I do?"

"Call the Healer! Call my mates!" Harry hissed out through gritted teeth as Braiden cried beside him, frightened by Harry's screaming. He tried to hold the next scream back and bit through his tongue, but it was no use and he screamed again.

His wings burst from his body and the change threw his balance and he face planted the carpet, leaving smears of blood from his mouth on the cream fabric.

His Dracken was fighting him, was fighting him viciously, urging him to take flight and get away from the danger. Sanex had his head in the floo, talking frantically to the person on the other end. Harry scooped Braiden up and urged his wings to work, but the pain was agonising and he could barely fly in a straight line. He was halfway up the stairs when he heard Sanex shouting for him. He made it to a bedroom, bouncing off the walls as he went, before Sanex caught up to him and Harry growled and hissed and tried to tear out the throat of the approaching threat, his baby Dracken tucked under his arm.

He tucked himself into the corner of the room and placed his baby Dracken on the floor behind his body, the pain almost crippling him, but he had to stand and fight the human off, he needed to keep his baby Dracken safe and secure the area before his five new babies could come into the world.

He growled threateningly and smelt weakness as the human backed away from him; he swiped and almost sunk claws into him. The human stumbled back quickly and Harry advanced, clutching his stomach which was a burning, stabbing pain that almost made him blind, but he couldn't become vulnerable with a threat in the same room.

Harry backed the human into a corner and hissed deeply, a rumble in his belly as his claws coated themselves in venom. He saw the human swallow and his eyes becoming wider, the whites showing more pronounced. He could smell the fear on him and it smelt like food and it had been so long since he had had fresh meat and warm blood.

"Please Harry. It's Sanex. Remember who I am? Sanex, Nasta's brother. I just want to help you!"

Harry let out a continuous growl and snapped fangs at the human as a particularly vicious pain in his abdomen almost bent him double.

"Alright, alright, you win. I'm leaving."

The human wasn't leaving. Harry decided as he closed in, inching closer to the human backing further into the corner, his hands up and out as if to fend him off.

A clattering downstairs had Harry's head snapping to the open door. More threats could come in at any moment and he would be outnumbered and surrounded. Him and his baby Dracken and his five unborns.

Harry was momentarily startled as a flash of green sparks seared his eyes and he cried out as he flung his face away from the sparks. He heard the human rushing past him and Harry lashed out with claws, still shielding his eyes and managed to swipe clothing, which ripped, but he didn't catch any skin.

Harry made sure the room he was in was clear before he shut, locked and bared the door, putting up heavy wards to keep away all intruders and threats. He heard hard, fast foot falls coming towards him and he backed away into the corner of the room with his baby Dracken. The door shook under the weight that hit it, but the wards held as the hammering on the door continued.

"Harry? It's Myron. Open the door, you need immediate help!"

Harry hissed lowly and crawled onto the bed, bringing his baby Dracken with him. He bunched up the soft duvet and made a soft cradle to keep his precious baby Dracken safe and warm as he started stripping himself of the restricting clothing, the pain he felt making him retch as his vision blurred for a moment.

He hated it here; he wanted a proper nest with a vantage point so he could better protect himself and his babies, but there was no time as a child squirmed under his skin, fighting to be released.

He tried to prepare as much as he could, making himself comfortable on a bed that smelt safe and comforting, he had two big bottles of blood within reach and his baby Dracken was calming in his crude cradle.

The most vicious pain yet ripped through him and he screamed, mixing it with an unconscious distress call. He felt four comforting rumbles answer; they were all a long way away, his protection was not near him. He was alone.

"Harry! You need a Healer, you can't birth this soon, the babies aren't viable for another three weeks!"

Harry hissed as his knees and wrists trembled. Something wasn't right; this didn't seem to be the same as his last labour. It was different and he couldn't place why.

* * *

**Distress warning!** This part of the chapter can cause distress to readers, but you will miss a lot if you chose not to read and the rest of the chapter may not make sense.

* * *

He stroked his engorged belly with venom coated claws and as soon as he pressed in, his body gushed outwards with fluid. He quickly split his stomach open wide and a baby fell out as soon as the split was big enough, pushed out by siblings fighting for space. His sac had ripped on its own.

He ignored everything else as he put the baby more securely on the bed, before reaching inside, ripping the split in his sac wider and pulling out a second baby as soon as he found a neck to wrap his fingers around. The third baby was attached to the second, grasping on tightly to the second baby's thumb and they came out one after the other easily. The fourth baby was hard to find as all he could feel was arms, legs and cords, no necks.

He shoved down on the top of his bump and a baby moved and he grasped a neck and pulled the baby out quickly. The final baby was easy to find and cupping the baby's neck, Harry eased it out of him before realising he had nothing to clamp the cords with. Panicked and losing blood, he looked around desperately. He found two shoe laces, a camera cord and he shredded the sheets for little strips of material. He tied them all around the babies' umbilical cords tightly, before severing them. He ripped out all the placentas in his sac with an inhuman screech of agony before reaching over and draining a bottle of blood. It was cold and it was thick and sluggish going down his throat, but it did its job. He swallowed the second bottle as an extra safety measure as there was still a thick opening where he had cut himself that was oozing blood, but with the second bottle, it closed fully, leaving a livid red scar.

Two of his babies were wailing incessantly, a third was squalling, red faced and blood coated. Two babies were not moving, were not crying, were not breathing.

Panicked Harry picked them up and cradled them. They were tiny. So, so tiny that he was afraid to touch them, but he forced himself to lay back with the babies on his chest, snatching his discarded shirt and rubbing them frantically with it, trying to stimulate breathing. One dribbled fluid from a tiny puckered mouth and started crying wetly, the other did nothing, did not respond.

His Dracken screamed in distress and he could feel his throat ripping at the ferocity of the cry, ignoring the background noise going on around him as he rubbed harder, limp limbs floppy and little extremities turning pale blue. He screamed again and again, willing his baby to live, he could feel the tears, could feel the adrenaline and distress his body was in. He was so tired, he ached and was sore, but he shoved it out of his mind as he hefted the absolutely tiny baby higher up his chest, resting that floppy head on his shoulder and jogged the baby, still rubbing vigorously. His hand caught something that made his heart freeze; he looked down at his baby's back and saw all the blood, the veins and the mucus, it was raw. It looked like part of his baby's back had been turned inside out and he vomited over the side of the bed, tears streaming from his eyes as he screamed his distress and wretched misery long and loud for all to hear.

* * *

**Distress warning has ended!**

* * *

Draco was happily enjoying his life at the moment. He was with his Father in his study at his ancestral home; they were sitting side by side on the soft, calf's leather settee, sipping wine and talking.

His first indication that something was wrong was the tight feeling in his chest. He brushed it aside and took another swallow of wine. Then the pain increased and he flashed, for just a moment on the smell of chestnuts and knew that something was wrong with Harry.

He stood up and put his wineglass down.

"Is something the matter Draco? I thought you were enjoying our get together."

"I was. I am, but I think something's wrong with Harry, I can smell him, I feel all tight and there is a sense of urgency to get to him. I'm sorry but I need to check on him."

Lucius nodded understandingly and followed his son to the receiving room and followed him through the floo.

Myron Maddison's house was in chaos and turmoil as Aneirin Delericey comforted his shaking son Sanex, Richard and Ashleigh Maddison-Seppen were anxious and tense as they held one another and a man he did not know, in Healer's lime green robes stood still and silent.

"What has happened?" Draco demanded just as a scream of agony came from upstairs and Draco was gone in the blink of an eye.

"Harry went into labour."

"He's four months pregnant!" Lucius said shocked, his grey eyes found the smears of blood on the cream carpet almost automatically.

"It's unlikely that all of the babies will survive at four months gestation." Aneirin said softly. "The biggest and strongest will likely survive, but the others aren't viable."

The most agonising scream Lucius had ever heard blasted through the house and Ashleigh winced and trembled, her blue, blue eyes glistening with tears.

"What can we do?" Lucius asked.

"Nothing. Harry has warded the room he is in tighter than a Gringotts vault. Myron has been trying to get in for the past half hour and Nasta and Max are up there trying to do the same. They can't get in and Harry is in no state of mind to hear, understand or even listen to them. He'll be feral by now, he tried to kill Sanex because he tried to help and almost succeeded, I dread to think what would have happened if Harry had even grazed Sanex with a claw. Humans are so much more susceptible to Dracken venom than other Drackens or other creatures."

Sanex shuddered in his Father's hold, who shushed him and cuddled him tighter, even as Sanex squirmed and reminded his Father that he was almost a forty year old man.

Lucius headed up the stairs and was almost bowled over halfway up by the Zabini Lord as he darted past as quick as a viper.

He reached the top landing safely and witnessed the pandemonium that was going on outside a bedroom door. The Zabini Lord was being updated and it seemed he brought a new question to light. Did Potter…_Harry_ have the Zabini heir Braiden in the room with him.

The sounds were horrendous, the screaming was heart rendering, the scent of blood was so thick he could smell it with his human nose, he wondered what it was like for the Drackens beside him.

It took a further ten minutes of ramshackle chaos before they heard the loudest, most pain filled scream yet and Lucius winched in sympathy for the child. Then the moment that had been waiting for, the wailing of a newborn baby and everyone on the top landing hushed. At least one baby was alive. A second baby joined it's lungs to the first and then a third and Lucius actually wondered if the boy had beaten the odds and birthed a full set of five living babies at four months gestation. They waited with bated breath, all of them, for the fourth and fifth cry, but they never came. It took two breathless minutes before a fourth fainter cry started and the boys breathed in relief, before realising a fifth cry couldn't be heard.

Harry screamed and the sound was so mournful and distressed that Lucius just knew that one baby was dead. Harry did not stop screaming in distress and misery. Draco shook where he stood and Maximilius slung an arm over his shoulder, ducking his own head, his blue, blue eyes, just a shade darker than his Mother's, welled with tears. They had lost a child. Blaise wormed his way into the middle of Draco and Max and Nasta came from the other side and they all held one another, but it was clear on their faces and the way they all stood facing the door, that the person they really wanted to comfort at this moment was Harry, who was locked and warded behind a door they couldn't get past. He knew it was a waiting game now, he had been reading a lot of Dracken books lately, since he had found out his son was a Dracken last June and he knew that no one was permitted to enter the submissive Dracken's nest until the submissive gave permission. It was now a gruelling wait until the boy inside, who was likely cradling his stillborn child, to feel the urge to let them in.

* * *

Harry did not give up rubbing, jogging and nuzzling the baby in his arms, ignoring the other four crying as he focused all attention on the baby in his arms. It was hard to ignore the crying of the newborns as his Dracken tried to turn his attention away from the dead baby to focus on the four living. He wouldn't. He wouldn't give up on his baby, his four others would be alright, he couldn't feed them anyway.

A tiny, weak cough and liquid on his shoulder and then the baby in his arms was crying faintly, so faintly and Harry screamed out for his mates, cried for them to come to him and the pounding on the door became more insistent. But he didn't want to let them in just yet. It was confusing, he wanted them, he wanted the comfort, he wanted to share in his joy and elation at getting his fifth baby to start breathing, to start living, but he didn't want them near his children yet, he needed to clean them up and sort them out first.

Harry didn't move as screaming words came from behind the door, useless noise that was frightening his babies. He didn't think he _could_ move as he tried to sooth all five wailing babies. He had no bottles, no milk, no provisions, not even a nappy or a bodysuit. He was so frightfully unprepared. He wasn't supposed to give birth for another three months.

Breathing deeply and forcing away his fatigue. Harry gathered his baby Dracken to him, wrapped in the cupped, bowled duvet and carried him on trembling legs to the corner of the room. He made the cradle bigger, using the double duvet and hoping the thick carpet padded his babies enough and kept them warm enough. He cleaned off each baby as much as he could and wrapped them in the thick, fleecy shirts he found in the wardrobe before tucking them in with his baby Dracken.

He curled around them, made sure they were all alright, before giving in to his exhaustion and settling down to take a short nap, the baby with the inside out back cradled in his arms so he could feel the soft, quiet breaths on his bare chest, reassuring him that the baby was still breathing, still living.

He'd have to leave his birthing area, because he was loath to call this farce a nest, sooner than he'd like because he was so unprepared and his babies would be wanting their first feed soon. He promised himself that he'd sleep for just an hour or two before he pulled down the wards and let his mates in and he fell asleep quickly and deeply despite the hammering on the door to his birth area.

* * *

A/N: Done! Finished! This is the last chapter you'll get that's super-fast; I'm back in work tonight and the next update won't be for a week likely, but you get the babies, and there are two Scaled Bits chapters linked to this chapter as well, so really you're getting three chapters for one.

Thanks to **amaya-sama19** for being the **7,300****th**** reviewer**!

**Unknown Brilliance**: Yes, the punishment will be different for the children and the mates. Nasta will not bite the children in punishment just as Max wouldn't pull their hair like they do with their mates, it depends on what age the child is, but it's unlikely that they will take Myron's method of smacking his children.

**Guest**: I really wish people would give a name or something, all of these Guests and Anonymous' are getting confusing. Anyway, absolutely no one can go near the nest, especially not other Drackens or other creatures. Submissive Drackens will be attacked just as much as a dominant, perhaps more so because where the dominants are bigger and stronger, it's only the submissive Drackens that have venom, anyone who approaches the nest are considered threats, no matter their intentions and they will be warned, then attacked and killed.

**roosickle**: A submissive does not start their first heat cycle until they accept their first mate. It doesn't go from when they first become Drackens, so if they hold out and hold out during the meeting, they have a bit more time to get used to the idea and to become more comfortable first. Harry and Blaise mated in the forest, so Harry was forced to move much, much quicker because his heat cycle had already started from the moment he mated to Blaise and he couldn't let the counsel know that he had mated to Blaise, then his heat cycle kept going around in a loop and he had to accept each new mate within the two month heat period or he'd be screwed, so he was forced to move so quickly, not all submissives move as quickly as Harry and can hold out for weeks, months even before choosing a mate and starting their heat cycle.

**CM**: I will be going through the entirety of their lives in this fic, there are another thirty chapters planned and that isn't even the end, just the chapters that are loosely planned out. This story can go for another hundred plus chapters and you can be sure I'll be continuing putting in all the details as I have before, I won't skip over anything and of course I'd describe everything from when Harry finally gets pregnant with Draco's child, whenever that may be, I never shy from challenges or the gruesome details.

**ReadyAimFire**: The children will call Harry Mum. The others will be Daddy Nasta, Daddy Max, Daddy Draco and Daddy Blaise, just how Max was raised with his Mum and two Dads.

**unneeded**: The smother and protect instincts lasts for a lifetime. A Dracken parent will never be able to stop the instincts that scream at them to protect their children, as shown in this chapter with Aneirin and Sanex. Sanex is almost forty, yet when he came so close to sudden death, Aneirin cannot stop holding him, sniffing him and assuring himself with the physical evidence that his son is alive and well. No parent can stop that instinct, but it's the submissive who will smother the children in the early years that's the most dangerous as they children need space to learn and grown and they are denied that, so it's up to the submissive to force away the instincts, like Harry does, so they can allow their children to grow and develop. It's difficult, but doable.

So there we have it!

The unofficial vote is ending in the next chapter, you can still vote until then if you want to play.

Nasta is winning with **123** votes

Max has **104**

Blaise has **56**

For some reason that I cannot fathom, Draco has **5** votes.

More girls in the clutch is winning with **36 **votes

More boys in the clutch has **31** votes

Don't forget to add me on Facebook under the name **StarLight Mass**.

Don't forget to read the extras in **The Rise of the Drackens: The Scaled Bits**!

Thank you all for reading and reviewing!

StarLight Massacre. X


	54. Endurance

_Last Time_

_He curled around them, made sure they were all alright, before giving in to his exhaustion and settling down to take a short nap, the baby with the inside out back cradled in his arms so he could feel the soft, quiet breaths on his bare chest, reassuring him that the baby was still breathing, still living._

_He'd have to leave his birthing area, because he was loath to call this farce a nest, sooner than he'd like because he was so unprepared and his babies would be wanting their first feed soon. He promised himself that he'd sleep for just an hour or two before he pulled down the wards and let his mates in and he fell asleep quickly and deeply despite the hammering on the door to his birth area._

Chapter Fifty-Four - Endurance

Harry woke up quivering and his arms were jerky when he tried to move them, his fingers curled loosely into his palms and he couldn't seem to straighten them as he shook violently. He was so cold. He felt nauseous and dizzy.

He swallowed; his throat was so dry it felt like he was trying to swallow a bludger. He sat himself up and a spasm of pain ripped right through his abdomen. He choked back a scream as everything was quiet and he didn't want to disturb any of his children.

His eyes snapped wide when he remembered that he had a critically injured baby and he searched the pile of sleeping, jumper wrapped babies for the smallest one, the baby that was half the size of the other babies he had birthed, lying closest to him. He pulled the baby to his nose, to his mouth and inhaled, smiling lightly as he felt the light puffs of air against his neck.

The baby smelt bitter and earthy. It flashed an image in his mind of a familiar person he couldn't name, of a soft mouth, pale skin and bright, curious eyes.

He checked on the other babies, only one out of the five he had birthed was a Dracken. The others all smelt bitter, like the smell of a heavy storm, but his curious child was different again, earthy and bitter together. They smelt like a place he barely remembered, a huge stone castle milling with children that all held that strange bitter smell of an electrical storm.

He stroked the baby's thin, soft, pale hair as he checked on the baby's back after drawing up the courage, there was a part on the baby's back that was just completely raw and there was no skin. Harry could see the veins clearly and it looked so painful and wrong and raw. It throbbed as well, like it had its own heartbeat or the flesh that actually was there was so thin that he could clearly see the baby's heartbeat through it. It was a sick and horrifying sight that made tears burn in his eyes. His youngest child.

He gave a tentative lick to the raw patch on his child's back and a little face screwed up and started crying so faintly Harry was shocked, he was used to a healthy cry, not this weak, soft, almost whimper of a cry that he could only just hear with the baby right next to his ear. It was obviously painful for his little baby. He needed to get help. He needed help for his youngest baby.

He ripped the wards around the room down and called out hesitantly, he wasn't quite ready for anyone else to come in here, but he needed the help and he had enough of himself currently that he could recognise the need and understand it. Several rumbles answered and he got flashes of images of faces and hints of names. He knew four were more important than the other Drackens. He cooed softly in invitation and the door eased open.

The bed was a red ruin, coated, almost painted, in dried blood, there was so much it was still wet in odd places and the placentas he had ripped out were still on the bedspread, the umbilical cords lying about like sleeping snakes. It was to the bed they first looked and then Harry witnessed their panic as they couldn't see him. He cooed softly, to bring their attention to the dark, cosy corner he was secluded in as more of his mind came back to him with the urgency of the situation.

They approached him slowly, cautiously and he recognised them, his mates. Nasta, Max, Draco and Blaise. They eased down around him, but he growled when Max went for a baby, swiping at his hand lazily, not trying to catch him, but warning him not to touch.

"How are you feeling Harry?" Nasta asked as he feasted on the babies with his eyes, Harry holding his youngest in his arms still. He couldn't put the baby down.

"Sore, tired, angry, upset, a bit confused as well." He answered thickly through a screamed raw throat.

"We need to get you to St Mungo's love. You and the babies. Can we move you?" Max asked carefully.

Harry lowered his head to his babies and inhaled from each of them deeply, ingraining their scent deeply into his memory. He nodded only after he had finished.

"First tell us, who is who." Draco tried to inject some lightness into the situation and it worked because Harry smiled.

"That one is the Firstborn. Max's baby."

Max grinned so widely as Harry allowed him to remove the little baby from the little nest, wrapped up in a jumper.

"The second and third babies came out together, the third baby holding the second baby's thumb."

Blaise made a soft cooing noise to them, letting them hear his voice.

"They're both Nasta's."

The pride in Nasta's dark eyes swelled Harry's heart.

"The fourth baby born is Max's. The baby…he wouldn't breathe when I cut the cord. I had to fight to get him to breathe." Harry sobbed.

Max scooped this baby up too and nuzzled the soft spot on the front of his head.

"Harry, one baby didn't…we never heard a fifth cry." Draco bumbled out, his voice thick with tension.

Harry looked down to the baby he was cradling, who was laying so still and so quiet in his arms.

"Is…is that the baby?" Blaise asked, licking his lips nervously as he cradled Braiden tightly.

"Nasta's baby." Harry said softly.

Nasta closed his eyes and breathed out a choppy, shuddering breath.

"Boy or girl?" He forced himself to ask painfully.

"Baby boy. I got him to breathe. He cries so faintly."

They all looked to him, then the baby and back to him, though all at different times. Draco's eyes never left the baby.

"He…he's alive?" Nasta croaked.

"For now, but we need to get to a hospital. There's something wrong with him, half the skin on his back is missing and it's really painful for him. I can see his veins and it's covered with blood and mucus, he needs a Healer."

Nasta scooped him up immediately and Draco picked up Nasta's two other babies, holding them close in their jumper beds.

Harry held the baby in his arms tighter and when they reached the living room, they met Healer Almus, who went to take the baby from his arms. Harry snarled and he backed away.

Ashleigh had been busy making up five bottles and Harry grumbled as two babies were handed to people who weren't his mates, but they smelt familial, so he allowed it as the humans fed his first and second born. Though he kept an eye on the Drackens around as the two girls, Talia and Alayla if his memory was right, fed his newborn babies.

"Harry, please give me the baby, it'll only hurt you worse the longer you hold on." The Healer coaxed.

"We need another bottle." Nasta spoke, his voice light with relief. "Harry got the fifth baby breathing, but it was so faint we couldn't hear it through the door, all five of them survived."

Ashleigh let out a half sob as she rushed to get another bottle.

"You got all five of them breathing?" Myron whispered as if he couldn't bear to speak louder and have his dream shattered.

Harry nodded. "The last two born, the fourth and fifth, both boys. They weren't breathing when I cut the cords. I don't know why, but something told me to rub them, so I got my shirt and started rubbing their chests. The fourth baby started breathing after fluid came out of his throat; The fifth took more vigorous rubbing and jogging to get him to take that first breath. My Dracken kept telling me that he was dead, that we should leave him and focus on the others, but there was nothing I could do for the others, so I kept with the fifth and he started breathing."

"The baby boys are always more fragile than baby girls. It's such a stereotype that girls are weaker, but it's the baby boys that are more likely to die in their first year, not the girls." Ashleigh said as she handed him a bottle, which had been cooled to the perfect temperature.

Harry realised quickly that the bottle teat was too big and he wailed in distress.

"The teat is too big; it won't go in his mouth."

"Let's get you to the hospital." Healer Almus suggested. "You need to get these babies checked out, they were born early, even for a Dracken and we want to make sure that they are all alright and that you are alright."

Harry nodded and he controlled the panic, with the help of Nasta, as he went through the floo and lost sight of four of his new babies.

Instead of landing in the reception area of the hospital, they were in an office and Healer Almus called a nurse, she came strolling in, in her pale yellow robes before stopping dead. She just stared at him as if feasting on his body and it was only then that Harry realised he was naked, holding a jumper wrapped newborn in the arms of a gorgeous man. He went pink.

"I forgot to get dressed!" He whispered horrified to his mates.

They looked to him, naked in Nasta's arms, realising themselves that Harry wasn't wearing anything and Nasta moved his arms to cover him up more securely, his large arms acting as shields against curious gazes.

"I would be asking you to get undressed anyway Harry." Healer Almus told him professionally. "I want to do a full examination."

They were led down a corridor, nurses and patients' alike stopping to stare at them and Harry closed his eyes against Nasta's shoulder so he couldn't see their gawping faces. The Healer opened a door to a large room. In fact Harry was sure this was supposed to be a full ward with five beds, not just the one bed.

"I had this ward cleared out and decked just for your impending birth." Healer Almus stated. "One of the waiting rooms downstairs has been turned into a ward temporarily. We only have two rooms suitable for pregnant males and the equipment for the inevitable high multiple children, for the first time in history, both rooms are being used, which leaves you with no room, so I had this one prepared especially for you, sometimes being a Senior Healer and Head of the Natal Ward has its uses."

Harry was settled in the bed, which was almost double size and his legs and privates were covered possessively by Nasta as the nurse fluttered about, staring unashamedly at him.

"Holly, if you could please go and fetch Healer Cole and two additional on duty nurses?" Healer Almus requested as he started checking Harry over.

"Babies first!" Harry demanded, cringing away as much as he could.

Healer Almus raised an eyebrow. "Who is the Healer here? I will check you first because of the trauma and shock of such a sudden birth could still kill you."

Harry pouted and growled all through the inspection, of having his vitals checked, his blood pressure checked and various spells cast as another Healer in a lime green overcoat came in and started assisting Healer Almus and two new nurses in their pale yellow overcoats came in wheeling little glass bassinets.

Harry glared at them as they took his children, checked their cords, replaced his makeshift clamps with real cord clamps, checked their eyes, ears, throats, hands, feet, grip, reflexes and then weighed them.

"Healer, the biggest baby is two pounds and ten ounces." One of the more demure nurses informed Healer Almus.

"The Firstborn is two pounds and ten ounces, the second born is two pounds three ounces, the third born is two pounds one ounce, the fourth born is two pounds exactly and the fifth is one pound and two ounces." Harry snarled.

The nurses blinked at him and checked the weight charts.

"How did you know?" One asked. "We haven't even weighed the smallest baby yet."

"You will not touch him." Harry said decisively.

"The youngest needs help." Nasta told the two Healers.

Harry nodded and sat up with help from Max. He undid the jumper that was wrapped around his smallest and youngest and pulled him up; showing the hideous, raw section of his back and his mates recoiled in shock, the three nurses gasped and Healer Almus took a step back, the other Healer, Healer Cole, who had to have been in his early eighties at least, stepped forward and inspected the baby's back closely.

"I've seen this several times before." He said and he smiled at Harry. "You have nothing to worry about Mister Potter, am I right in thinking that one of your lovers has Faerie blood?"

"Yes." Nasta answered defensively.

"How early were these babies? Two months or more?"

"Three months." Harry said softly.

The Healer nodded with a smile. "This is absolutely nothing to worry about."

"Nothing to worry about? Are you looking at his back?" Draco demanded, his eyes wide as he saw the baby's back for the first time.

"That is not his back." The Healer told them. "Those are his wings attached to his back. If a Faerie is born _before_ five months their wings will not be properly formed and will be uncovered and unprotected, you need to be extremely cautious with them as they are very easily damaged and painful whilst uncovered."

"They don't look like wings." Harry said tearfully as he checked.

"They are spread out and plastered to his back, he doesn't have the mobility to move them yet, so they look like part of his back and will continue to look like part of his back until he's about a year old. They are so thin at the moment, but the cartilage spines that make up the structure of his wings will start to thicken and the skin covering them will toughen up over time."

"Is he in much pain?" Harry asked.

"No more than a bit of discomfort, I assure you, all of the nerve endings are covered and protected. They will feel much like a fresh graze until the skin protecting the wings forms, which is why they are leaking some plasma, you may see some blood spots, but they won't bleed properly."

"When will the skin form?" Nasta asked, a large hand cupping the baby's head, under Harry's hand.

"It will take a week or two." Healer Cole told them and Harry sniffled, the adrenaline in his blood seeping away now that he knew his youngest son wasn't hurt in any way.

"Do any of them have any risks of dying?" Max asked. "This one wasn't breathing right away either."

Healer Almus checked the baby over before shaking his head.

"He likely had a bit of fluid in his throat and lungs."

"He coughed up fluid and started crying wetly after I got him breathing by rubbing him."

"It's a very good thing that you started rubbing them both when you did Harry." Healer Almus told him.

Harry nodded and groaned as he tried to shift himself and a sear of pain went through his abdomen. He was surrounded by worried mates and he shoved them all aside as the Healer played about with his stomach.

"You have torn your stomach muscles, you cut too far across."

"Didn't cut too far across, the first baby forced his way out and I tore a bit, I just cleaned up the cut a bit before grabbing the second baby."

"Nonetheless you have damaged the stomach muscles; you won't be getting up for a while."

"Watch me." Harry answered.

"If the Healer says you stay in bed, you stay in bed." Nasta told him, his tone and his gaze brooking no argument.

"I recommend he stays in bed for a few days to a week." Healer Almus told them.

Harry groaned.

"Ma ma!" Braiden cooed from Blaise's arms.

Harry smiled and Blaise handed the four month old over and Harry cuddled him in the opposite arm to his little Faerie child.

"Have you thought of names?" One nurse asked breathily, like she couldn't quite keep her mouth shut.

"No." Harry replied immediately, not even looking at her.

"Well I think you and the children are alright to stay overnight Mister Potter, you have some severe blood loss, so a blood replenisher is in order and a pain killer will be administered to you." Healer Cole said, his narrowed eyes on the nurse who had spoken, he did not look impressed. "As long as you can stay on bed rest when you go home tomorrow that is or you'll be here all week, but in the future if any of these five look like they are having any problems, even something small, call us immediately. This is my home floo address, don't lose it and do not hesitate to call."

Harry was handed a small white card and he smiled gratefully. He watched as his children were bedded down around him, all with clean nappies on and wrapped in cellular blankets well within reach if he stayed sat in the bed, he did not let go of his Faerie child or Braiden throughout the night, sleeping dead straight on his back, he couldn't turn over even if he had wanted to, as the hours passed, his abdomen became a white hot agony and he needed help just to move an inch, let alone be able to turn over.

It wasn't usually allowed, but all of his mates remained with him, they couldn't have gotten them out of the room even if they had cared to try. Nasta did not sleep that night; he remained awake, alert and vigilant, facing the door as he sat in front of Harry's bed and the babies in the incubators. He could not, would not relax his guard in such an unfamiliar place and Harry was grateful, he knew he wouldn't have been able to relax his guard and fall asleep if all of his mates had been sleeping and he really needed the rest.

* * *

The next day was horrendous as Harry relieved Nasta of his guard and allowed his exhausted mate to sleep for an hour or two.

A nurse brought him six bottles every two hours, even though he had tried to tell her that Braiden only took a feed every four hours. One baby, the oldest one, was very, very gutsy with the milk and did not like that it run out so quickly. Harry gave the baby a half ounce more milk and the baby seemed happier for it.

The hardest to feed was his little Faerie baby, who had to have a special bottle, small enough to fit his tiny mouth, he was on such a small amount of milk that Harry worried for him, especially as half the time the baby didn't even finish the bottle, but he was assured that when the others would move onto four hourly feeds, his baby would remain on two hourly feeds, Healer Almus told him that as long as he ate little and often, he would be fine.

A nurse quietly slipped into the room and Nasta grumbled in his sleep, which was echoed by the three others. She smiled thinly as she handed him a breakfast tray, there were five plates, all full of food and the six customary bottles, she left quickly and Harry wondered why, usually she cooed over the babies, never touching them, but she did look in on them as she watched to see if Harry fed them properly, as if he was some cack-handed child who didn't know how to feed and change a baby.

Harry fed his gutsy baby first, then it was an almost automated process of feeding and burping each baby, Harry had gotten quite good at picking up a sleeping baby, waking them up gently before shoving the bottle teat into their mouths before they could cry. It didn't always work as one baby would usually wake up as Harry was feeding another baby and wake up one or all of his mates. But he was in luck this feed and as he fed his sleepy Braiden and burped him, he checked all of their nappies before he started on his breakfast. He was just finishing off his plate and his glass of pumpkin juice when he spied a newspaper under one of the plates.

Everything was quiet, his mates were all still asleep, the babies were all asleep except for Braiden, who was quiet and sucking on his own hand, cooing and babbling at it every so often, making Harry's heart melt.

He decided he could probably get away with reading just the headlines before a baby wetted a nappy or a mate woke up.

It only took the headlines for him to screech in absolute rage. A picture of himself, naked in Nasta's arms, his eyes closed and head against Nasta's shoulder, a tiny baby in his arms with the caption: 'Saviour in hospital after five foetus pregnancy forces early labour at four months.'

Nasta was by his side in an instant and it didn't take long before he realised the reason for his screech and snatched the paper from Harry and looked at it.

"It was reported last night that Saviour, Harry Potter, seventeen, was rushed to hospital after the pressure of a five foetus pregnancy was too much for his slight frame to handle, the five babies, of unknown gender, unknown paternity and unknown condition, were born five months early, at only four months gestation. It is unknown if any survived such an early birth." Nasta read aloud, his voice getting quieter and quieter, getting so angry he was almost hissing. "Harry, pictured with his strange collection of lovers which include schoolmates Draco Malfoy, seventeen and Blaise Zabini, eighteen, and sons of the illustrious businessmen, Myron Maddison and Aneirin Delericey, Maximilius, thirty-two and Nasta, thirty-seven, also pictured, were on the scene as lover Harry was seen to by two senior Healers and at least three nurses at Saint Mungos hospital late yesterday evening as it became almost common knowledge that one of the babies, who weighed just one pound, was born with a birth defect which left the miniscule eleven inch baby with no skin. It is thought that the baby will not survive if the poor thing was even alive to begin with."

"Who gave this to you?" Nasta demanded as he threw the paper to Draco in disgust.

"It was under the plate the nurse brought me." Harry said sobbing, clutching his little Faerie baby, assuring himself that he was still alive.

"Little fuckers are going to pay!" Draco snarled as the paper balled up under the onslaught of his hands. Max tugged it out carelessly and wrapped an arm around Draco's neck, hand dangling down to his belly.

"Who was in the corridor yesterday? How many people? One of them had to have taken that photo! I'm naked!"

Nasta snarled and slipped a hand under the blankets to pet his private parts possessively.

"They will not get away with it!" He growled. He was feral or as close to it that it didn't matter.

"Nas, calm down with the babies here." Harry said, lowering his tone of voice. "I'm angry too, but not with the babies here."

Nasta let out a shuddering breath and sat down heavily on the bed, touching the pale hair on the head of the Faerie baby.

Healer Almus came through the door, he looked angry and he shook his head brusquely.

"I have no idea how that photo was taken." He told them, getting to the point. "No cameras are allowed this far into the hospital; it interferes with the magic running the equipment."

"It's not your fault." Harry assured the Healer.

"One of my own nurses let slip about the youngest baby, she was instantly dismissed. We take patient confidentiality very seriously here and though the charms on her contract forbade her from saying the true nature of the baby, she could hint enough that they got that the baby had missing skin."

"Can we go home now?" Harry asked softly. "All of us survived the night, the babies are eating well, even Faerie baby."

Healer Almus nodded. "Yes, I just want to do a final check."

"Go ahead." Harry said as he shifted around on the bed, watching as all of his babies were checked over and examined.

"This one is going very well." The Healer said.

"The firstborn." Harry smiled. "I had to give him a half ounce more milk than the others because he was still looking for more when he had finished."

"That's a very good sign for him. Right, all of them are fine, but please don't hesitate to call us if anything is worrying you, I'll be coming to see you all tomorrow, just as a precautionary check, we'll also want to see them again in a week, to keep up with their progress, but I see no reason to keep you all here, they're all very strong, even Faerie baby."

Harry grinned as the Healer took up his nickname for the fifth baby with a wry humour. He was scooped up once again and he held tightly onto Braiden and Faerie baby as Nasta carried them home.

There were even more people in the corridor today as it was common knowledge in the hospital that they were going home this morning and were only being kept overnight, Healer Almus and Healer Cole had tried to clear them out, but they were still loitering and finding something to keep them busy, but not so busy that they couldn't gawp. The babies were all covered as Harry growled, using cellular blankets that the hospital had provided, two in blinding white and three in crisp lemon, Braiden was happy wrapped up in pale blue, just one little sock covered foot peeking out.

They went to the Healer's office and flooed back home, Harry growling steadily under his breath.

They were met in Myron's living room by the entire family, including Remus and Tonks and the Weasleys. It was lucky the room was so big.

"I saw the article." Myron greeted them.

"Myron! Not as soon as they come into the house!" Ashleigh chastised as she practically devoured the babies with her eyes.

Harry closed his eyes as a vicious urge to claw out her eyes so she would stop looking at his babies like that. He swallowed and instead smiled happily.

"It's alright Mum, we saw it too. A nurse just happened to give Harry that particular newspaper this morning with his breakfast." Max sighed.

"I will rip that reporter to pieces!" Alexander threatened.

"I'll help Granddad!" Julinda offered with a grin that was more in place on a well fed lion.

Alexander hugged her tightly and kissed her forehead, his eyes gleaming with an easy pride that was directed at every one of his children and every grandchild.

Remus came and hugged him gently, Harry heard him subtly sniffing his hair and he grinned into Remus's shirt that just smelt of Remus, reminding Harry of third year. He wondered what his mates would do if they found out he had chased after a 'mass-murderer' had encountered a werewolf not under the effects of the Wolfsbane potion and took on a hundred Dementors all in one night. He grinned wider and thought that maybe he'd keep that information to himself, he had no desire to be spanked and now that he wasn't pregnant anymore, he had no excuse to hide from Myron's stinging palm.

"How are you feeling?" Remus asked him.

"A bit tired. I'm just angry at that damn article. How dare they say that none of my children could survive!"

"They don't know they are Drackens, a good thing too." Myron answered. "Most wizard born children would not be able to survive at four months, where a Dracken born child has a higher chance of survival."

"Harry, I know this is a bit…forward and bold, but may I hold a baby?" Ashleigh asked, looking at the newborns, whose faces had been uncovered after the walk through the hospital and the trip through the floo.

"I have a present for you!" Harry declared with a smile, forcing himself to relax as he looked around at the five newborns, looking over them critically, sniffing them subtly before he plucked the one from Max's arms, wrapped in a lemon blanket, and shoved the baby at her.

"Is this one Max's baby?" Ashleigh asked as she cradled the tiny newborn.

"No, Nasta's, _but _she is the only girl out of this bunch."

"I have a second granddaughter? Oh!" Ashleigh cuddled the baby tighter. "Oh she's beautiful and so tiny and perfect, isn't she Myron?" Ashleigh shoved the baby under his nose and he smirked amusedly.

"She's perfect." He agreed.

"Are you looking at her Richard?" Ashleigh snapped.

"I can see her love, she's beautiful." Richard replied with a grin.

"Did our Maxie give you any children this time around?" Alexander asked. "I did tell him to get in there quick; I'll be disappointed if he didn't. I'll tell you if I was a hundred years younger, I'd be right in there!"

Harry laughed so hard he choked and needed Max's huge hand to rub the breath back into him.

"Max gave me two sons." Harry answered happily. "Nasta gave me two sons and a daughter."

"Now you just need a little blonde to complete your set." Alexander cackled giving Draco a wink, who went pink cheeked.

"May I see my grandsons?" Myron asked.

It was with a shock that Harry realised that Max's two sons were Myron's only blood grandchildren and he only had Caesar's daughter, Eleonora, as a grandchild before, who wasn't his by blood and Amelle wouldn't let anyone near.

Harry took a baby from Draco and handed him to Myron, who studied the little face, brushing it gently with a thumb.

"Thank you Harry." He whispered.

"That's my fourth born, the one who wasn't breathing at birth. The Healers said he just had a bit of fluid in his throat and that he'll be fine. Max's other son, my firstborn, is the gutsiest little thing I've ever met. He sucks that milk so strongly I fear he'll pull the teat right off the bottle."

"Just like Max." Ashleigh giggled. "I was disappointed when he was a newborn and he wouldn't latch onto me, but now, looking back, I probably wouldn't have had a breast left."

Harry laughed as Max stammered and blushed, but he couldn't get the smile off of his face, no matter how embarrassed he was.

Nasta scooped him up one handed and settled him on the settee; Harry frowned at him but made himself comfortable.

"Harry needs to stay on bed rest for a week. Healers orders." He explained.

"My belly hurts as well." He admitted.

Blaise sat beside him and rubbed gentle, experienced fingers into the scar tissue and Harry relaxed back with a sigh.

"I'll get some of the scar reducing salve for you." Max nodded. "It'll help to make it feel less tight as well."

"May I hold my grandson?" Aneirin asked and Harry waved at him with his permission.

"I don't mind all of you holding and touching them, but feeding, bathing and nappy changing are mine."

"I won't argue that." Richard said with a grin as he fawned over the little girl in Ashleigh's arms, then cooed over the baby boy in Myron's.

"Which two boys are Nasta's?" Sanex asked, Harry couldn't help but notice that Aneirin was purposefully standing between him and Sanex and he wondered why. Something niggled at his brain, but he shoved it away, he was too tired to deal with it right now.

"Max has one and I've got the other. The third born and the fifth."

"Which one can I hold?"

"The one Max has, no one is allowed near my littlest."

"He's…" Nasta started but Harry cut him off with a deep hiss, glaring at him viciously and Nasta held both hands up.

"He's what?" Aneirin asked a hint of caution in his voice.

"My firstborn, Max's son, was two pounds, ten ounces and sixteen inches."

"Oh that's so small!" Marianna fretted as she cuddled with Braiden.

"Second born was Nasta's daughter, two pounds, three ounces and fourteen inches."

"They're going to get lighter and smaller." Myron said in a sudden moment of clarity.

"Third born was her brother, he was two pounds, one ounce and thirteen inches. Fourth born was Max's second son, he was two pounds exactly and fourteen inches."

"Only two pounds?" Ashleigh whimpered. "That's too small."

Harry bit his lip. "My last born, Nasta's second son was one pound, two ounces and eleven inches."

"Should he be out of the hospital?" Aneirin demanded.

Harry nodded. "He's fine. The Healer said that as long as he eats little and often, he'll be alright, but…"

Harry licked his lips and wondered how everyone was going to react to his Faerie baby. He unwrapped the cellular blanket and, making sure he had hold of his son's nappy clad bum, he let it fall away.

There were gasps, curses, Marianna let out a choked, sobbing sound, Mrs Weasley drew in a startled gasp and Narcissa almost fainted, clutching Lucius with a steel grip as she teetered backwards.

The wings on his Faerie baby's back were red and raw looking today, a sign that the skin that would cover his son's wings was growing in, but it was irritating, hence the redness and small droplets of sticky plasma oozing out.

"The papers were partly right." Harry admitted. "The fifth baby is missing skin, which is currently growing in, but there is nothing wrong with him. The Healer said this is perfectly normal for babies like him, who were born before five months, to be missing skin where he is."

"Why?" Lucius asked. "Why is this normal?"

"He took Nasta's Faerie blood. He's a Faerie and Faeries born before five months haven't had the time to develop completely. He's missing the skin on his wings, but I've been assured he's completely fine and after his rough start, he's doing well. His wings feel like a graze, it's not truly painful, just discomforting and a bit irritating, but the skin should grow in in a week or two."

"Poor baby." Alayla cooed, tears in her eyes.

"There hasn't been a Faerie in the Delericey bloodlines in over a hundred and fifty years, all the Faeries claimed our blood too diluted and don't recognise us anymore." Aneirin stated. "They stopped recognising us when my Great-Grandfather, Nesta, who Nasta is named after, failed to produce a Faerie child."

"Will they take him from me?" Harry asked, winding his arms gently around his son.

"Of course not and if they tried I'd kill them." Aneirin said easily. "But this is going to be so sweet, those stuck up Faeries have been denying us for a hundred years and now that a Faerie child has come through our blood they'll have to swallow their pride and accept the Delericeys' back into the fold."

Harry chuckled at how excited Aneirin was as he nuzzled Faerie baby. He had to think of names as well, but he couldn't get his brain to think, he really only wanted to go to sleep, but it was only mid-morning and it was too soon. Though he would have a nap in the afternoon, hell come to anyone who tried to stop him.

* * *

Harry woke up and for a minute he wondered why he had, then the faint, rapid puffs of air on his neck and the tiny whimpering cries came to his ears. Faerie baby was crying.

He sat up with the baby in his arms and checked him over, he needed a nappy change. It had been only one day since he had birthed his quintuplets and already the owls were rushing in, some carrying presents, others well wishes and cards, but some were not so nice and upset him, so Myron had shooed him off as he sorted through the junk with the help from Caesar, Aneirin, Marianna, Max, Nasta, Narcissa and Lucius. Harry stayed cuddled up in his warm bed, his six children around him and the warm weight of Blaise cuddled behind him, who was sat in the bed finishing his Christmas homework as Harry slept beside him, Faerie baby in his arms.

"Is that his crying?" Blaise asked shocked. "We'll never hear him when we're all asleep! I can't hear him when I'm awake!"

"He won't leave my arms." Harry assured him. "I can feel the change in his breathing and hear it faintly and I instantly wake up. I think my Dracken is more in tune to the babies' needs."

Blaise kissed him as Harry cleaned the soiled nappy, handing the dirty one to Blaise, who scrunched up his nose, but otherwise made no complaint as he disposed of it as Harry clad Faerie baby back into a nappy and wrapped him up in the blanket. He had tried to put him in one of Braiden's old sleepsuits, the tiny little suits he had thought so tiny and so adorable drowned his four bigger children and became a hazard for Faerie baby as he was almost lost in the folds of fabric. Draco had gone out with Talia and Alayla to get some much needed clothing and emergency bassinets for the five.

"I've been thinking." Harry told Blaise softly.

"About what Prezioso?" Blaise asked, putting his quill down.

"The babies, what else. I've been thinking about names. Running a few through my head, because we can't keep calling them babies one to four and Faerie baby."

"You're going to tell me first? Before the others?"

"I love you Blaise. I don't just say those words; I mean them with every ounce of my mind and body. You were my first for a lot of things, my first boyfriend, my first mate, my first lover, the Father of my first ever child, I love you for everything you've done for me and for the way you support and love me back, I don't love any of the others any more or any less than I love you."

Blaise smiled and they kissed heatedly, before breaking apart.

"You have no need to be jealous of the others or to feel insecure, I will always accept your love and affections and I'll never turn you away, whether you want a hug, a kiss or something a bit more."

Harry winked and Blaise chuckled.

"Now, back to baby names. I like Farren."

"For the little girl?"

"No, for the first born. Max's son, the little monster that ripped my stomach muscles as he forced himself out of me and is keeping me on bed rest."

Blaise chuckled and got the first born baby out, who had been given a solid silver bracelet from a box Aneirin had given them. Apparently they were common among male birthed babies to tell which baby was born in which order, not that Harry needed them because he could inhale and tell exactly which baby was where, but Aneirin had told him it had become tradition to use claiming bracelets and it would seem strange not to use them with such a large clutch.

"He looks like a little Farren. How did you come up with the name?"

Harry looked a bit sheepish, before reaching over to the bedside cabinet and pulling out an absolutely huge book and thunked it on the bed.

"A complete guide to naming your child." Blaise read the title. "With examples of famous names and name origins and meanings."

"Hermione gave it to me when I was pregnant with Braiden, I forgot all about it until this morning."

"You read up to F in a few hours?"

Harry blushed. "I skipped over some letters completely and over even more names. I've found a few I like, but none seem to fit these little ones, but Farren does. Farren Deon Maddison."

Blaise smiled. "I think Max will be very happy with Farren. I am. What does his name mean?"

Harry grinned. "Farren means Thunder. The way he cries it's a wonder we've still got windows left. It was also the name of a King a hundred odd years ago; it was spelt differently, instead o but it's pronounced the same, to keep with Max's family tradition of naming their children after warriors and rulers."

"I think he'll love it. Have you thought of the others?"

Harry shrugged. "It's so difficult to name so many babies. I wasn't prepared at all. I like Lyra, but it doesn't fit my baby girl, she's not a Lyra. I also like Mathias, but again it doesn't fit them. I tried to name Faerie baby Ashden, but I couldn't keep it up, my mind kept calling him Faerie baby, so that name's out. I tried Phoebe, but that didn't stick either."

"Keep trying love, I know you'll name them all perfectly and I know you'll say no, but if you want the help, none of us will mind."

Harry smiled as he shifted Faerie baby into his one arm and flipped the book open to R after skipping the Qs and began the tortuous task of reading every name and weighing them, checking their means and making sure it wasn't the name of some mass murderer somewhere.

* * *

Harry was allowed to be carried downstairs the next day for breakfast, his book, which was at least five and half inches thick, tucked under his arm, Faerie baby in the other.

Harry had been asleep when all of the mates came to bed, so his children had only been dressed in their new sleepsuits when Harry had woken up. Draco had some wicked taste in fashion and Harry chuckled every time he saw the gorgeous outfits that had been bought, not just for the five, but for Braiden as well, who was growing rapidly.

"I see you are searching for names." Myron told him as he accepted the biggest baby, the first born, Max's first son, who was now named Farren.

Harry grinned a secretive grin.

"You've named some of them." Marianna accused him.

"Oh you must share Harry!" Ashleigh begged.

Harry smiled a bit bashfully, worried that they might not like the name. He looked to Max, who gave him an encouraging smile.

"I'll love any name you've picked out." He assured.

"I won't." Draco sniffed. "Imagine having a child named something ridiculous or insipid like Betty or Simon."

Harry giggled, not at all offended. "I've named two of them. My firstborn and my third born."

They all looked to the babies that had been named. One Max's heir the other Nasta's heir.

"Well don't keep us in suspense little one." Alexander chided.

"Farren Deon Maddison and Regan Aneirin Delericey." Harry announced with a grin.

Max pouted.

"You don't like it?" Harry asked, feeling short of breath and a bit panicky, not sure what he'd do if his mates didn't like the name, especially the baby' Father. Nasta pressed a hand to his back and urged him to breath, giving Max a glare.

"But…but…Braiden got named after Blaise! Braiden Blaise Enzo Zabini. Why can't he be Farren Maximilius Deon Maddison?"

"Because that sounds awful." Draco supplied after a sip of tea.

Max huffed, but took the baby from his Father gently and kissed him.

"Welcome to the family Farren! Now we just need to name your brother, even though he'll be a Potter-Maddison, he'll still be your baby brother, and even though your other brothers and your sister have different last names and different Fathers, you all share an amazing Mother and you will protect them all as the elder sibling."

"Braiden's oldest." Harry reminded him.

"Details!" Max grinned. "My boy will be twice the size of Braiden, a day old and eating heartily."

"If he keeps eating like that he'll be twice as wide as Braiden maybe." Blaise quipped.

Harry chuckled and told them both to knock it off and that it didn't matter who was bigger or older, his children would be taught to look after one another, regardless of age, gender or size.

"Have you got any more names for us?" Ashleigh asked as she cooed over the fourth born.

Harry shook his head. "I'm still reading the book. I'll find the perfect names though."

"Hurry up then sweet one, I can't wait until you've named them, also Shae wants to see you."

It took a moment for Harry to remember who Shae was; so much had happened yesterday that his mind was drawing blanks left and right. She was one of Alexander's Grandchildren. Myron's sister's daughter who had twelve children and had become pregnant on the same day as he did. They had become fast friends.

"How is she?" He asked.

"Worried for you and your little ones. Though after that newspaper article everyone is worried for you and the babes. When she found out she was pregnant with twins, she rejoiced, then it was found out you had quintuplets and she was frightened for you dear one. She wants to make sure you're alright."

"That's alright, she can come and see me, I don't mind. We've been talking through owls since we met."

"Ba!" Braiden supplied from Narcissa's arms.

"That's right Braiden, owls." Harry encouraged.

"How the hell did ba sound like owls?" Draco asked.

"It's to encourage him!" Harry said back. "It's the principle of it, not what he actually said, he's learning, that's all that matters."

"Well said Harry." Aneirin told him as he cuddled with his granddaughter and a name popped into his head, seemingly randomly. Lowri.

It had been Nasta's Mother's name. Would he want his daughter named after his Mother? Harry didn't. The memory of his Mother was sacred to him, she had died for him, much like Nasta's had died for him, but the memory of her, of her red hair and vibrant green eyes, so much like his own, cut something deep into him and her name and his Father's would forever be tainted with the vileness that was Voldemort. Perhaps further down the line, in a few years' time he wouldn't feel as strongly, but right now he couldn't bear it, but did Nasta feel the same way about his Mother. Harry turned the page and then another one, thinking, considering and then he saw it. Halfway down the page, the perfect name for his baby girl and he grinned at her, wondering if the others would like it as much.

* * *

A/N: Ha! How much do you want to kill me for that ending? So you have the genders, the parentage, the weights and lengths, but you only have two names. Unless Faerie baby counts as a temporary name, then you have three.

Work is hell as usual, going back after a week off has only solidified my want of winning the lottery so I can leave and spend the rest of my life writing.

Thanks to **PhoenixRose92** for being the **7,400****th**** reviewer!**

Also to **YinYangHeart **for being the **7,500****th**** reviewer!**

**Guest: **Harry was not passed out, he fell asleep. As you can see there was nothing wrong with any of the babies, so his magic had no need to kick in, not that it would of anyway, seeing as Harry's magic is very temperamental.

**Akamuna**: Amelle lost her child in the womb, before it was born; the resulting operation to remove the dead foetus from her womb damaged her heavily so she didn't have a heat cycle as her body repaired her womb. As soon as her heat cycle started again, the elders pushed her into a mate meeting and she chose Caesar quickly and the resulting heat left her pregnant with Eleonora. It took eight years for her body to repair itself.

**BronnzaScar**: Ashleigh didn't attack or kill Myron because she knows him. She knows the person he is and knows that he would never kill their children; she knew that Myron was just punishing Max, no matter how angry or upset she was at the time, so of course she wouldn't kill him just for smacking Max a bit.

**Marcell: **If Harry were to die, his mates would stay together, not for the children, but because they also love one another. It is not Harry that keeps them together, it's all of them. This isn't true of all mated harems though, some take their children and leave, others, who may not have children, go and find another mate or settle down with a human. It all depends on who they are and how they feel about the other mates.

**Zathina**: Yes Harry did take in if they were Drackens or not, as shown by this chapter, he knew as soon as they were born, even if it was subconsciously. A Dracken would never take another creature as a mate, a Veela, vampire, werewolf etc wouldn't even be allowed near a submissive searching for a mate. A submissive Dracken can only get pregnant by a dominant Dracken and there would never be two submissives in a single mated unit. The jealousy and hate would leave at least one of them dead and the other possibly critically injured and bordering on death. Can you imagine two Amelle's with just Caesar? Sniping and playing one child off of another, mines better than yours, your child is uglier etc. That's no way to live, so the Dracken rejects other submissives, not that a submissive Dracken would turn up at another submissives mate meeting in the first place as only the dominant s feel the call.

**cecilie**: Regulus is dead and will stay dead.

**Maiyanna**: Nasta's birthday is first on the 3rd of February, then Draco's on the 5th of June, then Harry's on the 31st of July, Max is next on the 19th of September and then finally Blaise is on the 12th of October.

Braiden was born on the 14th of August; the Quintuplets were born on the 31st of December.

**Zx14ninja**: Nasta's work colleagues do NOT know that he is a Dracken, though they do know that he has a harem of male lovers and also a lover who is able to get pregnant, they also know that Nasta has Braiden as he's told them all about him and that his lover is pregnant again with five babies, they wished him good luck and they as of yet do not know that the five have been born early, they might though when they see their friend on the front page of the newspaper.

Right! The vote that isn't a vote is over! You all know now what genders they are and who fathered who.

The vote ended:

Nasta – 153

Max – 136

Blaise – 61

Draco – 7

More girls – 52

More boys – 43

None of you got both the fathers and the genders right! But **Vampire900**, **Bearsammi2011** and **Sam **got the correct Fathers and **Arquenniel**, **Yarisou Usage** and **BSolomon** got the genders correct! Well done for guessing right!

Thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed!

StarLight Massacre. X


	55. Madness

_Last Time_

_It had been Nasta's Mother's name. Would he want his daughter named after his Mother? Harry didn't. The memory of his Mother was sacred to him, she had died for him, much like Nasta's had died for him, but the memory of her, of her red hair and vibrant green eyes, so much like his own, cut something deep into him and her name and his Father's would forever be tainted with the vileness that was Voldemort. Perhaps further down the line, in a few years' time he wouldn't feel as strongly, but right now he couldn't bear it, but did Nasta feel the same way about his Mother. Harry turned the page and then another one, thinking, considering and then he saw it. Halfway down the page, the perfect name for his baby girl. _

Chapter Fifty-Five – Madness

It was the seventh of January and they were going back to Hogwarts in five days. Harry just didn't want to go, especially not with Faerie baby.

Three of his babies had names, two did not. He had Farren Deon Maddison, who was still a gutsy little boy and had moved onto another additional half ounce of milk, so he was drinking a good ounce more than his siblings. Regan Aneirin Delericey, who did not like the feeling of clothes on his body and tried twisting and wiggling away from his own skin until he got used to them again and settled down. His daughter, who had been named Tegan Lowri Potter-Delericey, was the opposite. She did not like having her clothing removed and pitched a fit loud enough to burst his eardrums every time he changed her.

Nasta had been teary as Harry had told him that he wanted to call their daughter Tegan Lowri. He loved the name and when Harry had told him about hesitating over the middle name, Nasta had laughed and told him he was silly and that he was honoured to have his first daughter named after the Mother who had died birthing him.

Faerie baby was still unnamed as was his fourth born and after a week of being alive he was being urged on further to name them and the pressure was heaping on him to find the perfect names that actually suited his two youngest.

He had been ripping through the baby name book Hermione had given him, pouring over Max and Nasta's family histories and still nothing suited them. Then came a revelation that almost destroyed all of the research Harry had been doing for the past few days.

"You know that one of those boys has to be a Potter don't you?" Draco told him.

"What?" Harry asked as he looked up from where he was scanning through the book.

"One of the babies needs to be a Potter, after you. The Potter line need's an heir, then the Black line need's an heir too, as your Godfather named you inheritor of the Black estate and fortunes, it's up to you to name an heir."

Harry blinked and then looked to his two youngest babies. One had to be a Potter, the other a Black. He wondered if Max or Nasta cared or if they had already assumed he'd have to name their youngest sons Black and Potter. It changed everything and he flipped to the front of the book in a huff and started again.

He was pulled away from his search halfway through the B's for lunch and he moodily stabbed at his food, eating minimally and when a baby cried for food, he seized the opportunity to abandon his meal to tend to him.

He looked down at Regan and smiled. He was perfect and had a perfect name to match, why couldn't he name his youngest two; they were just as perfect and deserved perfect names.

Faerie baby started crying, his cry had gotten slightly louder as he got stronger and developed a bit more. The skin on his miniscule wings was growing in and Harry had never been more relieved to see patches of skin in his life. There were still some areas that were uncovered and raw, but for the most part Faerie baby, who was going to be baby Potter, no matter that he had been born last, was doing amazingly well.

"Why don't you name him for your own Father?" Richard had suggested, but they just didn't understand that he couldn't. They were his parents, the two people he had begged to come and get him throughout childhood even though he had known they were dead, they were the people who loved him most in the world, the people who had given their lives for his, he couldn't name his children after them, he just couldn't. But maybe he could give him a name that could be linked to his parents.

"Leolin." He said suddenly, breaking up the conversation at the table. "His name is Leolin."

"Seriously? Do you have to give our child such a Gryffindor name?" Draco demanded.

"Yes, because both of my parents were proud Gryffindors. I can't name him after them, but maybe I can link his name to the both of them."

"I think it's a lovely name." Ashleigh said. "Little Leo."

Harry smiled and gazed at Leolin who was sucking his milk from his tiny bottle with a tentativeness that his siblings did not share.

It was that evening when Harry found the perfect middle name for him.

"You want to name him what?" Draco once again shouted.

"Leolin Siorus Potter. After my parents and after Sirius." Harry said defiantly, daring Draco with his eyes to stand up to him on this.

"Have you found a name for my second son?" Max asked as he cuddled with said son.

Harry shook his head. "Do you have any ideas?"

"Nope. I'll leave the baby naming up to you, I'll just play and coo and cuddle him until you find the perfect name."

Harry chuckled and kissed Max and then little baby Black. He poured over the books and dived into the Black history, but he hated the names of all the constellations, who would name their child Monoceros, Ophiuchus, Pavo or Vulpecula? Even as a middle name it was hideous, so Harry struck constellations out almost immediately.

It was as he was devouring an ancient text on ancient rulers that he came across the name. He grinned as he looked to baby number four and applied the name to him. It stuck. He scooped the baby up and wandered down the stairs to the living room where he could hear Braiden's screeches of joy as he was tickled mercilessly by Draco's quick fingers.

"Does my son have a name?" Max asked, like he always did when Harry came into a room, as he sat burping Faerie baby with just two fingers, Harry mentally shook his head, he couldn't stop calling Leolin Faerie baby, he had a name now, a perfect name that he had given to him.

"Yes, he does. Calix."

"A good, strong Pureblood name." Draco approved.

"It was also the name of an ancient warrior." Harry said and noted the approval from Myron, who had loved his Father's idea of naming his children after rulers, warriors and royalty.

"Does he have a middle name?" Nasta asked, Tegan in one arm, Farren in the other.

Harry nodded. "Calix Bowen Black."

"Ohh, such a beautiful name." Ashleigh sighed. "I wish I had thought of Bowen, then maybe Caesar wouldn't be stuck with Demencio. I loved it when he was a baby, but now that we're both older, I realise that it sounds a lot like demented."

"Fit's him to a tee." Max grinned.

Richard started laughing, then choking and needed Myron to thump his back with a shake of his head. He handed the ever present bottle of potion to Richard, who took a swig and handed it back.

"You need to stop making me laugh so much Maxie." He tittered, no heat behind his words and still with laughter in his voice, but his eyes were pained.

"It's bothering you more and more lately." Max said with worry and concern flavouring his voice.

"I've never laughed so much lately." Richard waved away.

Harry passed Calix to Richard, accepted the kiss from him, before easing himself to the floor to play with Braiden, who turned indigo eyes to him and grinned widely.

"Who's my gorgeous little boy?" Harry cooed, bending down to rub noses against Braiden, who shrieked in happiness and grabbed fistfuls of Harry's hair. "Oh! Ow, ow, ow!" Harry cried and Draco quickly dislodged Braiden's fingers from his hair.

Harry rubbed the top of his head with tears in his eyes. "He has a hell of a grip." He said as the soreness eased away.

"I used to have a little beard before I had kids. Max used to pull on it so hard hairs would come off in his chubby hands. It hurt like hell so I had to shave it off." Richard told them. "I looked gorgeous with it too."

"He didn't." Myron assured them. "He only grew it because without it people assumed he was a little boy. I was holding his hand once when we went to Gringotts and I had some old woman tell me I had a well behaved son."

Harry snorted in laughter and heard it echoed all around the room as everyone laughed uproariously. Even Braiden joined in and Harry snuggled him tightly.

"Fine, pick on poor me, but I'll have you know that woman was half blind."

That set everyone off again and Harry tried to taper his laughing down when an ache started in his belly. Max had been rubbing it with a scar reducer and it was getting better, but it still hurt now and then.

Harry sat Braiden up and propped him up with cushions, enough to soften his fall if he toppled, but not enough to support him properly. He slowly let go of Braiden's hands and held them ready to catch Braiden if he fell. He didn't.

"Look!" He demanded of the others and they broke off their conversations to look at Braiden, who looked a bit confused as to why the world suddenly looked different.

"He's getting stronger and developing more quickly now."

"Next step is to get him crawling and to start him weaning." Nasta nodded. "But he's doing so amazingly well. Our baby boy is growing up."

Harry grinned at Nasta and chuckled. "I was thinking we could start brushing his gums as well. He could cut his first tooth in a month or so, it'll be better to get him used to it before he actually has teeth."

"I'll go out this afternoon and pick him up a baby toothbrush." Max said.

"Can I come?" He asked.

"Of course you can, I'm not going to stop you from coming to the supermarket with me."

"You're going to leave the three of us with six babies?" Draco asked, a note of panic in his voice.

"Of course not. Braiden and Leolin will come with us."

"Do you think it's a good idea to take Leolin anywhere?" Blaise asked.

"I think he'll be just fine." Harry answered. "He's got those coverings from the hospital and he'll be in the baby sling, the pressure will be off of his back. He needs to get used to the outside world anyway."

"Keep his face hidden." Myron suggested. "If there are any…_photographers_ watching you, the last thing we need is to see Leolin's face in the evening Prophet."

Harry nodded; noticing Myron's emphasis on the word photographers, the man hated the media almost as much as he hated suck ups and brown nosers.

"What about Braiden?" Ashleigh fretted.

"They've already seen Braiden. It's the quintuplets that are hot right now." Blaise said.

"I'll be right beside Braiden." Harry assured. "And I'm sure Max won't let anything happen to any of us."

"Of course not." Max said with a grin, Leolin looking impossibly tiny sleeping cuddled up on Max's forearm.

"Can we go now?" Harry asked, excitement colouring his tone.

"You know we're only going shopping right?" Max asked a bit curiously.

"I've only been in a supermarket once and that was because Aunt Petunia couldn't leave me with the woman over the road. Uncle Vernon wanted to leave me in the car, but there were too many people around."

Harry left to get ready, never noticing the faces of the people he left behind. He came back, his wallet in his back pocket, thankful he had converted some Galleons to pounds the last time he was in Gringotts and sat down to tug on his shoes, shoving his unshed baby weight out of the way. It was pissing him off currently, though he was thankful that Max's potion worked on his stretch marks also.

"How many times have you been left in a car on your own Harry?" Richard asked him randomly.

"Hmm?" Harry looked up from tying his shoelaces confused. "Oh, umm…I don't know. There was the time they took Dudley to the Cinema and they couldn't leave me with anyone, it was dark then so no one saw me in the car. I was locked in the boot once when they went to a fair ground, I either fell asleep or passed out, I don't remember, but they never did that again and I actually got to sleep in a bed that day."

"How old were you?"

"Uhh…it was Dudley's eighth birthday, so I would have been seven."

"The first time you slept in a proper bed was when you were seven?" Myron hissed.

"Only for one night, I was back in the cupboard the next day."

"Harry honey, what did you sleep on in the cupboard?" Ashleigh asked, looking like her heart was breaking just for asking.

"A blanket." Harry shrugged as he took Regan from a silent Aneirin.

"A nest of sorts wasn't it." Richard told him, licking his lips and opening a brown envelope packet he took from his work folder.

"Yeah, made up of a single blanket and my clothes." Harry nodded feeling severely uncomfortable now. He just wanted to go shopping and forget this conversation.

"The day you went into labour Harry, I left. I told you it was to do with the Dursley case."

Harry nodded, frowning heavily, trying to remember that day. Things were still very blurry.

"You left me alone with Sanex." He said after a while, remembering lying on the rug in front of the fire and a smiling Sanex behind him.

"Well I told you that what came with that owl would damn them further. Do you remember that?"

Harry nodded, vaguely remembering those words now that they had been repeated to him.

"I shouldn't be showing any of you this, but as long as you don't discuss it where anyone can overhear you, especially reporters, I see no harm in it."

"You found my nest." Harry said in a burst of clarity. "It was still there."

Richard smiled sadly and pulled out a bunch of photographs bound together with an elastic band. Richard pulled the band off and showed them the tiny little cupboard under the stairs, a small space that wasn't taken up by two large suitcases, the vacuum cleaner and the cleaning supplies was covered in a thin ratty blanket and holey, worn thin clothing. There was one shelf and on it were two broken plastic soldiers, two children's books, an Oxford dictionary and a piece of paper sticking out the end of the shelf. The next photo was a close up of the contents of the shelf, the next was a man's hand holding open the baby scribble drawing, Harry smiled as he looked at it. There were three people scribbled in crayon standing in a field dotted with large, crude flowers with a bright blue sky and a large yellow sun, the man almost filled the paper, he had jet black hair and green eyes, the woman was half the size of the man, with yellow hair and green eyes and there was a tiny little person at the bottom, with black hair, green eyes and glasses, a red slash over his forehead, holding both of their hands and smiling wider than his face.

Harry's eyes welled up as he saw it. He lent forward to touch the picture through the photograph.

"That's what I thought my parents looked like. Everyone's Mum had blonde hair, so I thought that all Mum's had blonde hair, I didn't know about different coloured eyes in families either. Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia both had blue eyes and so did Dudley, so I thought that because I had green eyes, both of my parents must have as well. I loved that picture and when I drew it in school I wanted it so badly, all of my other pictures had been ripped up and thrown in the bin, but I wanted that one so badly, so I hid it."

"There are remnants of compulsion charms all over this little cupboard Harry, from your magical signature." Richard told him.

Harry looked up slowly, away from the photo of his picture before the words made it into his mind and he frowned.

"I never cast any spells and the trace on my wand would have been picked up."

"This signature goes back well before you started at Hogwarts Harry, you wanted so badly for your little haven to be safe, along with all your most precious possessions that your magic rushed to comply, your relatives couldn't touch or destroy anything you took into your cupboard."

"That makes sense." Harry whispered. "Aunt Petunia told me numerous times to bring her my picture, but I couldn't, I didn't want it destroyed, so I refused."

"What did she do?" Nasta asked appalled.

"Tried to hit me with the frying pan, but she always missed, she couldn't swing it very fast and I was good at ducking." Harry shrugged.

"Harry, it's the next photos that have damned them irreversibly." Richard said as he took out a small bundle of photos, pulled off the elastic band and Harry was looking at every room of the Dursley household. The state of the art kitchen, the thick carpets, the expensive artwork and all of the photos on the walls, which every single one was photographed to show that Harry wasn't in any of them. The huge, expensive TV, both the one in the living room and in the kitchen, the state of the art computers, one in the living room, the other in Dudley's room, which was cluttered with electronics, game consoles, another huge TV, a large, expensive computer on the metal framed desk, a wardrobe filled to bursting with expensive, branded clothing, a large double bed, a stocked mini fridge and more gadgets and odd things than most shops owned.

The next few photos were his Aunt and Uncle's room, perfectly furnished, the large double bed quilted in some big designers hideous paisley rubbish that Aunt Petunia loved washing and hanging high on the washing line for the neighbours to see, the large vanity mirror with the bottles of expensive perfume and powders, the en suite bathroom filled with foul smelling products that were all hideously expensive and then finally the point that was trying to be made. The white wooden door with five locks on it and a cat flap in the bottom.

Harry heard Nasta's knuckles cracking and Draco's deep growl.

"We couldn't work out why there was a cat flat." Richard told Harry. "In all of our years working in the law field, we couldn't figure it out and your relatives were less than helpful, they tried to tell us that you had installed it yourself with your 'freakishness', whatever that means." Richard winked and Harry understood all at once. Richard's colleagues were Muggles and he worked for a Muggle law firm. "I asked Myron and he didn't know either and when Myron doesn't know something, no one else has a hope in hell at guessing."

"It was for food." Harry said with a sigh.

"Come again?" Aneirin asked, speaking up for the first time.

"They pushed small amounts of food through the cat flap."

"I thought you were just locked in overnight, I'm no fool, I saw the five locks, but are you saying you were locked up during the day also?"

"All day, every day, all night, every night." Harry said miserably.

"They didn't let you out for food, what about using the bathroom?"

Harry just shook his head and heard several hisses.

"What about when you needed to go."

"I held it as long as I could and then banged hell out of the door and hoped someone let me out and that I'd get off with just a smack for disturbing them from their day."

"That's barbaric." Draco growled.

Richard was writing it all down and Harry felt half an inch high. Then came the worst part of it, the photographs of his bedroom.

Bare, rough wooded floorboards, damp spotted, pale, peeling wallpapers, the battered wardrobe that Aunt Petunia had bought from a car boot sale for just three pounds, a wooden desk that Dudley hadn't wanted and a tiny four foot bed that had once been Dudley's cot and had transformed into his first toddler bed and had then been given to Harry out of the goodness of his Aunt and Uncle's hearts. There was no duvet and no pillow and just a lumpy, bare mattress. Harry had been grateful they had left him the mattress.

There were broken toys and games littering his bedroom and books on the higher shelves that Harry had read repeatedly to stave off his boredom. Harry's eyes went wide at the next photo, a close up of a rust brown stain marked with a yellow sign with a black number one on it.

There were twenty-two of those little yellow signs and every one marked rust brown stains, some as small as the tip of his finger, some as big as an apple and one was a small puddle, right in the spare corner of his room, like he had sat or laid there and just bled.

"Forensics are working to date these blood samples Harry, all of them are the same blood type, my colleagues will match it to you when you come in, but all I needed was one simple spell to tell me that they were all from you."

"You said they never hit you!" Blaise accused.

"They never hit me as an everyday thing; I'd have to have done something really bad to be hit." Harry said as he curled up on himself, Aneirin scooted over a seat to hold him against his body, comforting him.

"Did you hurt yourself?" Max asked hesitantly.

Harry shook his head.

"Then why is that room filled with your blood?" Myron demanded.

"Dudley and his friends used to hit me. I…Uncle Vernon accidentally kicked over a milk bottle and yelled at me to clean it up, he shoved me onto the broken glass and it cut me. I dropped a plate and cut myself cleaning up the shards, Aunt Petunia caught my fingers in a door when she slammed it closed on me and two of my fingers bled. Her nails used to graze me as well and sometimes cut me, but she was just grabbing me, not hitting me."

"But they were still hurting you." Richard said firmly.

Harry bit his lip. "Can I just go to bed now?" He asked.

"I thought you were coming to the supermarket with me." Max asked.

"I don't want to go anymore." Harry said as he kicked his shoes off and carried Regan up the stairs to the bedroom.

Nasta joined him a few minutes later; Harry was sat on the bed rocking Regan, tears falling silently down his cheeks.

Nasta sat behind him and held around his waist, pressing his lips against his neck. They were both silent.

They stayed that way for a while until Harry rested his head back against Nasta's shoulder and relaxed back against his body.

"I hate speaking about it, why do you make me speak about it?" He asked tearfully.

Nasta rubbed his cheek against his forehead. "You need to speak about it; you need to let it all out so that you can heal from it. Richard needs the details for his case, the Dursleys have all been arrested, the court date is coming up and Richard needs to know everything, he didn't want to put pressure on you when you were pregnant, but you're not pregnant anymore love. Finding that cupboard and what passed for your bedroom has helped convict them insurmountably, Richard hadn't been expecting to find so much damning evidence just left about for anyone to see it, but he knew why when he found the compulsion charms that those Muggles can't see, feel or even know exist. That is an amazing stroke of luck love."

"I don't think I can tell him everything."

"He needs to know caru, if you find it easier just talking to him, then take him into a different room, but the defence barristers will not be so gentle or understanding, they will rip you to pieces, every memory or incident you tell the courts will be questioned and ripped apart, they are vicious jackals that are trying to get your relatives off and out of prison, it's their job to, but you can't get tongue tied, you can't mix up stories, we're just trying to help you, trying to prepare you for it. There will be people watching and listening, strangers you have never met, the judge and the jurors scrutinising everything you say. It will be nerve wracking, but Draco will be with you, sitting right behind you and me and the others will be waiting at home for you, Richard will be right beside you."

"I thought you said that you and the others would be in the courtroom with me?" Harry said panicked.

"We can't leave all six babies alone without any protection. My Dad and brother will be here, Myron and Ashleigh and likely Alexander and Kimberly as well, but where we could have allowed them to look after Braiden, we can't ask them to look after all six, even though they'd have no problem with it, you still won't let anyone other than us look after Leolin. It would probably be safer if we all stayed home anyway, no matter how much we don't want to, if I saw those bastards calling you a liar in court I wouldn't be able to stop myself from leaping over the chairs and tearing their heads off."

Harry giggled at the mental image and rested back against Nasta more fully.

"If I could take it all from you I would." Nasta told him a little while later. "If I could go in your place I would, but only you know what happened love, how you felt and how they treated you, they deserve to be in prison for what they did and the more they talk about you being 'freakish and abnormal' they are going to end up in mental institutions."

"I have to do it myself. I'll never be free of them if I don't do it myself." Harry said. "It's just so hard to talk about it! I don't want everyone knowing, I don't want to sit down and just let it all out, it makes me feel unhappy and miserable when I think about it and I don't want to be. I have four loving men living with me, six beautiful babies who need all of my attention and devotion, not just half of it and I just want to move on with my life, I don't want the happiness my life has become to be coloured by my misery of the past. I was so unhappy Nas, my life was just an endless line of misery and pain and hunger and desolate loneliness, I was so alone I thought my heart would shrivel. No one cared, no one gave a damn about little Harry Potter in his baggy clothes and taped glasses. My relatives despised me, the school kids hated me, the teachers ignored me, the neighbours' tutted and shooed me away from their perfect gardens and their immaculate cars as if I'd sully them just by standing too close. I was just always alone. I hate being alone, please, never leave me alone Nasta."

Nasta wrapped Harry up tighter and squeezed him as much as he dared with Harry's stomach still tender. He laid desperate kisses on Harry's neck.

"I swear I'll never leave you alone cariad. If you ever feel alone, no matter when it is, what any of us are doing, find one of us to talk to or just for a cwtch if you need one. We love you and we want you to be happy."

"Can I take that cwtch now?" Harry asked softly.

Nasta, scooped Harry's knees up and sat him sideways across his lap and wrapped him in a warm, tight, safe hug, keeping his left arm arm wrapped around Harry's back, his hand resting on a hip, his right arm was bent up his back, holding Harry's right shoulder to his chest so that his little submissive was turned fully into his body, his hand stroking through black, messy hair soothingly, keeping Harry's head tucked under his chin as he rocked Harry and by extension Regan, his firstborn son.

"You can have a cwtch any time you want one caru, you don't even have to ask, just throw your arms around me and I'll happily do the same."

"Even if you're angry at me?"

"Especially then." Nasta answered nuzzling Harry's cheek.

"You won't shrug me off?" Harry questioned.

"Never."

* * *

Harry walked down the stairs with Nasta, who had relinquished his arms of Regan and joined the others, who had moved into the kitchen with the babies.

"We still going to the supermarket Harry?" Max asked as he waved a considerable list in his direction.

Harry chuckled and nodded as Blaise threw his trainers at him one after the other. He caught them and sat down to slip them on.

"How are we getting there?" He asked.

"Driving. I do have a car you know and I've missed it since we've been travelling magically all over the place."

"When did you bring that here?" Harry asked curiously.

"I take it everywhere; I usually shrink it in my pocket."

"Doesn't that mess with the car though?"

"Nope, I've been doing it for years."

"As long as you drive safely, we'll have two babies in the car." Harry said as he stood up and took out two carrycots from the corner they were using to store the baby stuff in while they were at Myron's.

Braiden was secured into one with a soft 'Ah Na' as it interrupted his playing with his favourite wooden horse. Harry gave it right back to him and smiled as Braiden shrieked in joy.

Faerie baby was strapped into the special carry cot bought just for him. It was heavily cushioned and padded to support his back without crushing his wings and it was small enough to cradle him without flinging him into the plastic sides around every turn.

"Those four had better be alright when I come back." Harry warned as he kissed all the babies goodbye, before moving onto his mates.

"They'll be fine." Blaise assured as he kissed his lips.

Harry carried the two carrycots outside, to where Max was enlarging his car to its rightful size.

"You're positive that doing that doesn't damage the electricals or the brakes or anything?" Harry asked.

"Very positive love. I had it all tested when I first started doing it and it was in perfect working condition. It goes for a regular MOT as well."

Harry nodded and secured the carrycots into the back seats, made sure they were absolutely one hundred percent secured before slipping between the two carrycots and buckling himself in.

Max buckled himself in and adjusted his mirror to grin at Harry, who grinned back.

"Just so I can see your gorgeous face and our two little angels." He said.

Harry chuckled and held Faerie baby's hand and Braiden's leg as Max started the bright blue car and set off.

Max drove slowly and safely and Harry enjoyed the car ride to the supermarket and sent Max off to find a trolley for the two boys as he had decided against wearing the baby sling. His scar was too sore.

Max came back with a trolley and unbuckled Braiden and laid him into the little trolley chair, buckling him in as Harry placed a carrycot cushion into the other reclined seat before placing Leolin into it and buckling him up. Harry made sure Braiden still had his wooden horse and that Max had shut up and locked the car, before pushing the trolley into the supermarket.

"Where to first?" Harry asked as Max wrapped his arms around him and bent his head to kiss his neck.

"I love that we're doing something so domestic." Max said. "I've wanted to bring you shopping for months, but you've always been so busy."

"Always pregnant you mean." Harry whispered and Max chuckled deeply.

Max stood up, but he stayed behind Harry, holding the trolley handlebar beside Harry's hands, walking so closely together their bodies brushed as they walked. Harry couldn't stop laughing, ignoring the looks they got as they stopped to kiss as they picked up bags, nets and punnets of every fruit in the produce section.

"Nasta and his bloody fruit. If he eats any more he'll become a fruit." Max grumbled.

"I thought he already was a fruit."

"Now that's not nice." Max said with a grin.

"I thought we were all fruits."

Max laughed. "I wonder if any of our kids will become fruits, after all they were created from our seeds."

It was Harry's turn to laugh and he kissed Leolin and Braiden and then Max, the woman on the aisle with them gasped, they ignored her.

"Right, oranges, where are oranges?" Harry asked as he read off of Max's list, checking things off with a pencil. "Why do we need a kilo of oranges?"

"Nasta eats an orange a day and Draco's fond of them too." Max answered as he put the net of oranges into the trolley, kissing Leolin on his way back up. Faerie baby was happily sleeping.

"Does Nasta eat one of every fruit a day?" Harry asked. "I know he eats a banana after breakfast and an apple after dinner."

"He eats an orange after lunch and usually a kiwi or a different fruit before he goes to bed. Speaking of seed, have you noticed his is always fruity?"

Harry choked on his spit and laughed so hard he had to crouch down and cross his legs to keep from wetting himself. Max chuckled above him as he put a punnet of plums and two whole pineapples into the trolley. Harry was helped to his feet as the customers looked at him like he was walking around with no clothes on, smeared in mud or worse things.

"If eating five fruits a day does that, give 'em to me, I might get more mouth action." Max grinned lecherously.

Harry felt tears fall down his cheeks as he continued laughing as they moved down to the vegetables and once again Max added more than the average person bought.

They moved on to buy milk and cheese and yoghurts, enough fresh meat to feed a family of five for a month, but would last them a week, and then it was onto jars and tins, sauces and condiments, where Max bought a bottle of vinegar with a wink to Harry, who blushed as he remembered kicking Max's vinegar over once, before he humiliated himself for the first time by having a damned flashback.

"Right, next are eggs and sugar." Harry said reading the list.

"Damn it, we just went past sugar." Max pouted as he went back down the one aisle to collect the sugar.

He ran into a pretty woman and almost knocked her hand flying as he reached for the same bag of sugar.

"I'm sorry." He told her politely as he got the sugar down and handed it to her before reaching for another bag for himself.

"That's alright, it was my fault." She said demurely, even though they both knew it was clearly his fault for rushing and not looking. "I'm Caitlin."

Max looked at her in puzzlement. "I'm Max."

"Do you live close by Max?" She asked, fluttering her eyelashes at him, pouting her lips. He couldn't help but think that Harry did it cuter when he wasn't doing it purposefully and sexier when he was.

"No, listen Caitlin, I think you've got it all wrong. I'm married."

"Oh." She looked so disappointed that he wondered if she was that desperate or if she was trying to make him feel so sorry for her he'd leave his mates. "But you aren't wearing a ring."

Max cursed. "We're as good as married." He told her.

"But you aren't married yet?" She perked up at that.

"Listen lady, I don't know who you are, but I'm very, very happy."

"Is this lady bothering you?" Max could have kissed Harry as he pushed the trolley down the aisle towards them.

"What's it to you?" The woman snarled.

Harry raised an eyebrow and turned to Max.

"Is she bothering you, _love_?" Harry stressed the last word.

Max put the sugar in the trolley and walked around to kiss Harry firmly on the lips.

"This is Caitlin love, I almost knocked her over in my rush to get the sugar and get back to you and our sons."

Caitlin looked wide eyed to them and then the two baby boys in the trolley infant seats.

"You…you're both men."

"Very well observed." Harry hissed cattily.

"You were allowed to adopt two babies?"

Max squeezed Harry's hand. "What's it to you?" He demanded, aware that Braiden looked like Blaise and Leolin had pale hair due to his stunted development, it would get darker the more he developed as it started to produce melanin, but neither baby looked like him or Harry, it would be easier to just tell the Muggle woman that they were adopted. "If you don't mind we're shopping."

Max turned the trolley around and stood behind Harry, protecting him as he stood between the woman and Harry and their two sons. He got them into the main aisle before going down the one that held all the different cartons of eggs.

"I'm going to eat her." Harry snarled and Max chuckled.

"With this trolley filled with lovely food, you want to eat that scrawny bag of bones?"

Max felt accomplished as Harry chuckled lightly. He just wanted to forget all about the woman.

"I'm craving raw meat." Harry whispered suddenly. "I didn't realise until we went down the meat aisle, but I want raw meat."

Max grinned savagely. "Please, please let me go hunt something for you? It's been almost a year since we last hunted and I want to get you your first meal, please?"

"Of course, but does this mean that my breeding cycle has started? I can't be pregnant again Max! I can't!"

"Calm down!" Max said startled as he wrapped Harry in a huge hug and swayed with him, before taking one hand and putting four boxes of twelve large eggs into the trolley. "You're not starting your breeding cycle; you're just being a Dracken. Raw meat contains bacteria that your pregnant body can't deal with, so you stop craving it when pregnant and me and the others have been avoiding it because the smell would have made you sick, but now that you aren't pregnant, you're Dracken will want fresh meat again. The reintroduction of it into our diets will give us more energy and will make us all a lot happier and fitter."

Harry grinned. "I can't wait."

"Just a few more things." Max promised as he squeezed Harry's bum, making him jump and glare.

Max laughed and wheeled the trolley around carefully and set off to buy soap powder, antibacterial wipes and washing up liquid. They got more than a few derisive looks, some curious and only a handful looked at them like they were just ordinary lovers in the supermarket to buy groceries with their sons.

Max got his usual washing up liquid and a bottle of sensitive fabric conditioner for the babies along with a box of non-biological washing powder before heading to the toiletry aisles, searching for toothbrushes. He found them and chucked a load into the trolley along with three tubes of toothpaste, before searching for baby brushes. They were on the bottom shelf so Harry got them; he found a blue one with a little train on it and a tube of baby toothpaste.

"It can't hurt to get it now in case we can't get here easily if he cuts his first tooth at school." He explained as he chucked them into the trolley, which was very full now.

Leolin started wailing and Harry dove into the nappy bag and pulled his special bottle out of the thermal pouch, shook it as Max unstrapped the baby from the seat and placed him into Harry's arms as Harry carefully stroked his cheek with the bottle teat, watching as Leolin rooted for it and caught it with his mouth and sucked.

Harry walked around the store, Max's hand on his back guiding him as his mate pushed the trolley down the baby aisle to pick up nappies, wipes and creams, Harry looked up from feeding Leolin to look at all the little pouches of pureed fruits.

"Do you think Braiden will like any of these?" He asked. "They say from four months plus."

Max looked over from chucking in another pack of nappies and considered it before plucking up a pouch of plum branded weaning food.

"Stage one pouches, blueberry, banana and vanilla, naturally organic ingredients, made especially for first tastes, perfect for weaning. Food for super babies. What do you think Braiden; do you want to be a super baby?" Max asked the baby chewing on the wooden horse still. He made a grab for the pouch as Max waved it. "There we have it, he wants to be a super baby, we'll buy one as see how he goes with it. It sounds nice, so if he doesn't want it, I'll have it."

Harry laughed and then spied something that made him grin wider. A selection of different dummies. He got three packs of six right off and threw them into the trolley.

"Do you think that's a good idea?" Max asked as he picked one up and looked it over.

"Can you handle six babies all crying together? If sucking a dummy helps calm then then I see absolutely no harm in giving them one for a few years, it won't be all the time, just in the evening and maybe at night."

"Alayla had a dummy." Max said. "The only one of us to have one; I think Mum was trying to keep her little girl a bit longer, after each baby she babied the new baby more and more. It drove Dad mad, but when she lost…lost the baby, she tried to keep Alayla as a baby, so she had a dummy until she was seven, Dad went ballistic, I remember him telling Mum off every time she gave Laya the dummy, he'd go up to her and take it off her, but then she'd cry and scream and throw a fit until she was sick, she was just so attached to it."

"No, we'll take it off of them at three or four." Harry said firmly. "So they can learn to talk properly, I just can't handle six babies all crying during the night when we've got school. I know you gave up work and I'm grateful for that and for Nas taking paperwork duties even though he hates it, but I don't think it'll be enough Max."

"We'll get through it love, I swear it. We're being careful, no unprotected sex until your hormones are calm again, we don't want to be caught out again, we'll keep watch over your diet and scent to check for your cycle, but I don't think we have anything to worry about for a while. The Dracken wants chicks, but it's not cruel. It can feel how many children you have; I don't think it'll give you any more."

Harry smiled as Leolin continued to suckle from his special bottle, it was then that Harry realised that the dummies he had put in the trolley, probably wouldn't fit in Leolin's mouth. Sighing Harry scanned the shelves until he saw a specially shaped dummy, looking like a sideways number eight or an infinity sign, it was a bit more expensive, but the three, clear dummies were smaller than the rest and had cut outs on either side so it wouldn't hurt Leolin's nose and they had more of a curve around them, so it would sit on Leolin's face without sticking off either end of his cheeks. He put a pack of them into the trolley and walked around to the other side, following Max as he fed the baby and he blushed when he saw Max calmly and confidently put four bottles of lubricant into the trolley along with two boxes of condoms. Draco was always the first to complain of any mess.

"Do we have to buy those here?" He hissed.

"Where else would I buy them from?"

"I don't know, can't you owl order them?"

Max scoffed. "Harry there's no need to be embarrassed because we enjoy being with one another, if more people shoved away their embarrassment at the supposed taboo around these products then I'm sure there'd be less sexual diseases and less unwanted pregnancies. Condoms are friends to hormonal teenaged boys and grown men who aren't trying for a seventh baby just yet."

Harry glared at Max, not happy with the reminder than Max and Nasta had been fucking for years. He accepted it, he knew why they had done it, he knew they hadn't even known about him and that he hadn't even been born when Nasta had lost his virginity, but he didn't like it damn it!

"Are we done now?" Harry asked as he looked at the list and nodded to himself that every item was checked off.

"I believe so, unless there was anything else you wanted?"

Harry shook his head and then changed his mind as they walked past a small cabinet with warmed doughnuts. He just stared at the one of them and he wanted it.

"Actually, I want one of those."

Max looked over and moaned. "I see them every time I come in here, but Nasta would have both our balls if we even stare at them for much longer."

"One can't hurt." Harry said as he strode towards it, Leolin still suckling slowly. "I want that one, the white iced one with the yellow on it."

"Lemon meringue." Max read off the card. "Ah hell, if we eat in the car he'll never know."

Max got a bag and scooped two lemon meringue doughnuts into it and then hurried away to the checkouts, hiding the doughnuts like Harry would have done the bottles of lube that were clearly on show in their trolley.

Harry ignored everyone in the queue as he heard them cooing and tutting at him as he fed Leolin, whose tentative suckling was slowing down further. Max put the heaped trolley full of items onto the conveyor belt and shoved the trolley around to the other side; he needed to use forty shopping bags.

"I hate these stupid shopping bags." He grumbled as he packed it all into the bags and then back into the trolley.

Harry hummed in agreement as Leolin pulled his mouth from the bottle teat before the milk was finished. Harry sighed and hefted him over a shoulder and patted his lower back, it wasn't as effective, but he did not want to pat Leolin's tiny developing wings.

"He still doesn't finish a bottle." He sighed as he placed Faerie baby back into his padded cushion and strapped him back in.

"Excuse me, your son dropped this."

Harry turned and looked to the smiling woman holding out Braiden's wooden horse.

"Oh, thank you, he loves that thing." Harry said as he took it off of her, wiped it with a sanitizer gel from his nappy bag, checked it automatically, yet subtly for spells, wards or Portkeys as he spread the gel around it and gave it to a fussy Braiden, who shoved it straight into his mouth and gummed on it.

"He's adorable, how old are they?"

"This one's four months and that one is seven days."

"How adorable."

Harry accepted the compliment, but he really just wanted the woman to go away as Max continued packing up their hefty shop.

"That's four hundred and twenty-eight pounds sir." The cashier told Max and Harry sucked in a breath at the total.

Max paid by using his Muggle debit card. He had two bank accounts, one with Gringotts and one with a Muggle bank; he transferred money over to his Muggle account when he knew he'd have to buy something with Muggle money so he didn't have to deal with a wad of cash in hand.

"I wasn't expecting it to be that much." Harry said quietly as they went back to the car.

"I was expecting it to be more." Max answered. "We got a great deal on those three chickens for ten pounds, they're six pounds each and the nappies were buy one get one free and so was the lube, the wipes were buy one get one half price, the formula milk we use was buy one get two free, which is an amazing deal I took excessive advantage of and the fruit punnets were three for two mix and match. I was expecting it to be close to six hundred."

"But this is just a weekly shop." Harry said as he secured Leolin into the car seat.

"Yeah, it takes a lot of money to feed five grown men and keep six babies in nappies, wipes and formula milk, but such is life, it's why Nasta and I are working and were working well before any submissives came along. A dominant knows that if he's going to have a submissive, he'd better have a damn good paying job, one of the usual questions a submissive asks a dominant is where he works, what he does and how much he earns."

"I didn't." Harry said thoughtfully, wondering if he had done anything right in his own meeting.

"You, my gorgeous love, are not a typical submissive and thank fuck for that because if you were I wouldn't love you half as much as I do. Imagine if you acted, behaved and talked like Amelle?"

Harry pulled a face.

"Exactly, I couldn't be stuck with Amelle for life, I feel sorry for Caesar, but he's a grown man and he was a grown man when he pursued her so viciously, I was at that meeting and I was not impressed with her, but when Caesar showed interest in her, well, he's my baby brother, of course I was going to help him out a bit."

"What did you do?" Harry asked as he sat up front this time as Leolin was fast asleep after his milk and Braiden was getting drowsy from his busy day.

"I cleared the field for him a bit, I wouldn't have bothered, but he was so desperate to get her. He always did have a thing for auburn haired women."

Harry chuckled as he ate his own doughnut and held out the other doughnut for Max to bite as he manoeuvred the car carefully out of the car park. Max's doughnut was gone in five bites, Harry's took a little longer, but Harry cleaned Max's face for him with his tongue as they stopped at a set of traffic lights. Max groaned and Harry spied a bulge in the front of Max's jeans that he caressed with his hand.

"Stop it!" Max part groaned, part growled, his jeans rising further.

"Is this for me, or for the doughnut?" Harry asked with a grin.

Max pulled him into a vicious kiss which only stopped when the car behind honked its horn. The light had turned green.

Max panted, cursed and put the car into gear and drove off carefully. Harry huffed in breaths and felt his body tightening.

They arrived home and Harry slipped out of the car, Max shut off the engine, strode around the car, pulled him away from the door he had been about to open to get the babies, walked him to the front of the car and threw him on the bonnet before covering him and pushing an insistent tongue into his mouth, one hand pinning his hands above his head by the windscreen, his other drifted up his shirt to pinch a nipple as Max climbed onto the bonnet with him and pressed their bodies together.

Harry felt how hard Max was and he responded. The air was cold, but the warmth of the bonnet at his back and Max against his front heated his blood until he shook off Max's hand and wrapped them around his neck, pawing at his back, tugging off his shirt and scratching red marks onto his back and shoulders as they kissed more insistently.

"Maximilius!" Myron's angry, clipped voice broke through their rushed, sexual frenzy and they looked to see the family standing at the front door, obviously having heard the car come back and were coming out to help unload the shopping bags.

Richard and Alexander were laughing uproariously. Ashleigh looked pleased as she giggled with Alayla and Talia, but it was the lust in the three mates who were standing in the group that made Harry swallow; he wondered what he and Max must look like spread on a car bonnet, kissing and petting each other passionately and possessively to put that look on their faces.

Max dropped his head beside his face and groaned in repressed sexual frustration and gave his ear a lingering lick before he slithered off of the car and helped Harry slide down onto his feet as well.

"You couldn't have given us even five minutes Dad!" He whined.

"Do you think that's acceptable behaviour, not only in front of your children, but in a public place as well?" Myron demanded.

"Leave off of him Myron." Richard said softly. "Max is still a kid at heart; don't you remember what we were like? I remember an incident with a rubber dinghy, out on the ocean, in full view of a public beach that was packed with families, including our own, complete with three year old Max and year old Caesar. We conceived Julinda in that dinghy."

Myron blushed so brightly Harry wondered if there was enough blood left in the rest of his body. Ashleigh laughed so much she had to support herself on the doorframe.

"I remember that. That was an amazing day, we took the boys to the beach for the first time, Max was so happy. I was so sure that all three of us wouldn't fit in that little rubber raft." She gasped through her tears of laughter. "You boys had to prove me wrong, I thought that it was going to tip and dump us in the ocean with every thrust."

"Mum please!" Caesar snapped as he covered his ears, his face screwed up in horror, as his sisters shrieked and covered their own ears.

Max laughed so hard tears streamed down his face. "You never told us that story before Dad!" He called out cheekily.

Alexander shook his head. "It's a grey day when you look up to check on your son and his mates in a little rubber boat on the sea and all you see is a white bottom mooning back at you."

Harry laughed so hard he couldn't breathe and needed Nasta's hand on his back to get him to take in some air. The look on Nasta's face was complete amusement.

"Let's get the bags in before they spoil." He said, trying to calm down the laughter.

Everyone grabbed a fistful of bags as Harry and Kimberly got out Leolin and Braiden and carried them into the house to join their brothers and sister.

Harry placed a heavily sleeping Leolin onto the soft, cushioned little bean bag they had bought for him so that he could sleep on his back, but without the pressure to his little wings, but he took Braiden from Kimberly and brushed the thick black hair he was growing out of his face.

"Four months old and already it looks like he'll need a haircut." He said as he watched the others putting away all the food, Max keeping one bag by his legs. Harry knew that it had the lube and condoms in it, but the top showed toothbrushes, toothpaste and two boxes of three bars of soap. Max had packed the bag cleverly.

"Right, I'll be back in a bit." Max said as he winked to Harry and took the one bag upstairs.

Harry staved off the blush and glared at Max all the way out of the kitchen. Max didn't come back for an hour and when he did come back, he was covered in blood and wrestling a skinned lump of meat towards Harry.

He presented it to him with a happy, proud grin at his accomplishment, but Harry didn't see it. Instinct took over at the scent of fresh meat and warm blood and his wings, fangs and claws pulled out of his body and he fell onto the skinned bear and tore into it like an animal, making feral noises and growling hisses when anyone approached his meat.

"Any particular reason you decided to bring a bear home?" Myron asked as he watched Harry tear a chunk of warm, bloody meat from a bone with his teeth. "I thought we were over this when you and Caesar had left home."

"Harry told me in the supermarket that he was craving raw meat again and I asked if I could hunt for him and he agreed."

"I never understood why you had to wrestle with bears." Ashleigh said. "I remember when your Fathers took you hunting for the first time; they came back paler than ghosts."

"Why?" Aneirin asked. "Nasta was a natural, took down a stallion in just three hits." He said proudly.

"Max decided that he wanted a bear and nothing else would do." Myron said, his face white as he remembered. "I've never been so frightened for Max in my life."

"I thought my heart would stop." Richard said. "We had pointed out a doe grazing, but he had picked up the scent of a male bear and he just had to show off."

"It took him eight hits before he could even get the bear off of its feet, just the one to end its life." Myron said, a hint of pride in his voice, but he was frowning with past worry and he was still pale.

"Since then it's always been bears." Richard sighed. "Though poor Caesar was practically dumped in front of his first prey after Max's stunt."

"It wasn't a stunt!" Max denied. "The bear smelt so delicious, so much better than that stringy horse."

Richard laughed wheezily, but the crunching of bone drowned it out when Harry slid his fangs over a rib to get the meat off of it, cracking it twice with the force of his jaws. All attention went back to Harry then, whose face, hands and arms were smeared with blood as he picked apart the most tender and juicy bits of meat, leaving what he didn't want. When he was finished, he lay back and groaned allowing his mates to eat what was left as he curled into a ball and just lay on the floor with his belly pleasantly full.

Harry was carried to the settee and laid on it, five minutes later he had crawled back off of it to sprawl on the rug in front of the fire where he fell deeply asleep with the scent of his mates, his children and his family around him all wrapped up in the scent of the wood burning fire.

* * *

A/N: Well there you have it! All five babies named. Farren Deon Maddison, Tegan Lowri Potter-Delericey, Regan Aneirin Delericey, Calix Bowen Black and Leolin Siorus Potter.

Pronounced:-

Farren Deon – Fah-ren Dee-On

Regan Aneirin – Ree-Gan An-Nye-Rin

Tegan Lowri – Tee-Gan La-Ow-Ree (A is silent)

Calix Bowen – Cah-Licks Bow-wen

Leolin Siorus – Lee-O-Leen She-or-us

Thanks to **sissy** for being the **7,600****th**** reviewer!**

Well done to **Michelle**, who guessed Tegan's name first and Leolin's and to **Marie**, who guessed Calix's!

The AFF version was hidden for one day because this author is a twit! Nothing serious happened and I did not remove it so stop yelling at me through reviews people. If you just added me of Facebook you would have known what was going on, yeash.

A lot of you are forgetting that the quintuplets are Dracken born, not human born, so they are more developed, stronger and healthier than if they had been born to an ordinary person. The only baby that would have possibly needed to stay at St Mungo's was Leolin, but as he was Faerie and Harry refused to let him go, it was agreed upon a period of overnight observation and when it was seen that Leolin was having no problems or adverse reactions, he was allowed home. All of the tests that premature babies are given is done by a simple wave of a wand by healers, which is much quicker. All of the babies are fine and well and are doing great despite their start, nothing is wrong with them. The Healers are coming to check on the babies daily and they are all doing fine.

**cosbygirl**: You'll find out what his wings will look like in the story when he's a bit older. His wings do not look like Tinkerbell's or a butterfly's I will tell you that.

**Zenray**: Cheers for that review! As to why Blaise never fathered a baby, he just wasn't lucky that's all. It's like a lottery, you hit or you miss. Blaise happened to miss this time around, that's all.

**red-dragon**: Drackens can live to approx. 350 years. Magical beings can live to approx. 200 years. Faeries approx. 270 years and non-magical humans a maximum of 100 or so years.

**Atty**: The family trees for Max and Nasta are on my Facebook page. .

**Maiyanna**: I've made a family tree for Max and Nasta. It is on my facebook page at StarLight Mass.

**Rabbit84**: I've already explained that Amelle is not having her first child. Eleonora is her second child, but her first child and her first mate, before Caesar, was killed which is why she's so bitter and cold. She still loves her first mate and she was forced into a mate meeting to pick another dominant when she didn't want one. She loves Caesar for Eleonora, but a part of her heart still loves her first mate and while she still loves him, she will never fully love Caesar.

**unneeded**: The woman who killed her newborn babies didn't have the 'these are my children I will unconditionally love them' instinct. She never saw them as her children; she saw them as unwanted intruders. She did tell her mate she didn't want them, but as abortion for Drackens is almost illegal, there's nothing a pregnant submissive can do to terminate unwanted chicks.

Orphans aren't given to counsel members, counsel members petition to take in an orphaned Dracken, there is a period of settling in where the counsel member's Dracken gets used to the baby/child/teenager and if the Dracken feels receptive to the orphaned Dracken, they'll adopt the child, if not another Counsel member tries, but there has never been a case where no counsel member has accepted a child, some have too large a maternal/paternal instinct to see any child left alone, so they take in any child that comes to them.

Thank you all for reading and reviewing! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter,

StarLight Massacre. X


	56. Bitterness

_Last Time_

_Harry was carried to the settee and laid on it, five minutes later he had crawled back off of it to sprawl on the rug in front of the fire where he fell deeply asleep with the scent of his mates, his children and his family around him all wrapped up in the scent of the wood burning fire._

Chapter Fifty-Six – Bitterness

Harry woke up in bed with a heavy someone pinned to his back. He groaned lightly and wiggled out from under Draco, who grunted in his sleep, which was answered by a soft growl from Nasta, who was laying half out of the bed.

Harry rolled his eyes and tucked Nasta's leg back in before scooping up his children one by one and transferring them to the en suite bathroom. He shut the door, not bothering to lock it; he didn't want to keep his mates out if they woke up after all, he just wanted to keep the noise in.

He did put up silencing charms as he striped and stepped into the shower, quickly washing his body and hair before stepping out and setting up the baby bath as he dried off, he dressed himself before scooping up the first baby to be bathed. Calix went first, because he loved the bath and didn't so much as whimper as he had his head and face quickly washed before he was dunked in and cleaned.

Harry dried his baby off, nuzzling and kissing that soft, soft skin, dressing Calix in a nappy, a standard, plain white bodysuit, a little, pale blue tee-shirt overlaid with a cardigan and thick trousers, finishing off with socks, scratch mitts, a matching hat and a bright blue dummy.

Harry tipped out the water and refilled the bath and Leolin was next, as even though he wailed as he touched the water, he didn't cry fully and his little wails weren't loud enough to wake his siblings, Harry took great care with his son's wings, running a wet cotton wool ball around them so very gently.

Harry was halfway through bathing the last baby, Braiden, who screamed until his little face went bright red and his little fists were clenched tight when the bathroom door opened and a panicked Draco peeked in. He let out a visible sigh of relief when he saw Harry struggling with the thrashing baby, before slipping to his knees to help finish off.

The cries that had escaped the bathroom when the door had been opened had roused the others, who trickled in to take care of business and have their morning showers before taking a baby or two off his hands as he and Draco dried Braiden, dressed him and shoved a dummy into his mouth to suck on to stop him from screaming the house down.

There was a heated debate when he stepped into the kitchen between Max and Myron and Harry had an inclination over what it was when Myron turned to glare at him. The dummies.

Braiden was in his arms dozing, sucking slowly on his light pink dummy as Nasta popped Farren's green dummy out to feed him his bottle.

"They're babies Dad." Max said softly as the silence stretched. "A dummy for a year or two isn't going to harm them or their development."

Myron's burning black eyes swung back to Max and he breathed deeply and harshly for a few minutes before he sat down heavily and it took him a minute or so to relax his entire body.

"You're right. It's none of my business, I'm their grandfather, not their father, but I still think it's a terrible idea, if they get attached to them and won't let them go, what then?"

"I'll tell them that the other babies need them." Harry answered.

"And if you don't have any other babies?"

"They don't have to be siblings, I'll tell them the babies in the hospital need them more and that they need to be big boys and be a big girl and hand them over. Failing that I'll take them and bin them all when they're asleep."

Richard snorted and coughed a bit, then he started choking, which broke Myron out of his mood as he rushed to help his mate and Husband, Ashleigh already rubbing circles on his back as Myron tipped the potion down Richard's throat. It was upsetting to watch, but they had been living with it for over twenty years, it was common place for them now.

Nasta handed out bottles and Harry took the bottle for Braiden, popped out the pink dummy and replaced it with the bottle teat, Braiden immediately pouted his mouth around the bulb of the bottle and sucked strongly.

"Who's such a good boy?" Harry cooed, nuzzling his suckling baby.

A prickling on his neck made him look up, his eyes wide and his nostrils flared as he sniffed. Something was wrong. He let out a ferocious snarl as he saw Blaise passing Leolin over to Talia, so she could feed him while Blaise fed Tegan, who already had a bottle at an awkward angle in her mouth.

"Harry?"

Harry pressed Braiden to the nearest person to him, Richard, who fumbled the bottle to keep it in Braiden's mouth as Harry stormed to Blaise and Talia, growling furiously, releasing fear inducing pheromones as he went.

Myron grabbed Talia and pulled her behind him, blocking Harry from his human daughter, but Harry didn't want the woman, he wanted his little Faerie baby. He snatched the baby from Blaise with a snarl, snatching the bottle that was handed over meekly, before he huddled his shoulders down as he sat down and fed Leolin, darting suspicious glances around him as he fed his youngest baby as if expecting someone to sneak up on him and rob the baby from his arms.

Nasta straddled the chair he was on, worming his way behind him, which was very difficult even though Harry was perched on the very end, before pulling him back against him and whispering soothingly, murmuring little noises to calm him down and when Harry burped Leolin delicately he was calm and rational again, but not very apologetic, he had told them to not give away Leolin. His baby still smelt strange to his Dracken and because of that, he wouldn't have a non-mate touch him.

"You're going back to Hogwarts soon, have you thought about how you're going to cope?" Aneirin asked.

"Take it one day at a time." Harry answered. "It's all we can do."

"You are still too stubborn to ask for help." Aneirin shook his head. "I've taken a holiday from work for the first time in forty years, I would like to help you if I can, even if I come to your rooms for a few hours a day just to give Max and Nasta a hand with the six of them or so they can get their heads down for an hour after the nightly feeds."

Harry looked at the man shocked. "You'd do that?"

"Of course, it's already done; it's up to you to decide how I spend my time off, with my family and grandchildren, or moping around regretting taking the time off in the first place."

"But…but you're their granddad, you shouldn't be doing the hard stuff."

"Oh please, handling Sanex as a toddler was hard work, then Nasta wasn't much different, a thousand questions a day that boy asked. What's that? What's that? What's that? What does that do? What's that for? Why? Why? Why? Is all I got off of him for the first five years of his life, I regretted teaching him to talk in the first place."

"Thanks for that." Nasta said dryly as he nuzzled Harry's thick black hair.

"You know I'm only joking Nas. I answered all of your questions and then some; I even encouraged you to learn languages."

"You told me to shut up, stop asking so many questions and that if I wanted to know what the people around me were saying to learn their language myself. So I did."

Richard started laughing and Myron let out a smirk. Aneirin was completely unfazed.

"You learnt them didn't you?"

"Of course."

"You loved learning them."

"Yes."

"So it all turned out fine in the end."

Harry chuckled and accepted Braiden back off of Richard, snuggling his oldest and youngest together. Braiden was staring at Leolin through his indigo eyes, a perfect match to his Father's.

"Braiden love, this is your baby brother Leolin." Harry told him softly, not expecting his five month old to understand, but doing it all the same.

Braiden soon lost interest in the sleeping baby and turned his attention to his hands, which he found much more entertaining as he flexed his fingers and gummed on them, drooling all over his hands, arms and long sleeved shirt. Braiden stopped all movement and Harry looked at him curiously before Braiden let out a quick, sudden sneeze that completely covered his top.

"Oh Braiden! I'm going to get him cleaned up." Harry said with a sigh as he stood up and went upstairs.

He made a little bed for Leolin to lie in, keeping his back from pressing too hard against the bed and wiped Braiden's nose thoroughly before he set himself to changing Braiden's shirt and cleaning up the snot and drool. He changed the wet nappy while he was at it and wondered if it would have just been quicker and easier to put Braiden back in the bath, but then he remembered the headache inducing screams from that morning and thought better of it.

"I…I heard that you almost lost a child."

Harry spun around, completely surprised and shocked, to see Amelle standing in the bedroom doorway, her head bent off to the side looking at the carpet, her arms wrapped around Eleonora, who was coming up to six months old. Harry was about to retort angrily, but he stopped, she hadn't actually said that sentence maliciously, just factually.

"Two." Harry answered softly, wondering what was going on and where Amelle had found her new attitude. "Two of them weren't breathing after the cords were cut, but I could have so easily lost all of them."

Amelle nodded, acting strangely. Harry wondered if Caesar had actually gone ahead and drugged her, but he shook his head of those thoughts, Caesar would never treat his Wife so appallingly as to drug her, no matter what she had done.

"Four months is a bit too soon for them to come, but they…they're doing fine aren't they?"

Harry lowered his eyebrows and slowly made his way to the bed to pick up Leolin. "Yes."

"Even…even the one…the one who has Faerie blood?"

"Leolin's doing fine all things considered."

Amelle nodded jerkily and wandered in to sit on Max's bed, the bearskin blanket that he liked showing off still so very, very soft even after sixteen years.

"I…I lost my first child." Amelle told him softly, voice almost a whisper.

Harry felt a pang of sympathy for Amelle then, the first he had ever felt for the woman. He laid Braiden in his pop up travel cot, put Leolin in the bedside bassinet and sat as close to Amelle as he could stand. If she wanted to talk, he'd listen, but the first bad word against him, his babies or his mates and he was gone.

"A little boy." She told him, her voice hardly above a breath. "My first mate tried to protect us both."

Amelle fell silent again, playing with the pink shawl around Eleonora.

"I didn't know you had a mate before Caesar." Harry said after the pause became lengthy.

Amelle nodded jerkily again. "Cordell. He was a tall and handsome African-American, he lived close by me, only a state or so away from me and my family and he was so fit and strong. He was a bit too old for my tastes at twenty-three, but he paid so much attention to me, he wooed me thoroughly, he even took me away from my home for a romantic dinner in a fancy, expensive restaurant to prove he had enough money to not only support me, but to keep my in luxury. We had to take the chaperone, but I forgot he was even there after I started talking to Cordell."

Amelle fell silent again and Harry wondered what the hell had brought this on.

"I held out as long as I could. I wanted to make Cordell fight for me and he did. He fought so viciously that he got jealous when I spent any amount of time with the other dominants. My meeting lasted for a month, that's as long as I could hold out against him. I wanted him so badly. I got pregnant immediately and he was so proud and boastful. When we found out that I didn't need a grounding mate, oh that night was so special as he knew he had been my first and he would be my only."

Harry made a face, but fought to control it. He did not want to hear about Amelle having sex with her previous dominant, or her current one for that matter.

"He was always by my side, he came to every scan and when we found out we were having a boy, he was just so happy. He had wanted a boy so badly and I felt so happy to give him what he wanted the most. I was six months pregnant when…when _it_ happened."

"What happened?" Harry asked as softly as he could, insanely curious.

"The poachers had somehow found out where we lived."

Harry's heart clenched tightly.

"They came in the middle of the night, sixteen of them, I was only a month from giving birth, I was just getting my nesting instincts, I was gathering materials to build my nest when they came. Cordell heard them first and he stood in front of me, his gorgeous ebony wings flared, his claws and fangs displayed as they burst through the door. There were too many of them. I thought at first everything would be fine, but I was a naïve child, Cordell killed two right away, one with a swipe of his left hand claws, the other with the right, but they kept coming, he kept fighting and then suddenly he had been moved away from me and I was forced to defend myself and my child. I killed three before they pinned me down. I screamed for my mate as they dragged me from the bed I had felt so safe in moments before they had arrived, Cordell was insane with fear and rage as he tried to cut his way to me. I was dragged further from him, towards the door, I lashed out and they kicked back. My stomach. My waters broke and the blood came not too long after, Cordell was incensed as he watched them kick me like a dog, watched as I started to miscarry our precious baby boy."

Amelle's voice trailed off and Harry swallowed around the lump in his throat. How could she be so calm in telling this story? How could she sit there beside him and tell this horrific tale without a single emotion in her bland voice?

"My body expelled the baby as they caught Cordell between four of them. He still fought and struggled. They taunted me with my baby and I snapped. I launched for the one and raked my claws across his face, he dropped my baby and I caught him, cradling him close. He was a beautiful little boy, cocoa coloured skin, thick black hair and a tiny, perfect little face; he would have been just as handsome as his Father. I was screaming, Cordell was struggling and fighting, they shoved a spike through his throat. I watched him choke on his own blood, struggling to breathe even as he still tried to reach me and our son. He bled out on the floor, leaving me alone with our dead son to fend off six poachers. My Father burst through the door then and he was like a god send. My brothers followed and between the four of them, they killed the remaining six poachers and got me to a Healer, but there was nothing they could do for Cordell or my baby. I went through such a deep depression my Mother couldn't stand to be near me. It hurt her and her Dracken to see me so hurt, but my Father never left me alone. He or my brothers were always there, I think they thought I was going to kill myself. I thought about it, I even wanted to a few times, but I never did. I was pushed through so many hours of therapy. For years I kept going back to the therapists for help, eight years of constant therapy and I'm only now feeling better. I should have stayed with the therapy for longer, but I was fed up of repeating the exact details of what had happened that night. The Counsel elders had their own therapist check me over and she decided that I was mentally and physically able to mate again and I hated her. I hated her so much because I was immediately put into another mate meeting and forced to pick another mate that I didn't even want."

Harry was beginning to understand why Amelle had such a problem with Caesar and his family. It wasn't him, or them or even her; it had been the Counsel's fault.

"I held out that meeting for months. I didn't need to rush, I felt like I had all the time in the world. I didn't want any of them; I banished half of them within the first week. Some of them killed one another and I didn't care. I hoped that they all killed one another until none of them were left. I couldn't stop thinking about Cordell and our son, buried together in a grave I spent a fortune on and it wasn't enough. I would have spent every Knut I had on their coffins and graves, but my parents curbed me, I hated them for that."

"What…what made you choose Caesar?" Harry asked.

Amelle turned to him, showing her slate grey eyes filled with unshed tears. Her voice may have been emotionless, but her eyes couldn't hide the pain and sadness she felt over the memories.

Amelle shrugged. "He fought as hard as Cordell did for me the first time around. The Maddisons' didn't make it to the meeting the first time I was looking for a mate, a family dilemma or something, but they were there in force when I was forced to take another mate, all of their Uncles and their Aunt and the two youngest, Max and Caesar. Max was thirty already, I was only twenty-five and thirty sounded so old. But he was so tall and strong and handsome."

Harry recoiled at that. "You wanted _Max_?!" He hissed.

"He was the biggest, the strongest, the most physically appealing there. I wanted a stronger mate than Cordell, not many filled that requirement, but Max did. I watched him fool about with his Uncles; they bet he couldn't lift more than his body weight and he turned around, laid on his back and picked up the thick, heavy, solid oak dining table. He could bench press a _table_! I wanted him."

Harry felt like he couldn't breathe, felt like his heart had stopped.

"He of course didn't want me. I thought it was something I had said or done, then I found out that his younger brother wanted me so he had bowed himself out of the running. I was so angry."

"Why did you chose Caesar if you were so angry with him?" Harry asked, trying to keep the demand from his voice, he liked Caesar.

"He was the second most suitable, he wasn't the strongest or the biggest, but at twenty-eight he was the right age for me, the only other big and strong dominants were Max's Uncles, who were all over fifty! I thought that even if Caesar wasn't big and strong, that his family were and that they'd be able to protect me."

"You chose Caesar for his family?!" Harry hissed outraged.

"You wouldn't understand." Amelle sighed. "To lose a mate and a child together, my Dracken was so angry, with Cordell for not protecting us, with my family for not coming sooner after I let out the distress call, with the Counsel for forcing me to pick another mate. I was so angry all the time and nothing helped. Nothing. I wasn't in that young state of mind where a mate meant children. I wanted a mate that could protect me and a large, strong family around me, so when Max bowed out, I chose Caesar, if they had both bowed out I would have chosen their youngest Uncle Nicodemus. I was adamant that I would be a part of their family for the protection they offered. Only it backfired, the Maddisons' aren't like normal Dracken families, who rally around the submissives and protect them no matter what; they hate me and many other submissives in their family and would gladly leave us to die if they could. I saw that after the fights you and I had. It was you they rallied around, not me, even though I've been part of their family for longer, they like you, so they protect you."

"To be honest though I'm not a complete bitch." Harry pointed out.

Amelle smiled, just a little flick up of the lips. "I don't mean to be. I don't know how you force your Dracken away, how you ignore your instincts, it's so difficult."

"I already lose myself when I'm on heat without doing it when I'm not on heat, my Dracken will not force me to do things I don't want to do. I won't allow it."

"But how? I've tried, Caesar has told me to try, but I can't do it."

"Pass me Nora." Harry said suddenly and watched as Amelle pulled the baby higher up her shoulder and turned to shield her. "See, you don't think before you react. Stop and think, what do you think I'll do to her? Do you honestly think anyone in this family will hurt her or let anything, anything at all happen to her? The family dislike you because you act like all the other submissives, you're rude, bitchy, arrogant and you won't let them get to know their grandchildren, of course they aren't going to like that. The key to them is in your arms, let them hold and play with Eleonora and let them see the real you, under all the Dracken instincts and the fear of losing her like you did your son. I assume the perpetrator who sold you out was caught?"

Amelle nodded. "My supposed best friend in school. I foolishly told her what I was and I boasted about how a hundred men would be falling at my feet. She told her Father, who informed the Dracken poachers of where Cordell and I lived together."

"She's dead isn't she? Her Father is dead, the poachers are all dead, no one knows your secret. You're safe here with us. We aren't going to sell you out because we're Drackens too, we'd be selling ourselves. They may not like you, but they wouldn't see you dead Amelle, because it would kill Caesar. He loves you so much and you just don't seem to care. He's trying his hardest and he loves you and Nora, but he also loves his family, you have put him in such an awkward, horrible position and he's miserable. You've been mated for two years now; surely there must be some feelings between you other than the ones created with Eleonora."

"I…I suppose there are. I wouldn't want anything to happen to him, especially not what happened to Cordell. But it's so hard for me to forget the past, even with therapy I wake up sometimes and expect to see Cordell in bed with me and not Caesar; I keep changing Eleonora and expecting to see male genitals, not female and I get confused when I unwrap her and she's this pale, pink baby, not my perfect cocoa baby I had birthed. But I'm slowly getting more used to the changes."

"That's good, that means you are making progress and if you can show that progress then you'd get the support you need from the family."

Harry went and picked up Braiden. He licked his lips and took a chance. He pressed his son into Amelle's arms and watched as she held him, looked at him. She blinked her slate blue-grey eyes and took several deep breaths before handing him Eleonora.

Harry made sure he held her supportively and safely as Amelle watched him critically. He stroked a chubby cheek and brushed auburn hair from chocolate coloured eyes.

"She's going to be a stunner when she's older." He praised, that made Amelle smile.

"I didn't mean what I said about Braiden. He's not ugly or slow. I was just jealous that everyone was paying more attention to him that Nora."

"Only because you wouldn't let anyone see her. It's hard to tell what a baby looks like through a shawl." Harry teased lightly.

Amelle let out that tinkling laugh. "I suppose. Let's go back down before they realise I'm missing and think I'm scaling you."

"They'd be more worried I'm shredding you. How is your leg?"

"Better now that Max actually agreed to give Caesar the scar reducer."

"Max can't resist his baby brother's begs."

"That's true. Max is a sucker for his siblings."

Harry grinned. "That he is, I think it's cute."

Amelle went on ahead with Braiden, while Harry scooped Leolin out of the bassinet and showed him to Nora.

"This is your baby cousin Nora, Leolin."

"Ooh!" She cooed, poking at Leolin's face with rough fingers, Harry caught her hand and sat her up higher on his shoulder so she couldn't poke Leolin.

Harry was only just behind Amelle, so he heard the screams as she walked into the kitchen with Braiden.

"What are you doing with my son?!" Blaise roared.

"You shut your mouth." Harry said as he walked in carrying Leolin and Eleonora. That stopped all of them short.

"You seem to have mixed up children." Alexander pointed out.

Harry and Amelle looked at one another, Harry a bit put out because he had to look up to see Amelle, who stood an inch or so higher than he did.

"No. No we haven't. We're doing trust exercises."

"Trust exercises?" Max asked as if he couldn't comprehend what they were saying.

"Yes. I'm trusting Amelle with Braiden, she's trusting me with Eleonora. We're bonding."

"Bonding?" Draco questioned.

"Must you repeat the last thing I say?" Harry frowned. "Yes. We're bonding, is that such a bad thing?"

"No. No it's brilliant!" Caesar exclaimed with tears shimmering in his chocolate eyes. He looked so happy that Harry had to smile softly at him.

Amelle sat down with Braiden, whose indigo eyes flickered to everything within eyesight. Harry sat down with Leo and Nora and he cuddled them both being watched by the family as if the entire world had suddenly turned upside down and the sky was green and the grass was now blue.

Harry soothed Amelle all throughout the exercise as his mates surrounded him; some of them touching Eleonora and Harry patted and squeezed Amelle's hand to calm her. He passed Leolin to Nasta, who passed him Tegan, the only two girls of five boys.

"You need to have another girl." He teased Amelle. "Or these two are going to be outnumbered for life."

"Why don't you have another girl?" She replied back as she let Braiden play with her slender fingers.

"I already have six kids! I'm not planning on making it seven for a very long time. I'm sure Caesar won't say no to another baby."

Amelle looked at Caesar through a fall of her hair and he almost stumbled over himself answering.

"Of course I wouldn't mind! I'd love to have a second child with you."

"You would? You never said before." Amelle said quietly.

"I didn't want to upset you by bringing it up." Caesar admitted softly.

"I think we had best leave." Harry elbowed his gawking mates to get them moving and swapped Eleonora for Braiden and left the kitchen to the living room to give the two some privacy. He had no idea what had happened to Amelle, if she had knocked her head, if she had fallen and had some sense bashed into her brain, but he hoped whatever it was it wasn't a temporary thing and that her new attitude didn't wear off.

* * *

Harry and his mates had decided to go home, to Max's, for the last few days before they left for Hogwarts. Ashleigh had giggled and winked at them, thinking they meant privacy for some 'alone time' and had even offered to look after all six babies for them, but what she didn't know was they had had sex twice in Max's childhood bedroom since the birth.

Harry grinned goofily as he thought back and Nasta scowled at him, a light pink covering his cheeks, partially hidden by the stubble that was growing back in.

"No need to ask what you're thinking about." Max grinned roguishly, giving him a naughty wink.

Harry laughed. "I'm thinking sex will be a lot different now I'm not going to be rubbing my back against a real bear skin."

"I can go and get it for you if you want it." Max said mildly.

"It hasn't come off your bed in sixteen years." Harry replied.

Max shrugged. "Mum wanted it on there to remind her of me when I was off being 'a grown-up' in my own house. She hated it when I left, so I left my room as it was, I think with the addition of Grandchildren floating around, she's forgotten all about it."

Harry chuckled. "It's fine for now, but I want all of your first kill skins to decorate our bed when we finally upgrade from this house. Where is your first skin?" Harry asked Nasta.

"At my Grandparents house." He answered as he handed him a cup of honey tea. Harry made an excited noise and gulped it.

"What was your first kill?" Harry asked.

"A stallion, like most dominant's first kills; Max is just a show off."

Max laughed happily.

"I killed a buck." Blaise boasted.

"What was your first kill Draco?"

The blonde blushed and turned away from them.

"Draco?" Harry questioned curiously.

"Three rabbits." He said stiffly. "I didn't grow up with Drackens or know what I was, so I didn't keep the skins for you."

"That's alright." Harry said softly, embracing Draco from behind and worming his head under Draco's arm to kiss a smooth cheek.

"Why rabbits?" Max asked curiously, ignoring the glare Harry sent him. "Usually the Dracken wants the biggest pray it can find."

"I lived in a Wiltshire mansion on grass plains, no forests or limitless wilderness, a rabbit _was_ the biggest prey I could find unless I ate my Father's prized albino peacocks or the house elves." He replied defensively.

"If you want you can hunt for dinner and we can keep that animal to skin to put with the rest." Harry offered.

"You want me to hunt for dinner?"

"If you don't mind that is."

"Of course I don't mind, I'd love to." Draco smiled then and Harry smiled before pecking Draco's mouth, his head was seized and he was kissed thoroughly.

"So, can we enjoy one another tonight? Or do you think I'm 'unfit enough to perform'" He said scathingly, quoting the Healer who had examined his stomach and said he was unfit to be walking, lifting or going to the bathroom by himself, he had gotten into a fighting match with the Healer, proving he could walk and lift, but the Healer had ignored him and written him off as unfit. Harry was still livid about it.

Max and Nasta looked at one another, despite having sex twice since the birth; it had stopped a few days ago, as soon as that Healer had said he was 'unfit to perform simple tasks' all logic had gone out of the window.

"I don't think it's a good idea." Max finally answered.

"Fuck you!" Harry spat.

Max stepped forward and gripped his hair, bending his neck backwards. Harry hadn't even tried to run. He was learning. He just stood there, not saying anything, not moving, thinking up ways in which he could kill Max without leaving a body behind.

"Say sorry." Max said gently, loosening his fist.

"Bitch." Harry answered and grimaced as that hand clenched in his hair again.

"Don't you think that was childish Harry?" Nasta coaxed.

"Do you think I care Nasta?" Harry growled back.

"Say sorry!" Max almost demanded, angling his neck back more. Harry gritted his teeth together, locking his jaw.

Harry stayed silent and felt Max's hand start tugging on his hair, if Max pulled anymore he would be losing a clump of hair.

"Ease off Max." Nasta coaxed, patting the hand clenched in his hair. "Say sorry to Max, Harry."

Harry pulled a face and growled.

"Harry!" Nasta put the order into his voice, not full force, but enough to make Harry hesitate and he fought his instincts to clutch both of their legs and beg forgiveness.

He tore his own head away from Max's loosened hand, leaving more than a few strands in Max's closed fist, he snarled at Max before backing out of the room. Max growled and went to follow him, but Nasta wrapped an arm around his waist.

Harry made it upstairs, banging and stomping like a spoilt child, but he didn't care. He was being treated like a child; he'd damn well act like one! How dare they deny him sex again? Like his opinion or wants didn't matter!

He was too damned angry to think and he knew the skirt idea wouldn't work a second time, not that he had the skirt anymore since Max had burnt it. The bastard!

He claws came through his nail beds and his fangs tore free from his gums. His wings sprang from his back so violently he felt a warm trickle of blood over his back.

His Dracken urged him to go and eliminate the one who had made him angry, but he had enough of himself to know he didn't want to kill Max, just maim him a little. He chuckled at that and it slipped roughly from his throat.

He peeked in on his sleeping children and cooed and purred over them. Such sweet, beautiful babes. He had the most perfect babies; no child was more perfect, more sweet, more cute, more adorable. He had the smartest, most beautiful children in the entire world and no other baby compared to his six. He'd cut up anyone who said otherwise!

Stretching his wings out, as he stretched his body, Harry climbed onto the bed and curled up on his arms and legs, lying on his stomach on his curled up limbs, folding his wings into his sides. He rubbed his face on the duvet and yawned. He'd just sleep with his children for a bit, he'd hear them if they woke up and he'd hear anyone who came into the room.

* * *

Harry woke up slowly, gradually and shook his head to clear it. He almost put his own eye out when he rubbed them with his hands, which had claws attached to them.

He stretched and tucked in all of his Dracken attributes and yawned and stretched again. All of the babies were sleeping still, but someone had been in to tend to them, an empty bottle was on the bedside table. They must have been incredibly quiet not to wake him up and then his mind kick started and he frowned as he realised there was a silencing bubble around him. That made him angry again.

"Twatting bastards." He hissed.

He kissed each baby carefully, being mindful of his fangs and claws before heading down stairs to the smell of cooking.

Max wouldn't even look at him as the other three greeted him and Harry glared at his back, hoping the heat of his glare peeled the skin from his back.

"Have you calmed down now?"

"Yes." Harry answered his top dominant softly.

"Do you have anything you want to say to Max?" Nasta encouraged.

Harry sat down and said nothing. Max snorted from the cooker and stirred something he was making. Harry was surprised when ten minutes later a plate was shoved viciously under his nose, he hadn't expected anything.

He found out why he had been given a plate after only one forkful. He choked on his mouthful and ran to the sink to get a drink of water. It tasted like Max had used the entire contents of his spice cupboard in the chilli he had made.

"Harry?" Nasta questioned, Max looked smug as he ate his own food.

"You know I don't like spicy food!" Harry yelled at him.

Nasta took up Harry's fork and tasted the chilli on his plate, then his own.

"They're the same Harry." He said.

Harry walked around Nasta angrily, took his fork and ate from his plate and shuddered.

"It's too spicy." He complained. "I can't eat it."

"You have to eat something." Blaise fretted.

"Apparently I don't." Harry spat as he left the kitchen.

"See what you've done!" Draco yelled at Max, who looked a bit guilty as Harry left the kitchen without eating.

"It's a double edged sword." Blaise said quietly as he tried a small forkful of his own food and pulled a face. "You seem to have forgotten that I can't eat spicy food either, so looks like both Harry and I are going without dinner."

Blaise got up and followed Harry out and found him crying in the main bedroom. The huge, wracking sobs widened his eyes; he didn't think Harry had been this upset. He had expected him to be more angry than upset.

He climbed onto the bed; passing through Nasta's silencing bubble and wrapped Harry up in his arms, kissing that upturned face as Harry looked up at him to see who had joined him.

"Why…?"

"I don't like spicy food either, so Max really screwed up that revenge plan." Blaise replied.

Harry smiled depreciatingly. "All I wanted was some love."

Blaise nosed around his ear and pressed an open mouthed kiss behind it.

"I don't agree with the Healer. I'm not as sexually experienced as Max or Nasta, but I wouldn't say no to sinking into your luscious body." He breathed hotly into that tiny ear.

"You don't believe the Healer?" Harry asked tremulously.

"Of course not. He said you were unable to walk or lift anything. I have watched you walk, run, jump and carry two of our children at a time. The Healer was wrong about that because he doesn't understand Dracken nature, so why would he be right about you not being ready for sex, as long as you tell me if I hurt you or if it's too uncomfortable, I would gladly make love to you all night Prezioso."

Harry was embarrassed to realise he had tears in his eyes and he threw himself around Blaise's body and kissed those sensual lips with all the passion he could muster.

"Hold on." Blaise whispered as he pushed Harry onto the bed, taking out his wand and waving it.

Harry lowered his eyebrows and looked curiously at Blaise, who grinned evilly.

"A very handy ward I found a while back. Anyone who crosses over it will be immobilised. So the other three idiots will be forced to stand there and watch as I completely and utterly ravish you and they won't be able to do a thing about it…or interrupt us." Blaise finished with a hot whisper and immediately kissed Harry's mouth, adding a tongue as Harry responded readily to him.

"The babies."

"We fed them only half an hour before you came down, they should be good for an hour and a half at least."

Harry grinned and went straight back into kissing Blaise's mouth, tangling their tongues together as other body parts rubbed and slid against one another.

"I've wanted this for what seems like years." Blaise panted. "For it to be just me and you, like it used to be, with none of the others. I've come to love them so much but for a while I've just wanted you for myself, just once Bello. Just once."

"Why didn't you say?" Harry asked as his shirt was pulled over his head. "I would have jumped on you."

"For one, when I started feeling this way you were pregnant with quintuplets. Then you had a traumatic birth and there was no time to tell you that I wanted just an hour or so of your time to ravish you. I'm trying to block out the thoughts of what the Healer said, because I know different, but it's difficult to do when the thought that I could hurt you comes floating in."

"You won't hurt me. It hurts me more not to be physically connected to those I love so very much."

* * *

Removed scene! Can be found on AFF and AO3

* * *

Nasta manipulated him up to the pillows and maneuvered him under the duvet and gave him a sweet kiss, such a contrast to the passionate, tongue filled kisses from moments before.

Harry yawned and made no movement as Nasta and Max got Draco and Blaise under the covers as well, Max went out of the room with the six empty baby bottles and came back up ten minutes later, just as Harry had finished wriggling around to get comfortable, with six new bottles. He put them on the bedside table and Nasta handed him a damp wash cloth he had gotten from the bathroom.

Max cleaned himself off as Nasta had finished cleaning all three of them tucked into the bed, taking care with the back of his legs and his abused, sore entrance.

Regan woke up first this time and he wailed for his food. Nasta scooped him up lovingly and pressed a bottle to his cheek, watching him root for it adoringly.

Tegan woke up next and Max took her into his vast arms, cradling her tiny body as he fed her. The two of them were much more smoother in handling all six of them than Harry and Blaise had been, but then they did all the night feeds by themselves. Harry sat up and was handed Calix as he woke up for his bottle and Harry cuddled him and kissed him, trying to tell his little boy that he loved him so very much as he fed him.

Nasta burped Regan, placed a red dummy in his mouth and placed him back into his bassinet before he scooped up Braiden as Blaise fed Farren and Draco took little Leolin, nuzzling his little face with his sharp nose. Harry loved seeing Draco so loving and affectionate and was sad that it really only happened in their bedroom, usually after a great bout of sex.

Once the babies had all been fed, Tegan and Braiden had had nappy changes and they all had a dummy in their mouths, including little Leolin, who had his special dummy between his lips, looking so adorable Harry had taken several photos the first time he had put the dummy in his mouth, they settled down in bed, Max going to turn out the light as Nasta moved Braiden to the nursery next door, taking one of the three way baby monitors with him. He came back and slipped into the bed, and he reached to the bedside table and turned off the lamp as Max did he same on the other side. Harry yawned as he snuggled down, feeling relaxed, calm, contented, but most of all happy as he was surrounded by his children and his mates, who were also his lovers, his best friends and his life companions. He loved them and he'd love them for life, no matter what little tiffs they had or would have in the future, because there was bound to be more than enough, but life wasn't going to be easy. Life wasn't worth living if it was easy, but if they all stuck together, then no matter what came at them, they'd be able to overcome it.

* * *

A/N: Now that sex scene took a hell of a lot of doing so you had better bloody enjoy it! Nothing else left to say really, only that this chapter is going to be a hell of a lot longer on AFF and AO3, the links to which are in my profile page and on my Facebook page.

Thanks to **Brookie cookie17 **for being the **7,700****th**** reviewer!**

**ALL OF YOU HAD BETTER READ THIS!**

I am getting sick of repeating the answer for the Regulus question of how Harry can be the first male submissive in a hundred years if Regulus was a male submissive. I am getting sick of answering it, so if anyone asks after this chapter, I'm going to go mental.

No one knew about Regulus. Not even his own parents knew, he had one meeting where he quickly chose Severus and neither of them ever went to the social gatherings. His previous suitors forgot about him as new submissives came forth, and then he died early without ever really leaving a mark, he had no children, no achievements or notable doings, his mate is, and always has been, a recluse who would rather cut off his own leg than go to the Dracken parties, so he faded from everyone's memories, everyone except for Severus and Kreacher when his parents and Sirius died. No one remembered him, hell if they did it might just be a passing thought like, what was that submissive's name from thirty years ago. They might even think that he was female, not every Dracken in the world saw/spoke/met him, so they might have convinced themselves that he was just another missed opportunity. Severus clings to Regulus' memory so tightly and fiercely because no one else does, it's that reason why he can't move on, it's that reason why I'll never 'pair him up with another submissive to make him happy' because he doesn't want to be happy. Not every story has a happy ending and unfortunately Severus' is one of them. He wants to cling to his love for Regulus, he wants to hold onto the man he loved and lost, why would he want some insipid, shallow, vain sixteen year old girl, who is more than likely going to reject him as soon as she sees him, when he has the memories of the smart, beautiful, wonderful man he fell in love with, who chose him over hundreds of others, who was his mate for three years in all ways that mattered, that loved him as he was and for who he was.

So that's my answer to that, I don't want to hear any more questions about how Harry can be the only male submissive in a hundred years, yadda yadda. Moving on.

**naturally imaginative**: Yes, for all you American's and others, a dummy is a pacifier, we Brits call them dummy's and I'm sure every person has different nicknames for them. Melanin production changes in babies throughout their first year, but with Leolin's Faerie blood, he was born with pale hair, despite his Mother and Father both having black hair.

**Sakura Ichigo Morihiko: **Draco likes tender meat, so he goes for deer's, particularly the bucks, Blaise likes horses, Nasta likes all prey animals, where Max prefers predators, most particularly bears. Harry just likes being fed, but he'll always like does better than anything, because not only was it his first ever hunt and kill, but their blood is sweeter due to the berries and leaves in their diet.

**HP Girl 28**: The Dursleys claimed child support for both Dudley and Harry when they were children yes, but I'm not going down that whole clichéd line of them being given Harry's money from his trust vault. When the time comes for the court case, Harry will be there and he will take the stand, he would see the TV link as cowardice and he isn't so afraid of his relatives as to hide behind a TV screen, he wants to face them, he wants to see them in court and he wants to see them sentenced, so he will be there.

**Treumerl: **Sirius named Harry inheritor, so it falls to Harry to name an Heir of the Black family. He could have named a child he met in the street that had never met before the Black heir, the amount of Black blood the child has is unimportant and as Lucius would much rather every child of Draco's be named Malfoy's opposed to Blacks, he's not going to be bothered.

**crash-count: **They didn't claim second or third dominants if their first dominant locks them up, they went without their grounding mates and eventually went insane and crazed and either killed themselves or their dominants. But if the submissive needed a second mate to get pregnant, like Harry did, they would grudgingly escort their mate to a second meeting, because the need for children is more than they can stand, but he wouldn't get on with that dominant and they would fight, bitch and attack one another.

**Apol31: **I have not yet mentioned which baby is a Dracken. It's a surprise for later, you can guess if you want to, but I won't be saying if you're right or not until the big reveal.

**Zathina: **Blaise didn't go to the supermarket with Max and Harry, you must have misread something. Harry will not be carting the babies to his lessons with him when they go back to school, they'll stay with Max and Nasta and yes a submissive will love everything about their baby so strongly they will automatically love the Father of that baby…to an extent.

**Paparazzi-XD: **Henley willbe coming back into the story, don't worry about that and we'll be catching up with him. The Dracken gathering happens once every year, so that'll be coming up soon again. At the meetings it is always submissives being pushed onto dominants, no one would push their submissive child on another submissive, but his mates however…

I made Ron and Hermione the way I did because it worked with the story line, Harry does interact with his other friends, but I don't write every moment of every day, so it's usually cut out, plus as a Mother of 6, childhood friends don't matter much anymore, only very close friends, like Ginny and Hermione will be there long after he's graduated and of course the others have friends, mostly work colleagues, but Drackens are different to humans, friends are less important and family is everything, so they surround themselves with their families and friends can be a liability with a secret as grave as the one they carry.

Remus is going to marry Tonks and have Teddy and of course their children will be close, because Harry and Remus are close.

I've already said Harry will be getting a job, but he'll still be popping out babies as well and they will be having more holidays.

**Tiggerfan**: I am not going to use other languages for the children to call Max, Draco, Blaise and Nasta. They will all be Daddy so it doesn't confuse the children.

**Guest**: Harry asking for permission for everything is not his submissive creature inheritance, it was the abuse and neglect he lived through growing up that makes him ask for permission for everything and his mates see him as a complete equal, it's just when they go feral or get so angry as to have splinters of the Dracken show through, they revert back to their instincts, which makes them act like they do because not even a hundred years ago, Harry would not have been their equal and would have been expected to obey them, so they see him as equal in human form, but not in Dracken form, though they are trying to break that conditioning.

**Cherri101**: Braiden's birthday is August 14th 1997 and the quintuplets are 31st of December 1997.

**jupofoy**: Harry cannot heal Richard; the best Healers in the world couldn't heal Richard, so Harry, who has absolutely no medical training, will not be able to help him or Ashleigh.

**HeartFilledHowl: **Yes they know that Harry and Blaise mated before the meeting, Harry and Blaise told them. As for your request, I can't do it. I write the sex scenes from Harry's point of view only because I can't write it from anyone else's point of view, I've tried and I just can't do it, so it's easier to stay with Harry.

**ozftw**: I hope this chapter answered your question. Like Amelle nested so very early with Eleonora after the murder of her first child, so Harry will nest earlier with his next clutch because of the sudden, unexpected birth he went through, he won't go as mad as Amelle, because he never lost a baby, but he will nest earlier.

**Jay**: Harry's pregnant body cannot handle raw meat, but when he's in a feral state of mind, about to give birth, he craves it for the sustenance it can give to him, which is much more than fruits, berries or anything else he got his hands on. Plus it's the easiest food the dominants could give him and about one of the only things Harry would eat in that state of mind, don't forget that when feral, they revert to their animalistic minds, which want to hunt and tear into meat.

**unneeded**: Max and Nasta knew about the cat flap yes, but they left Harry to answer if he wanted to, if he had looked at them with his begging eyes, they would have stepped in and said, but they gave Harry a chance to answer first.

Too many questions! Can't be dealing with them all, sorry if I missed one of you out, but there were so many it was just a mess! Thank you all for reading and reviewing! I appreciate every review I get!

Don't forget to read the Scaled Bits! Or that I have a Facebook page that you can join!

StarLight Massacre. X


	57. Death, Drink and Dirty Walls

A/N: If you want to skip over to AFF or AO3, there is supposed to be a sex scene at the end of this chapter.

_Last Time_

_Harry yawned as he snuggled down, feeling relaxed, calm, contented, but most of all happy as he was surrounded by his children and his mates, who were also his lovers, his best friends and his life companions. He loved them and he'd love them for life, no matter what little tiffs they had or would have in the future, because there was bound to be more than enough, but life wasn't going to be easy. Life wasn't worth living if it was easy, but if they all stuck together, then no matter what came at them, they'd be able to overcome it._

Chapter Fifty-Seven – Death, Drink and Dirty Walls

Harry woke up at ten to four in the morning and groaned as he looked at the time. He rubbed his eyes and groaned again, he hated that he had woken up so early. Why the hell had he woken up so early?

Getting up after trying to get back to sleep failed, he shimmied into the first pair of boxers he found in the chest of draws before carefully scooping up two babies and he moved them down to the kitchen before coming up for another two, then he made a final trip to get the last two. He shook his head, he loved all six of them with his entire heart, he did, but six was too many. They were all still babies, five newborns and a near newborn. He hoped he never, ever had a set of five again, or a set of four for that matter. Three he could maybe handle, but any more than that would put him in Saint Mungos mental ward.

He boiled the kettle and made himself a cup of tea after making up Leolin's tiny bottle. He was the only baby still on two hourly feeds, his brothers and sister were all on four hourly feeds and his oldest brother, Braiden, was now sleeping through most nights, he woke up half way through the night every other day, but feeding him during the night, every night was a thing of the past, now if the others all slept through the night, everything would be easier.

Harry was just down to his last few gulps of tea when Leolin started wailing. His cry was still too quiet to disturb his siblings. Harry scooped him up and pressed him against his bare chest, feeding him the tiny bottle. Harry grinned widely as the milk went down further and further until a first happened. Leolin finished an entire bottle of milk, all two fluid ounces of milk. He was getting stronger and healthier and Harry patted his lower back gently to burp him and then he stripped him of his sleepsuit and his body suit and cuddled his little Faerie baby skin to skin on his chest. He checked on the weeny wings, which were now mostly covered in skin, but there were a few patches that were either scabbed over, or raw and red looking still. Harry took great care with the scabs, the very last thing he wanted to do was to accidentally pull a scab off and he drove his mates mad as he hovered over them when they dressed Leolin to make sure they didn't catch any clothing on a scab and rip it off, but he couldn't help it, it was one thing he just couldn't control.

He made himself another cup of tea and sat at the kitchen table, stoking and caressing his son, but soon a chill brought his body out in goosebumps. He shivered, but couldn't be bothered to move to either light a fire or to get any clothes on.

"Dobby!" He called out softly.

In a move reminiscent of what had happened in the hospital wing what seemed like forever ago, twin pops were heard and Harry had squawking, squabbling house elves on his floor.

"Stop it!" He ordered harshly as Leolin made a distressed sound in his sleep.

"Master Harry Potter calls for Dobby." The green eyed elf bowed lowly.

"Kreacher is Master Harry Potter's only elf!" Kreacher replied, bowing lower than Dobby had, snarling at the younger elf.

Harry rubbed his eyes and squeezed the bridge of his nose with one hand.

"I just need a fire in the living room please Dobby, I can't leave the children."

"Master Harry Potter has such beautiful children." Kreacher said oily as Dobby popped out of the room like lightning to get a fire in the going in the next room before Kreacher got there.

"That one by there is the new Heir to the Black family." Harry told the elf, who really was still the Black family elf and had only come to him because Sirius had named him inheritor.

The elf blinked big brown eyes and peered over the side of the bassinet at Calix, who was sleeping soundly, his little chest raising and falling evenly, his chubby cheeks, his thin nose and his thin, downy hair that was a distinctive black.

"He looks like Master Regulus did." The elf was choked.

"Master Regulus?" Harry questioned. "Regulus Black?" Of course he meant Regulus Black, Harry didn't need the elf to nod his head. Kreacher had served the Black family for generations; he would have known Regulus from the cradle.

"Kreacher, what happened to Regulus?"

"No! Master must not ask poor Kreacher, he must not."

"Tell me!" Harry demanded of the elf, standing up and putting Leolin in the padded bassinet.

"Master must not! Kreacher cannot say, Kreacher swore to Master Regulus."

"Regulus is dead Kreacher, I am your Master now, tell me!"

Kreacher croaked for a bit before he fell to the ground and bashed his fists onto it, Dobby came back in wide eyed.

"Dobby leave." Harry growled and the elf squeaked and popped away. "Kreacher, tell me what happened to Regulus, _now_!"

"Master Regulus changed his mind about being in the Dark Lord's service, he found out what it was really like and he told Kreacher, he told Kreacher that he was going to bring down the Dark Lord after he used Kreacher to hide his locket. Master Regulus ordered Kreacher to take him back to that place and Kreacher wept but did as he was told like a good elf. Kreacher took Master Regulus back to the cave and showed him the locket in the evil potion. Master Regulus drank the potion and fell to the ground, he ordered Kreacher to take the locket and destroy it, to never speak of what he had done and to never tell and Kreacher was a good, obedient elf to Master Regulus, until _you_!"

Harry was wide eyed and breathing heavily. He needed to tell Snape, now.

"Stay here!" He ordered the elf. "You stay here Kreacher!"

Harry wasn't thinking when he scooped up three of his children, only just managing to get his arms around them. He covered them with a blanket, using his mouth to cover them securely. He got a pinch of floo powder between his fingers and flung it into the fire, he yelled out Myron's address and he shot out of the fireplace. He placed them carefully into the bassinet before flooing back home, grabbing the other three and repeating his actions, Kreacher was right where he had ordered him to stay.

Harry arrived back into Myron's to find the man himself, completely taken over by his Dracken side, watching him through those jet black eyes as he put the other three babies in the bassinets that Ashleigh liked having for when he visited.

"What…?"

"You need to look after them for a while, the others are still asleep and they'd only stop me." He spoke out quickly, his forehead sweating and his eyes too wide with adrenaline. "I won't be long, I'll be back soon, I promise."

"Harry!" Myron called out as he tried to get around the bassinets and grab him, but Harry had gone through the floo before he could reach him.

Harry knew he only had moments, so he ran to the kitchen, grabbed Kreacher and ordered him to take them both to Hogwarts. Myron appeared in the kitchen just as Harry left.

They arrived in the Entrance Hall and Harry dragged Kreacher to Snape's private office and hammered hell out of the door.

Snape yanked the door open angrily, still dressed in his bed clothes, looking murderous.

"Potter!" He spat. "Why are you hammering at my door at five in the morning?!"

Harry brushed passed him, still dragging Kreacher and he stood there panting and sweating from his run and his narrow escape from Myron. His mates would be tracking him down soon, they needed to be gone.

"I know where Regulus is." Harry panted out and immediately Snape's face twisted into bitterness and pain.

"I have searched for twenty years Potter." He spat out his last name like a curse. "What makes you think you of all people found him?"

"Kreacher was with Regulus when he died, I'm Kreacher's Master now and I ordered him to tell me."

Snape got a crazed gleam in his eyes, a gleam of violence and rage and he would have descended upon the elf if Harry hadn't stopped him.

"We need to leave now, my mates will be coming, they won't let me go if they catch up."

"Perhaps that is a good thing." Snape answered looking at him. "I lost Regulus because he charged off without tell me where he was going."

"I'll be with you."

"That does not guarantee your safety."

"I'm going!" Harry snapped.

"Fine." Snape sneered at him. "But don't come running to me when your mates strip the flesh from your bones in punishment. You can expect a very big punishment for this, they'll be angry, their trust will be shattered in you and they will smother you for the rest of your insignificant life, but if you still want to go, then let's go."

Harry was uncertain then, he knew they'd be angry, but to never trust him again? That was a huge thing, but then he wanted to help Snape finally close the book on what had happened to his mate, but he didn't want to lose his own mates in the process.

"We'll wait for Nasta. Out of all my mates, he'll be here first."

"I have waited twenty years…"

"You can wait for two more minutes then!" Harry hissed.

Snape lost his temper, truly lost it and his wings sprang from his back in one smooth motion and he snarled at Harry with his fangs bared.

Harry was snatched up and got a blurred image of gold on black and knew Nasta must have run faster than he ever had before to get here so quickly.

He snarled so deeply and dangerously that Harry huddled himself up in his arms before realising why he was here.

"Nasta, I'm not hurt. See?" Harry pressed his arm to Nasta's face and Nasta licked over his wrist, seemingly incapable of stopping himself, which set him off licking and sniffing and Harry lay as still as he could as his body was licked and sniffed. It was only then he realised he was only wearing a pair of boxer shorts that weren't even his.

"Myron woke us up and said you left the babies at his and then ran off. Why would you do this?" Nasta grumbled.

"You promised to listen to me." Harry reminded. "I found out where Snape's mate is and we're going to go and get him. I waited here for you so you could come too."

Nasta wrapped him up.

"You're going home."

"I'm not." Harry answered. "I don't care what you have to do to me when we get back but I'm not going home, not yet. I could have left without you Nasta, but I didn't, the least you could do is respect me enough to let me see this through to the end."

Nasta shuddered and swallowed. "You stay by my side at all times." Nasta ordered, using the full force of his authority and Harry could do nothing more than nod. "Where are we going?" He asked Snape.

"I don't know, but as Regulus is _my_ mate do you think we can leave now?" He bit out sarcastically.

Harry rolled his eyes and took Nasta's hand, took Kreacher's and looked at Snape pointedly, who took the house elf's hand gingerly.

"Take us to the cave Kreacher." Harry ordered and the world squeezed down a narrow tube and when he came back to himself he was on all fours on a wet and slimy rock in the middle of an ocean of water, but it was so dark it had to be inside the cave. He could smell sea water and he inched closer to Nasta. This place had a terrible feel to it.

"Where is Regulus?!" Snape hissed.

Kreacher pointed into the water and Harry felt his heart sink as Snape tested the temperature with his fingers.

"It's ice cold." He informed them.

"It needs to be." Kreacher gasped out; pressing against the podium on the flat platform they had landed on. There was a basin of potion on top of it and Harry stayed well away from it. "It needs to keep the bodies from rotting."

"What bodies?" Nasta demanded as he held Harry to his chest, his fangs and claws out ready to attack.

They got their answer as slimy, white hands and heads broke the surface of the smooth, glass like water. There were dead bodies rising from the water clambering onto their island, their hands grasping and grabbing, trying to catch their wrists to drag them under the water and drown them, their bodies animated with unnatural strength that only the dead possessed and Nasta let go of him with one arm and stretched the other one out ready to defend him, his other one pressing him tightly to his chest.

But Harry could see the dead bodies coming at them from behind and he unsheathed his own claws.

"Inferi." Snape hissed as he cut one body back, only for them to get up and come back like zombies. Only these didn't bleed, they were pale and dead and bloodless and the magic that animated them was very, very strong, but then they had been created by Voldemort and likely maintained by him, that was the thing with Inferi, once they were animated, nothing, not even death of their creator, could undo them, only burning could permanently undo the evil magics at work.

Harry swallowed back his fear and remembered Moody's lesson on Inferi. Light and warmth repelled the dead, who liked the cold and the dark. The cave suddenly made so much sense, it was perfect for holding an Inferi army, cold and dark where no warmth or light could get in naturally. He shoved his instincts back that said to use his claws and fangs and drew out Nasta's wand.

He muttered the strongest fire spell he knew and the Inferi run from the ring of fire that could permanently destroy them, stumbling and shoving at one another to retreat back into the cold, dark water and the fire drew the two part Dragons closer to the flames.

"How are we supposed to find Regulus in this?" Harry demanded as the spell keeping the Inferi at bay sucked rapidly at his energy.

"Accio Regulus." Snape shouted his wand in hand. Nothing happened.

"Kreacher! Find Regulus and bring him here!" Harry ordered and then the elf was gone and Nasta petted and cuddled him as he shook under the power of the spell.

"Hold on love. It'll be fine." Nasta rumbled soothingly. "We'll get back and then you and I are going to talk about your suicidal ideas and tendencies."

"At least I'm not pregnant this time."

Nasta smiled then against his will. "There is that." He finally admitted as he couldn't keep the small smile back.

Kreacher came back soaking wet hugging a bloated body to his chest and sobbing so loudly and violently Harry just looked at him, until Snape threw the bereaved elf away and took over from him, holding Regulus so tightly his whole arms mottled white, the strain showed in the underside of his forearms.

"Oh Regulus." He cried brokenly and Harry was frightened, he had never seen his Professor act like this before.

"We have to go! Now!" Harry bit out shakily as he shuddered as more of his energy was drawn out of him by the spell. "Kreacher! Back to Hogwarts! I can't hold this spell much longer."

Kreacher grabbed Nasta's hand, put a hand on Snape's shoulder and popped them all away to Hogwarts again.

They landed and Harry was up in Nasta's arms being nuzzled and kissed. Harry looked at where Snape was rocking Regulus' dead body and felt sorrow fill him.

Regulus was still perfectly preserved. There must have been something in the water, a potion or spell that stopped the bodies within it decaying so the Inferi stayed fresh, it wouldn't do to have an army that rotted to nothing after all.

Harry could see how very young Regulus had been when he had died, he was in water damaged robes and there was a swollen wand sticking out of one pocket. What made Harry turn away was the swollen belly, he couldn't be sure if Regulus had maybe been pregnant when he had died or the water had bloated him so severely in death over the years.

"Professor, we need to get him to Madam Pomfrey."

Snape looked up at him with anger burning in his eyes.

"He's dead Potter! Can't you see that? No medi-witch is going to be able to help him!"

"No, but she can clean him up and then you can bury him, like you have always wanted to."

"What happened to him? Why was he in that place?!" Snape demanded then, ignoring him. "I need to know why he was there!"

"He was trying to take down Voldemort. He put something in that cave and used Kreacher to do so, so when Kreacher came back, Regulus asked him about what it was and then asked Kreacher to take him to the cave."

Snape turned to Kreacher and the look in his eyes was loathing and rage. "It's your fault Regulus went into that cave."

"Master Regulus is forcing Kreacher to take him. Kreacher did not want to go back to that cave ever again; Master Regulus ordered it from Kreacher."

"It's not his fault." Harry said softly. "A house elf does as he's ordered. Regulus wanted to take down Voldemort; he thought he was doing good. It's Voldemort's fault Regulus is dead Snape, no one else's."

"Leave us." Snape hissed as he held Regulus close.

Harry nodded to Kreacher, who gladly left. Harry doubted he would come back the next time he called for Dobby.

Nasta pulled him from the room and Harry dug in his heels.

"We can't leave him."

Nasta shut the door and tugged him up the corridor.

"We are going to inform the Headmaster and Madam Pomfrey so that they can help him Harry, we've done enough, we got Regulus back and Professor Snape can now have the closure he deserves, but we've done enough."

Harry nodded as he saw the logic of that and stopped dragging his heels and matched his stride to Nasta's holding that large hand with his own. Both of their palms were sweaty from the fear inducing situation they had been thrown into so recently and Nasta was clenching his hand tightly, as if he was worried Harry would slip away from him if he held his hand any looser.

They made it up to the Headmaster's office and it was just coming up to eight in the morning and they found him just about to leave for the Great Hall.

"Harry my boy! How wonderful to see you! I had been meaning to pay you a visit, how are your children?"

"Fine Sir, but we need to speak to you about something more serious."

"Ah, of course, to what do I owe this oddly dressed meeting?"

Harry blushed as he realised he was still in just a pair of boxer shorts that looked like they were Draco's. They back tracked to the office and sat at the desk and Dumbledore set them up with tea. Harry drained his cup before making another one.

"I…we found out about Regulus Black from Kreacher. He knew all along what had happened to him. I rushed to Professor Snape's office as soon as I knew, which is why I'm not dressed appropriately."

"Oh dear. I can't see Severus taking that information too well." Dumbledore stroked his beard, which he only ever did when he was thinking or nervous.

"He didn't. We went to where Regulus was and retrieved him, Snape is now hugging and rocking his body down in his office and he won't let anyone near him."

"Thank you for telling me Harry, I'll take it from here." Dumbledore stated. "I am glad that school is not in session yet."

"No, a few more days." Harry said. "I'll introduce you to the five new babies when I get back. Four boys and a little girl."

Dumbledore smiled then. "I'll look forward to it Harry, for now if you'd like to use the floo, feel free."

Harry smiled and nodded and they said their goodbyes and Nasta wrapped him up in his arms and flooed back to Max's, where the other three mates were waiting with the six babies and a family get together. Harry sighed in exasperation as he was clamoured and tugged on, but he was too tired to push them away as Nasta tried to calm them down. He was not looking forward to the conversation he was about to have, but first, he really needed some clothes.

* * *

Harry groaned as the living room descended into arguments and chaos over what he had done and what Nasta had 'allowed' him to do. It was just giving him a headache.

"All of you shut up! I did what I did because I wanted to, submissive I may be, but you try to take away my free will and you'll find yourself without a leg!" Harry snapped, getting up and going into the kitchen to get some tea.

Blaise joined him and kissed around his neck and chin as Harry made tea. Harry couldn't help the giggle that came out.

"Blaise!" He said, wanting it to be a complaint, but it came out as amusement with the breathy undertone of arousal.

Blaise licked, sucked and nibbled on his neck as he held his hips, pressing up against him.

"You're sexy when you threaten to take off someone's limb." He purred. "As long as it's not mine of course."

Harry chuckled. "Why would I ever want to take off your limbs?" Harry asked. "You're so good at using them all."

Blaise chuckled deeply and sucked a love bite onto the other side of his neck, opposite the one he had made the night previous.

"Put one at the back of my neck too." Harry demanded and Blaise complied.

Harry went almost boneless as such a sensitive place on his body was sucked and he groaned.

"How quickly can we get rid of the in-laws and make love? I'm aching for it!" Harry wailed, taking Blaise's hand and pressing it to the bulge in front of his jeans.

Blaise rumbled deeply and massaged the front of him.

"Oh! Oh!" Harry moaned, pushing himself into Blaise's hand.

"Quiet Bello, or you'll bring the whole family running." Blaise whispered hotly.

Blaise squeezed him and Harry bit his lip. His first mate licked and sucked at his neck and raked his nails harshly over his bulge through the jeans and Harry's arms flung out over the counter and sent his teacup flying. It shattered with a tinkle and then everyone was around them asking what had happened, if they were alright and Harry bashed his head onto the counter with a groan of frustration.

Alexander of course started laughing, Ashleigh giggled and Myron started chewing out Blaise about proper behaviour when guests were around, Blaise meekly taking the bollocking from the elder man, his head bent to the floor, but Harry was short enough to see the pleased smirk on those lips, Blaise was not apologetic or sorry about what he had done at all.

"There should be a law against in-laws cock blocking." Harry pouted.

Max went pale, Draco choked and Alexander and Richard laughed so hard Harry thought they might have wet themselves as Myron turned angry black eyes to him.

"Oh come on!" Harry whined. "It was a joke, well not really as you did cock block me and I really just wanted to have it hard and fast on the kitchen table, but I don't mind that much, I'll just carry on once you're gone, when are you going?"

"Harry!" Max hissed shocked.

"What? I'm horny as hell after my near death experience of this morning and that I'm not pregnant now and not likely to get pregnant as it's got to be only five degrees out! My nipples are as hard as pebbles!"

Nasta couldn't hide the snort of laughter and had to quickly school his face as Myron turned his glare onto him.

"That's not the only part of you that's hard, though it is a bit bigger than a pebble." Blaise said slyly.

Harry started laughing and he couldn't stop.

"Only a bit bigger than a pebble?" Harry demanded insulted. "You cheeky fuck, and don't try and pretend it was only me that was cock blocked, I felt you rub up against my ass!"

Myron grabbed his wrist, walked him, still laughing, to the kitchen table and sat down. It was then that Harry's mind caught up with what was happening and he tried tugging away from Myron as he was pulled up onto that lap and turned onto his belly. He was spanked like a naughty child with three slaps of Myron's large hand before he was turned over and cuddled, having a kiss pressed to his forehead.

"That hurt!" Harry accused, wriggling on his burning bum.

"It was supposed to, to teach you that talking like that is not appropriate when you have company over, even close family members; we do not want to know what you boys get up to."

"Wasn't my fault the cup smashed." Harry pouted.

"Do you want another three spanks?" Myron asked him, one eyebrow raised in question.

"No."

"Then enough of this sort of talk."

"Fine but I want cuddles." Harry demanded snuggling in. "I've had a rough morning."

Myron happily indulged him like he was a child and said nothing about his rough morning. Seeing dead bodies climbing out of water in a dank, dark cave was enough to give anyone nightmares, that the Inferi were trying to drag them under water and drown them to join the Inferi army was more than enough to ask for a bit of comfort. So he had had his punishment, now he wanted his comfort and it was gladly given.

"I feel like a child." He said with a frown.

"Just because you want a hug doesn't mean you're a child. I still get hugs from my parents and I'm fifty."

"Fifty-three." Richard announced through a fake cough and Myron glared at his mate as he grinned innocently and Ashleigh giggled.

"Do you think Max doesn't get hugs still?" Myron asked him. "Because if he has told you any differently he's lying."

"Hey! I freely admit I like cuddling!" Max pouted.

"That's different though." Harry insisted.

"How? Just because he acts like a child doesn't mean he is one."

"Oi!" Max complained with an embarrassed blush.

"No, Max will hug any willing body that stands still long enough."

"I do not!"

"Do so!"

"You can ask for a hug whenever you need one." Myron told him, rubbing the back of his head soothingly, brushing his hair with his fingers. "Though don't hug Richard, he'll run away with you."

"Will not!" Richard burst out, echoing Max. It wasn't any wonder Max had learnt that particular behaviour from Richard.

Harry yawned, he was tired, but he was hungry too. He groaned at his dilemma, before getting up and going to the fridge and pulling out what he needed to make Spaghetti Carbonara. He'd eat what little he could first and then he'd go take a nap.

"Harry if you're hungry I don't mind cooking an early lunch." Max said standing up.

"You sit back down." Harry ordered. "You're not allowed near my food."

Max looked crushed so Harry smiled to take the bite out of his words, but he carried on getting what he needed before washing his hands and starting his preparation.

"I think you broke him." Talia said as she looked from her wide eyed, staring brother to Harry who started making them all lunch.

"It's not fair that Max is always cooking, I want to cook." Harry complained.

"Why isn't he allowed near your food?" Myron asked, picking up on the thread of tension.

"I…I did something stupid yesterday." Max admitted, blushing heavily and looking ashamed.

"You messed with his food?" Richard asked, looking astonished. "Even though you knew what he had gone through in his childhood, you still played about with his food? What did you do, put a fake spider in his meal?"

"No. worse." Max admitted.

"You don't have to say it." Harry told him, not liking that Max felt like he had to do this in front of almost the entire of his family.

"Yes he does." Draco said coldly.

"What did you do?" Myron demanded.

"I…I'm ashamed of what I did and I regretted it immediately, but I still did it and it can't be excused, not when Harry doesn't trust me to cook anymore."

Harry frowned at that. Did he trust Max to cook? A claw of panic slipped up his throat from his belly and the revelation almost brought him to his knees. No. No, he didn't trust Max to cook for him anymore. He turned horrified eyes to Max and they looked at one another for a long moment, before Max buried his face in his hands and his hands in his lap.

Harry swallowed and turned away from the eyes that were staring at him curiously.

"What did you do Maximilius?" Myron asked sternly.

"I purposefully made the food too spicy for Harry to eat because I was angry at him." Max said into his hands.

"Sit up, take your hands from your mouth and tell me what you did, I'm sure I misheard what you mumbled to the floor." Myron said angrily.

Max sat up and repeated what he had said and Myron looked livid.

"You purposefully messed with your own submissive mate's food so he couldn't eat it, even knowing during his childhood he was starved and had food used against him as a punishment, just because you were angry?!"

The smack from behind him made Harry flinch as he chopped up little shallot onions. Max was dragged away by Myron, Richard and Alexander and Harry heard the shouting clearly from the next room about how irresponsible he had been, how foolish, how he had been raised better and smarter, how they had thought they hadn't raised such a petty man and all the while he hunched down and carried on cooking.

Richard came back in and told them that Myron had gone home to cool off, Ashleigh complained because apparently 'cooling off' meant Myron retreated to his home gym and lifted weights until he was so tired he couldn't be angry, which took a long time.

Max had retreated upstairs with his Granddad and Harry said nothing. His light lunch didn't take long to complete and he served it up and couldn't help but remember the last time he had tried making this, he had been sent upstairs, again by Max, and had gone without food all night. Was that a contribution to why he didn't trust Max when it came to food? Or was it purely his actions yesterday? Had that first moment started the break of trust and yesterday been the straw that broke the camel's back? He didn't know and he fiddled with his plate of food, thinking, ignoring the prompts to eat and only taking a forkful now and then.

Max came down, pale faced and smelling of tears. He had been crying, but it was impossible to tell from his face. Harry had purposefully left the seat next to him open and Max was forced to sit next to him and eat.

Harry scooted over until he was eating pressed right in against Max's side, which made him smile for the first time in about an hour. He ate with his right hand, his left arm wrapped around Harry, rubbing soothing, tickly little patterns onto his side, back and mid-chest, making him giggle when Max hit a ticklish spot.

Max took over the washing up and Harry left for the living room and lined all six of his children up on a patch of carpet padded with three duvets. Leolin was asleep so he was placed on the very end along with Tegan, who was also asleep, but his four remaining boys, Farren, Regan, Calix and Braiden were all awake.

Harry tickled, pulled funny faces, made stupid noises and blew raspberries on them all until Nasta robbed one away to change his nappy and Draco joined in with playtime, Blaise sat behind Harry and started nibbling on his neck again.

"Really Blaise, what is it with you and my neck?"

"You've asked before and the answer is still the same, you have the most gorgeous neck I've ever seen, it's delicious too." Blaise mumbled against his skin.

"He does?" Draco asked. He bent forward and started sucking and nibbling on the other side and Harry held both of their heads to his neck and tried to roll his hips forward into Draco's stomach, unfortunately the blonde was too far away, which made his act of trying to find friction comical and made Nasta chuckle from the settee, where he was cuddling Farren, who was dozing in his arms.

Max came in after finishing washing, drying and putting away the dishes and robbed Regan and hefted him up onto his lap, kissing his cheek repeatedly and snatching up a silver backed soft bristled, heirloom, hairbrush and started brushing Regan's jet black hair from his little face.

"You put hair gel in any of their hair again and I'll beat you with a chair." Harry threatened.

"Oh come on, seeing Braiden with a Mohawk was hilarious and adorable!" Max whined. "Besides it was Caesar's idea."

"You're older than Caesar; you're supposed to know better!"

Max pouted and Harry had to smile. He had raved and ranted about it, but the photos were safely tucked into the photo albums he had and the babies' individual baby books. It had been adorable, but Max wasn't allowed to do it again, he had had to bath Braiden for half an hour to get the gel out of his hair and he had not liked a single second of it and had cried himself into exhaustion and had fallen asleep soon after. It was not something he wanted to repeat again.

"Just because he's supposed to know better doesn't mean he does." Nasta pointed out wisely and Harry chuckled.

"Ma ma!" Braiden called out and Harry turned to him and made a huge fuss over him, kissing and cuddling him.

"He's so clever!" Harry cooed at Blaise as he hefted Braiden to his chest. "And he's getting heavy; he has to be at least fourteen pounds now!"

"Only a stone. Ha, love, seven Braiden's make up your weight." Max teased and Harry poked a tongue out at him.

"Hard to believe that seven babies makes up your weight." Draco said with a frown poking his belly.

Harry pouted. Draco kissed him and Blaise started nibbling on the back of his neck. He giggled and then moaned.

"Okay, break it up." Richard gave all three of them a cuff as he moved past them before settling down next to Ashleigh.

Kimberly came tottering in with a large tea tray and Harry got up to help her.

"Why didn't you say you wanted tea, I would have made it." He chastised the elderly woman, who scoffed at him.

"I'm ninety Harry, not dead. Now park your bottom and drink this lovely cup of honey tea I made for you."

Harry did as Kimberly told him and parked his bum between Max and Nasta and accepted the china teacup of his honey tea. He sipped it and it was perfect and he moaned into the cup and continued sipping on it.

"So Harry, Draco, Blaise, have you decided on what you want to do after Hogwarts?" Alexander asked as his Wife settled next to him, he wrapped an arm around her and kissed her cheek and she giggled like a school girl, it made Harry smile and he hoped he and his mates were still in love when they were Alexander and Kimberly's age and beyond.

"I was thinking about becoming a literature translator." Blaise hedged after all three of them looked at one another. "I'm having such fun translating the book Harry gave to me the first Christmas we were together."

"Even though it frustrates you to the point of madness." Harry grinned.

"Yes, even then, but I think I'd be good at it and I took Ancient Runes, which is really the only prerequisite they ask for."

"Go for it." Harry encouraged enthusiastically with the others murmuring their agreement.

"I'm torn, I always thought I'd be a politician like my Father, but I just don't have the flare for it like he does and I can't stand still and be polite to someone who's annoying the hell out of me like he can, so I was thinking of becoming an Arithmancer."

"You can take over from Professor Vector." Blaise teased and Draco scowled at him, staring a play wrestling match, or rather Blaise did and then Draco started whining that it was undignified when they had company over.

"What do you want to do Harry?"

Harry shrugged. "I haven't given it much thought, what with having Braiden then the quintuplets; I'll likely be pregnant again before I can find a job, so I suppose it doesn't really matter."

"Harry, we've talked about this love, you can have a job if you want one." Nasta told him, turning his body to face him and taking one of his hands gently.

Harry shrugged again. "I don't see how I can. What job can I really do when I'm pregnant all the time? When I get heavily pregnant I'm always tired and grouchy, what job will stick with me when I'm constantly off with pregnancy leave?"

"I'm sure you'll find something." Kimberly answered. "I used to own a flower shop, but after I started having children, it got harder and harder to run, when Xerxes was toddling, I only had three children, Xerxes, Cassander and Alexus, but he used to pick all the flower heads off, eat the leaves, he cut his hands on the rose thorns but the last straw was when he was four, nearing five and I turned around from wrapping up an order and found him holding Alexus' hand through a pair of pruning shears. I closed up shop and rushed them home, I called my sister Catherine and asked if she could take over the shop for me and I never went back to work."

"That must have been terrifying."

"It was. To think that I had foolishly turned my back on them even for a minute, a minute more and Alexus could have been without his left hand. All though my negligence. It took me weeks to convince myself to leave them be. I was always hanging over them, watching them, but Alexander soon convinced me to leave them be and that it had been a one off accident."

"Mama ma." Braiden cooed from the floor. "Ah ma!"

Blaise picked him up and handed him to Harry, who held him upright on his lap, a hand on his belly, the other one making his favoured wooden horse dance in front of him.

Braiden screeched in happiness and reached out chubby hands for the toy, which was just out of his reach. He huffed, cooed, screeched and shrieked as Harry made the horse dance in mid-air before making it clamber over Braiden's leg, making him giggle and kick his legs.

Harry chuckled and blew a raspberry on Braiden's cheek and he shrieked and flapped his arms and kicked his legs, twisting a little sock in the process. Draco immediately bent forward and straightened the little sock carefully on that tiny foot, pulling down the hems of the trouser legs to cover those bared legs while he was at it.

"Da!" Braiden cooed out and everyone stopped moving and looked at Braiden, who was stretching out towards Draco. "Da! Ba Da!"

Harry handed Braiden to Draco, who looked a little shell shocked as he cuddled that small body to his chest. Then Braiden did something unforgiveable. He clenched drool covered fingers into Draco's perfectly brushed and styled hair and the blonde shrieked in horror, Braiden shrieked in happiness and Harry laughed along with Max as Nasta slipped to his knees and unwound the baby's fingers from Draco's hair.

Draco rushed to the bathroom to fix his hair, Harry was laughing so hard he had tears rolling down his cheeks and Nasta nuzzled Braiden with his nose, pecking those little lips as Braiden cooed in confusion as he was moved around too quickly.

"Leo needs a nappy change." Blaise announced handing the smelly baby to Harry, knowing better than to do it himself as Harry would only shove him away and do it himself anyway.

Harry took Leolin, wiped the tears from his eyes and pulled put the padded foam mat they kept in the living room, this one was pale blue, it depicted the waves of an ocean, with two reeds on either side of the mat and a large, grey hippo half underwater in the centre.

He laid Leolin on it carefully; the tiny baby squirmed and let out a little cry. The mat put pressure on his wings, so Harry stripped him and changed him quickly, making sure he wiped up everything before he powdered Leolin's bum and clad him into a clean nappy and redressed him.

"You're such a good baby Leolin." Harry cooed, snuggling him in to his neck tightly, being careful not to crush those tiny wings.

Max and Nasta were hissing at one another in low voices and Harry rolled his eyes and turned to Blaise, who was playing with Tegan and Calix's feet, licking and nibbling over the soles of their feet and Harry laughed and he turned to look at him and blushed.

"Don't stop, it's cute." Harry said, ignoring Max and Nasta hissing and the adults all talking about boring things that had been in that morning's newspaper as they sipped their tea.

Harry kept Leolin in his arms, but nuzzled Regan as he blinked dark blue eyes at him. Calix's blue eyes were the darkest, followed by Regan's, Tegan's, Farren's and then Leolin's, whose eyes were a very pale blue. Leolin's hair, which was the palest, was steadily getting darker, becoming more brown than the oddly colourless and strangely textured hair it had been when he was born.

Alexander and Kimberly left just after six in the evening and Ashleigh and Richard left not too long after to check on Myron and to make sure he hadn't killed himself weight lifting all afternoon.

"I'm going to start dinner." Max announced, all smiles and Harry didn't say anything as he and Blaise bathed the babies one at a time, once again leaving Braiden for last.

They took the little toothbrush to Braiden's gums and carefully brushed them. Surprisingly where Braiden hated baths, he loved having his gums brushed and he snatched the toothbrush from them and gummed on it himself. Harry thought it was so cute as he took some more photos of it.

They dressed the babies for bed and placed them all upstairs in their bassinets, Braiden in his cot, with the help of Draco, whose hair had been perfectly styled once more.

Max called them for dinner and Harry nervously went into the kitchen, to find that there were only three plates set on the table, Harry was confused and he looked to Max who looked as nervous as he had as he walked into the kitchen.

"I hope you don't mind Harry, but I know you don't trust me to cook for you anymore, so I thought that perhaps we could go to a restaurant instead, that way I'm not cooking, we go on our first proper date and you get to learn how to trust in me again."

Harry smiled and nodded.

"Give me two minutes to get changed!" Harry said as he darted back up the stairs to get dressed.

"I told you he'd enjoy it." Nasta said calmly as he ate another bite.

"Does this mean we each get a solo date with Harry?" Draco asked a little while later.

"If you want one." Harry said as he skipped back into the room. "I wouldn't say no to having a date with all of you either."

"You look lovely Harry." Max told him as Harry nervously fiddled with his hair.

He had dressed in his smartest, best fitting jeans, a smart, clean white shirt and the new pair of dragon hide boots Nasta had bought for him because the profits of the sale went to help his own Dragon reserve in Brecon.

"Where are we going?"

"Nowhere too fancy as I know you don't like those posh, rich places, but it's not a complete bug infested dump either." Max answered.

Harry smiled, kissed the other three goodbye, warned them to look after the babies and took Max's hand as he Apparated them into the receiving room of a very relaxed, but still upscale restaurant. The other patrons were dressed smartly, but causally, some businessmen with briefcases of parchments on the tables with them, women were wearing skirts and blouses or dresses, but no ball gowns or evening dresses in sight and there was a relaxed, but clean air about it and Harry happily held Max's hand.

A man dressed in an immaculate tuxedo greeted them at a podium and Max asked for the reservations under his own last name and the waiter led them to a table for two with a candle and a crystal vase of red, red roses in the centre.

They sat down and were given a menu each and Harry grinned as he read it. This place served so many of his favourites!

"Oh I don't know what to choose!" He complained five minutes later, sipping on his glass of red wine, which Max had made him swear not to tell Nasta about as the bottle was placed in an ice bucket next to their table, within easy reach of Max.

"I'd suggest a rare steak." Max said. "It'll go well with the wine and it'll keep away the cravings."

"Ooo. I want steak." Harry grinned.

Max grinned back and gestured to a waiter, who came over to them immediately and ordered for the both of them; he instructed the waiter that the steaks were to be a rare as possible. The waiter showed no signs that this was a strange choice and bowed his way away from their table.

"How are you coping out of work?" Harry asked as he took more wine.

"To be honest, I do miss it, but I realise now that the stress of the job was getting to me and I just didn't notice, so it's a good thing overall and if it helps you and Draco and Blaise, that's the main thing, your schooling is very important."

"I'm going to try my hardest, but the most important things to me are my children and my mates." Harry said softly.

Max smiled at him. "Harry, we want you to have more out of life than us and the kids."

"And if I told you that when I was younger and the teacher asked me what I wanted out of life when I grew up, I answered, a family?" Harry admitted quietly.

Max took hold of his hand and laid a kiss to it.

"I love you Harry, all of us love you so very much, but there is more to life than the four walls of our house and the people inside it. We want you to have independence, a life outside of us and the kids, your own separate life with your own friends."

"You don't have any friends." Harry accused.

Max laughed. "I do love. My work colleagues and I used to go out for meals and to pubs almost every night before I found you and had children. We still correspond between owls now that I'm not in work, but I don't want to go out every night now I have you to come home to. I've been there, done that and I'm too old for it now."

"Perhaps I don't want to start doing it in the first place." Harry said lightly. "Perhaps I'm happy staying at home all day every day because it's what I want to do. Perhaps I want to stay home and cuddle up with my mates and look after my children, not because I'm apparently supposed to, but because I actually want to."

"If you want to then that's fine, but don't do it just because you feel you have to, you don't. There are five of us, if you want an afternoon off or hell a weekend to do what you want, you can and we'll still be there when you come back. I can't promise you won't find Draco handcuffed to the bed or Nasta gagged and blindfolded and chained to a chair, because let's face it, they are the biggest killjoys in our family, but everyone will be cared for and fine and well when you come home."

Harry grinned. "I thought you were leading to something sexy then with all the talk of tying up to beds and gags, blindfolds and chains."

Max looked surprised before he burst out laughing and Harry joined him until he was forced to calm down with the appearance of the waiter with two plates in his hands. He placed them down on the table as Harry took a sip of his wine, snorting into the glass when he saw Max pressing his lips together tightly.

They ate in silence for a while and Harry chewed thoughtfully.

"It's still not as good as your cooking." Harry said softly.

"Harry, I am sorry, it was stupid, petulant, petty and I will never do it again. Never. I should never have done it the first time, I knew what had happened in your past, but it wasn't on my mind when I did it, if it had been, if I had just had that little reminder of how painful it would be for you, I would never have done it. I'm not cruel and I hate being called cruel, I love you Harry."

"Who called you cruel?" Harry asked curiously.

"Nasta when he beat the shit out of me when you and Blaise left the kitchen, Draco when he beat the shit out of me when you and Blaise had left, My Dads', my Granddad said it twice, my Grandma, my Mother and my sisters and Caesar will likely say it when he hears what I did as well."

"I believe you won't do it again Max, but I need some time to realise that, it hurt me what you did and it did break my trust in you, at least concerning food and cooking, but I think if I cooked with you for a while, saw that you weren't adding anything, then I'd get better."

Max smiled and bent over the table to kiss him. "We can do that if you think it'll help. It can be practise for when I teach the kids to cook."

"Oh I'm looking forward to that! Having them stood on a chair beside me as I bake cakes and cookies." Harry went dreamy eyed and Max grinned.

"You handle the cakes and sweet treats; I'll handle the main meals! Together we'll breed culinary geniuses!"

Harry laughed in joy as they continued eating, drinking two bottles of the gorgeous red merlot and talking about all the things they would teach the kids to make in the kitchen and as more wine was consumed, the conversation moved on to, naturally, sexually torturing the missing three mates.

They shared a slice of indulgent chocolate cake and a smooth vanilla cheesecake slice and Max paid their bill and they left, laughing down the dark street.

"We need to get you home to bed." Max chuckled as Harry swayed a bit on his feet once the cool night air hit him and the wine he had drunk seemed to settle all at once into him and he would have stumbled if Max hadn't caught him, even though he had felt fine in the restaurant.

"I think I need a bed, as long as Blaise is handcuffed to it with Draco balls deep inside of him!"

"Where is Nasta in this fantasy vision?" Max asked deeply.

"Playing with the box of toys wearing a dress."

Max burst out laughing and led him down the Muggle street and into a dark alleyway.

"We'll Apparate from here, put your arms around me."

"Ooo Max, can't even wait until we're home!" Harry giggled his cheeks wine flushed.

"You're drunk." Max told him.

"Yes, yes I am, but that doesn't mean I don't want you still! Besides, you're drunk too; you had the same amount of wine as me!"

"I did, but I can handle my drink better than you."

"Liar!" Harry called before he crushed his lips to Max's.

* * *

Missing scene, links to full chapter are on my profile page and my Facebook page

* * *

They panted harshly as they tried to calm their racing heartbeats and get themselves back to a normal level of breathing. Harry rested himself against Max's chest, snuggling into Max's neck.

"I'm tired now." He said softly.

"Me too. I'll make sure to get some salve on the bedside table for tomorrow morning; you're going to be sore."

Harry just nodded as Max pulled up his boxers and trousers from around his ankles, before hunting down Harry's boxers and jeans. The jeans they found, the boxers had vanished.

"Fuck it, just leave them. I'm too tired to care over a pair of boxer shorts." Harry said through a yawn.

Max nodded and dressed Harry in the jeans before he concentrated heavily and Apparated home. He got them home without splinching either of them, but he landed heavily and went to his knees with a thump.

Harry giggled hysterically, and loudly, as Max struggled back to his feet and tried to get them up the stairs, but where the fresh air had brought out the wine in Harry, Apparating had brought it out in Max, who couldn't get himself up the stairs, and had amplified it in Harry who couldn't stop giggling, so now they both appeared very drunk as they stumbled into to the bedroom, or rather Max stumbled as Harry was being carried, but Harry was still giggling like a mental patient and a sleep tousled group of mates greeted them.

"What time do you call this?" Draco demanded in a sleep roughened voice. "It's two thirty in the morning, you only went for dinner!"

"You…you shut up you!" Harry slurred. "Why aren't you tied to the bed?! You're supposed to be tied to the bed!"

"Are you drunk?!" Nasta hissed sitting up suddenly in the bed, inhaling deeply.

"Not as much as I was an hour ago!" Harry answered.

"You said you were taking him for dinner, not out clubbing!" Nasta accused Max.

"We did have dinner; we just had wine with dinner."

"Too much wine!" Harry added. "Though it was a nice wine, nice dinner too and nice cake, and nice sex. No…very nice sex!"

"You had sex? Where damnit?" Blaise asked curiously.

"Somewhere I forget." Harry mumbled. "I want bed now. I'm sleep. Maxie makes me sleepy, too good sex."

Max grimaced as the other three turned to glare at him. "Against a wall in an alleyway on the way home." He admitted and Harry giggled as three sets of eyes glared at them.

"You had sex in _public_?" Draco hissed as if it was the biggest scandal he could comprehend.

"Very nice sex." Harry reminded Draco as he made himself fall backwards from Max's arms and onto the bed Max had approached as they talked before shimmying out of his ruined shirt and his opened jeans with nothing on underneath and crawling naked to the nearest pillow, showing off the bite mark in his shoulder the scratches on his lower back and the top swell of his bum and the small crescent nail cuts and shallow scratches in his thighs.

Harry yawned and snuggled down, until Draco smacked his bum twice.

"Owwww!" He whined. "What was that for?!"

"Those two were for having sex in public." Draco smacked his one cheek even harder, looking angrily at him. "That one was for coming back at gone two in the morning and worrying the life out of us."

Nasta joined in and smacked the opposite cheek to the one Draco had just smacked.

"That one was for getting drunk." He added disapprovingly.

Harry rolled on to his back to stop them from spanking him in punishment and pouted at them. "I enjoyed myself and Maxie and me worked everything out! Isn't that good? So we had sex, no one saw us, though I did lose my boxers, I think I threw them out onto the street, but then they were ripped so I didn't want them anyway, but we're fine, aren't we Max?"

"Completely fine." Max said as he crawled onto the bed and snuggled into Blaise.

"I want cuddles now you've smacked my bum so hard, that hurt! I've been fucked hard against a brick wall! I'm tender!"

That made Blaise chuckle and soon all of them were laughing and Nasta cuddled him up in his arms and Draco slipped down to cuddle between him and Blaise, who wrapped up Max in a hug and soon they all fell asleep, though Nasta stayed awake tonight to watch them all drift off, letting out a relieved sigh that Max and Harry had seemingly worked something out over their trust issue with food and cooking. He didn't want to live in a conflicted household, yet he had wanted them to work their issues out themselves without his interference and he was so glad that they had. He settled himself down with Harry in his arms, making a mental note to bring up a healing salve for Harry when he went down in an hour to make up Leolin's bottle.

* * *

A/N: So how did you all like this chapter? The revelation of Regulus, more information on the babies, Braiden cuteness, future job options for the youngest three, a solo date between Harry and Max, a sex scene between Harry and Max, a punishment scene between Harry and Myron and then Harry, Draco and Nasta and Max and Harry are going to work out their trust issues that were caused in the last chapter by cooking together! This chapter was positively jam packed with stuff for you to digest!

Thanks to **lil joker 1989** for being the **7,800****th**** reviewer!**

**hanakisa**: Only Caesar knows what happened to Amelle. She told him in confidence and he didn't want to break the fragile amount of trust she has shown in him by telling anyone else when she didn't want them to know. So only Amelle, her family, Caesar and Harry know the story of her past.

**mythes**: No. Only unmated dominants know where to go for a submissive meeting, all mated dominants pulled in for security reasons are there because they want to help submissives, not steal them, so a submissive could not steal an already mated dominant because for one, the dominant just wouldn't be interested, and two the dominant's submissive would likely kill the invading submissive, so it's not worth the risk, not to say that some submissives aren't clever enough to understand that and try anyway, but they don't get very far. It's usually the parents of the submissive that try to break apart mated couples and the submissive is caught in the middle.

**DracoRiddlePotter**: Harry will carry on as normally as he can with classes as he isn't that interested in getting the best grades he can, he just wants to graduate and be done with it as he isn't planning on a career of any sort. If anyone will be too busy to help Harry it'll be Hermione as the final term of the year comes down upon them and she crams in as much revision as she possibly can, but Ginny is just a sixteen year old who'll likely be doing her own revision for the upcoming exams.

Leolin will never smell right to any of them, because he's a Faerie, he smells like a Faerie and a Dracken only really recognises Dracken, human and magical human, so it'll get better once they get used to his strange scent, but until then the Dracken will continue thinking Leolin is sick or something is wrong with him.

**pixy**: Nasta's grandparents and extended family will be coming to visit after the boys have graduated and Marianna's parents are still alive, but Marianna refuses to talk to them after Maximiliano died.

**Shya kitty**: I have always said I have no idea how this story will be, I have no way of knowing how long or how many chapters it'll be because I'm writing them as I go, I know some authors chose to write out all the chapters and then post them, but I have never been able to do that, so I just don't know sorry as for when it'll end. It'll end when Harry dies as the fic is in his POV.

**unneeded**: A poacher doesn't have a long life expectancy, but at 16 Galleons a scale when a Drackens wings are almost completely covered in scales on both sides, it could make them very, very rich. What drives people to rob banks when that's nearly impossible and could get them killed? Greed. Humans are greedy, a known fact, one Dracken could fetch millions of Galleons and if you get a Dracken with yellow or green scales, you're laughing because those scales can go for 25 Galleons a scale. So if they actually manage to live through getting a Dracken, they're set for the rest of their life, the greed clouds their minds and makes it all worth it in the end when they have harvested not only the scales, but the blood and organs of the Dracken also, just one vial of Dracken blood could fetch up to 100 Galleons in the black market auctions and a Dracken heart would set you back your house, your life savings, your Wife, your kids, both your legs and a kidney.

The poachers only killed Cordell because his wings were already out, they keep the Dracken alive, like they did with Ashleigh, if their wings are tucked into their bodies and they refuse to pull them out so they can scale them. When Cordell died, his wings would have remained out, which makes the harvesting process easier because he's not alive to struggle.

It's too dangerous to keep them and breed them, it makes it easier for the dominants or the family of the kidnapped to track them down because parents can sniff out their children, siblings can sniff out one another and their parents and dominants can sniff out their mates, they'd track down their loved one if there is a significant trail to follow and just slaughter the poachers.

**WizardsGirl**: Any help given was incidental, I just recommended a brilliant story that I liked and obviously other's thought the same, so all reviews received as a result were thoroughly earned and well deserved.

Anyone missed I'm sorry! I'm so very tired at the moment! Been up far too long, this chapter has not been proofread as much as I would have liked, so any mistakes please tell me where they are, not just what they are, cheers!

StarLight Massacre. X


	58. School Time Blues

Dedicated to **honeywitch**, who gave me such a boost when I was feeling low and made me grin from ear to ear and gave me that extra little nudge to carry this chapter on.

This chapter is_ supposed_ to contain an M rated scene, if you wish, switch over to AFF or AO3 for the uncut version.

_Last Time_

_That made Blaise chuckle and soon all of them were laughing and Nasta cuddled him up in his arms and Draco slipped down to cuddle between him and Blaise, who wrapped up Max in a hug and soon they all fell asleep, though Nasta stayed awake tonight to watch them all drift off, letting out a relieved sigh that Max and Harry had seemingly worked something out over their trust issue with food and cooking. He didn't want to live in a conflicted household, yet he had wanted them to work their issues out themselves without his interference and he was so glad that they had. He settled himself down with Harry in his arms, making a mental note to bring up a healing salve for Harry when he went down in an hour to make up Leolin's bottle._

Chapter Fifty-Eight – School Time Blues

Max had been called in urgently to work. It had been a bit unnerving to see a grown man begging on the floor for Max to come into work for just a day to help them out, but Max had looked to Harry before he agreed and he knew that Max would have declined if Harry had given even a hint that he was unhappy with him going into work, but as Harry shooed them both out of the house, he wondered what to do. Blaise had gone to visit his Mother and Lucius had called Draco in for some talk or something half an hour later, Harry just hoped it went well and Draco came back happy or he'd shove his claws through Lucius Malfoy's throat.

This left him and Nasta with six babies and Harry was currently trying out the Plum goop he and Max had bought from the supermarket.

The bluish-purply goo was not having any more luck than the home made stuff and Harry sighed as Braiden slapped the spoon away, flinging the goo over the floor.

"Why don't you try putting the food in his mouth instead of waiting for him to work out he's supposed to put his mouth over the spoon?" Nasta suggested lightly from where he was reading the morning paper, Tegan in the crook of the arm he wasn't using to turn the pages.

Harry put the spoon in the sink and selected another one of the colourful weaning spoons they had bought, got some more purply-blue goo onto it then tickled under Braiden's chin to get him giggling, then placed the spoon into his mouth when it was open.

Braiden immediately gummed on the object in his mouth and actually tasted his first real food for the first time. Harry grinned as Braiden sucked at the goo and then swallowed.

"He did it Nasta! Did you see?"

"I saw it all perfectly love." Nasta answered, watching with a grin. "Maybe now he's tried it he won't be so adverse to it in the future."

Braiden kept gumming on the spoon even though there was nothing left, so Harry took it out gently, Braiden giving an unhappy cry as he did so, before he filled it up with a small amount of the smooth goo and pushed it back into Braiden's mouth, who gummed the spoon to get the food off of it, holding Harry's hand to keep the spoon in his mouth.

Harry cooed mentally and aloud as he praised Braiden repeatedly and told him over and over how 'proud Mummy was of him'

Nasta chuckled and rubbed Harry's back. Harry continued to feed Braiden until Braiden started pushing the spoon away again; Harry put Braiden into Nasta's arms and cleaned up the spoon and little bowl he had used for the food, cleaned up the mess on the floor and then kissed Nasta hard as he took Braiden back.

"Tease." Nasta hissed at his back.

Harry laughed all the way into the living room, where four babies were sleeping peacefully in bassinets.

Harry fell onto the settee with Braiden, who could now not only hold his head up, but could sit up as well without support, though he did have a tendency of toppling over if he reached for something.

Braiden had taken a keen interest in his face it seemed as he poked and pushed little fingers into his mouth, eyes, nose and ears. Harry chuckled and blew a raspberry against Braiden's hand, which set him off giggling as only a baby could and like all baby giggles, it was infectious.

Harry found himself playing with Braiden for over an hour until his little boy got tired and started yawning and rubbing his eyes.

"Alright love, even I can take that hint." Harry grinned as he stood up and after giving Braiden a kiss, placed him down into the travel cot that was so very handy because it could be moved to which ever room they needed it in.

"Ah ma." Braiden called out sleepily and Harry went misty eyed as he looked down on his yawning baby. He covered him over and bent down with much straining, to kiss that peachy cheek, before leaving Braiden to sleep, heading back to the kitchen.

"Braiden down to sleep?" Nasta asked as he folded up the read newspaper one handed.

"Yes, little guy just went off. He's getting so much better with his words, I think he might start babbling to us and himself soon, not just say odd words now and then."

Nasta smiled at his enthusiasm and excitement and gestured him over, pulled his head into a passionate kiss by his hair and then turned him around as he was malleable, smacked his bum and asked for a cup of green tea.

Harry laughed at him, but boiled the kettle, putting a green teabag into one mug and an ordinary one into his own, he poured over the boiling water, disposed of the bags, handed Nasta his mug and drizzled honey and milk into his own before cwtching up to Nasta's side.

"I love you so much." Harry said softly, after a moment was taken to savour their respective teas.

Nasta didn't answer but pulled him into another kiss, Tegan being sandwiched between them gently.

"You are the most amazing person I have ever met." Nasta murmured against his mouth as they broke apart for air, but their lips were still pressed together. "You have given me six beautiful children, two biological sons and a biological daughter, our only daughter, which I am very boastful about."

"You shouldn't tease the others." Harry scolded without heat.

"I can't help it love, do you know how rare it is for an all-male harem to produce a girl? It's not impossible like it is the all-female harems' producing baby boys, but it is very rare and I gave you a baby girl."

"I live to do the impossible." Harry rolled his eyes before something clicked. "Hold on, does this mean I won't have many daughters?"

Nasta nodded. "There isn't much information on the male submissives, even less about ones like yourself who chose all male dominants, but the few that I dug up, all mentioned how exceedingly difficult it was to conceive a girl. One submissive I've read up on had two dominants, both male, they had sixty-three children, fifty-one of them were boys and only twelve of them were girls. Another harem with a male submissive and three male dominants had one hundred and seventeen children, ninety-eight were boys and only nineteen were girls and the last one I found was a male submissive with just the one dominant, they had forty-eight children and all of them were boys."

Harry's face fell as he took Tegan from Nasta and cuddled his only daughter tightly.

"I don't want only the one daughter. I want as many girls as boys Nasta; I don't want so many of the one and next to none of the other."

Nasta pulled him into his body tightly and pressed a lingering kiss to his hair.

"We'll have daughters Cariad, just not as many as we all would like. It may not be as apparent in the beginning, but give it ten years and it'll be noticeable."

Harry sighed and kissed Tegan, brushing her black hair from her little face. Draco couldn't wait until she was older and had longer hair so he could brush it, Harry had already warned him that he wasn't to brush her hair until there was nothing left, but left it alone when he saw Draco cuddling the children, soft bristled hairbrush in hand, carefully and gently brushing the soft downy hair the Quintuplets had, Braiden's hair was growing in thick and fast now and Harry was wondering if five months was too soon to cut his hair, but very soon his fringe would be in his eyes and as Braiden had taken to pulling on his own hair and then crying because it had hurt, he was giving it serious contemplation.

Harry carried Tegan into the living room and laid her in the bassinet between Regan and Calix. He liked keeping her close to Regan, he didn't know why, but it felt right to let them sleep next to one another.

He was stuck then for something to do, anything. He had done all the baby washing that morning, had even cleaned the house with his limited knowledge of household spells that Mrs Weasley had gifted to him, because his mates refused to see him on his hands and knees scrubbing like a house-elf, not that he listened, he just didn't parade the fact that he scrubbed the floors and cupboards when he woke up an hour or so before them most days. He enjoyed doing it, like Max enjoyed cooking and Harry enjoyed his time spent cooking every meal with Max, sneaking spoonfuls of this and bites of that, when Max caught him he always got a swat to the bum, which made him laugh.

Harry chuckled and turned on the TV quietly, flipping through the channels. Max's TV was barely used, Harry didn't think it had been turned on in months and only then it had been for a weather report.

Harry grinned as he found a sports channel showing pro wrestling, he chuckled and decided to play a little game with Nasta, who claimed he wasn't the jealous type. He had proved time and time again that he wasn't bothered by Harry kissing and having sex with the other mates, even without him, but would he get jealous if Harry started ogling other men outside of their mateship?

The heavily muscled, scantily clad men on the TV, touching and holding each other, pinning the other to the floor, had to be considered soft porn, Harry decided as he watched wide eyed as the one wrestler climbed onto the other's back, his groin pressed to the other's bum as he held him around the neck. They were wiggling and writhing over the floor, the one on the bottom was probably trying to buck the other off of him, but to Harry it just looked like he was shoving his ass back into the other's groin in a mimic of sex. There was something completely homoerotic about the entire match and Harry found himself not only glued to the screen, but getting hard to boot.

He watched several matches, completely transfixed before Nasta came into the living room to find him.

"Harry?" He called as loudly as he dared with six sleeping babies in the room. "Harry?"

Harry didn't take his eyes from the screen and Nasta's eyes widened as the scent of lust and arousal hit him. Harry was getting off watching wrestling of all things.

Nasta made his way carefully over to where Harry was lying on his stomach in front of the TV, watching as two men threw each other around the ring, his breathing had gone heavy and held a breathless quality to it and Nasta snarled as he dropped onto Harry's back and bent forward to bite at that delectable neck.

"Nasta! I'm trying to watch this! It's for the Intercontinental championship!" Harry complained, even as he rubbed his hardness against Harry's pert bum.

He growled at that and snapped at Harry's throat, trying to get him to turn his head away from the TV. Harry just batted at him and continued watching the two men roll around the floor.

Jealousy like he had never felt before flooded into him and he snarled and seized Harry's head and pulled him into a vicious kiss. Harry shouldn't look at anyone but him with those lustful, smouldering eyes!

"You want to be pinned to the floor?" Nasta growled as he turned Harry onto his back and pinned his wrists down and still Harry tried to arch his head back to watch the TV screen.

"Christ Nasta, I'm only watching wrestling!" Harry complained as he wriggled under him, making his hardness throb at the dominating, controlling position he had over his submissive.

"You're not just watching it though are you?" Nasta hissed. "You're getting off on it!"

He rolled his hips into Harry's groin and the younger man threw his head back and groaned as his own hardness was rubbed by the movement.

"It's not my fault that wrestling is so sexy. Two big, dominating men rolling around the ring trying to pin one another to the floor, wearing a pair of Lycra pants and a pair of rubber boots. It's enough to get anyone's blood going."

"When did you get such a fetish?" Nasta asked.

"When I turned on the TV and saw it for the first time?" Harry gave such a naughty grin that Nasta almost groaned as he swooped down to kiss those gorgeous lips, eating from them and the mouth beyond trying to get Harry to forget all about wrestling and he knew he had succeeded when Harry wrapped those gorgeous legs around his hips and tried to climb his body like a monkey.

He broke apart for air and looked at Harry's heaving chest, his flushed cheeks and glassy eyes and felt accomplished, right up until Harry looked over his own shoulder back at the TV and the two men having a power struggle on the floor.

He growled, so insanely jealous that two wrestlers could hold Harry's attention over himself practically throwing himself at Harry, that he gripped a fistful of that messy hair and yanked that head into a possessive kiss, Harry moaning into his mouth at the rough treatment.

"You want it rough? Is that what you're trying to do? You don't need to make me jealous to do that Cariad, you only need to ask." Nasta whispered the last five words into Harry's ear hotly and bit at it afterwards, making a passionate cry come from Harry's throat.

* * *

Missing Scene!

* * *

When the buzzing in his head stopped and his hearing and sight came back to him, he could hear a baby crying and he groaned as he pulled himself out of Harry on shaky arms and crawled to the bassinet with the crying baby. There were two crying babies, Regan and Calix.

He scooped them to his sweaty chest and collapsed back against the settee, shushing the babies distractedly as he watched Harry wiggle and writhe on the carpet, he could see now, from his own cock and the pinkish liquid seeping out of Harry, that he had split him inside and he made a mental note to get one of Max's healing pastes to apply to Harry's insides.

The two babies dropped back off to sleep once they had been soothed and he placed them back into their bassinets and crawled to Harry, pulling him into his arms, even as Harry moaned and complained, his body writhing in pain and Nasta cuddled him, snuggling him in his lap and rubbing the tension from his shoulders and back.

"I'll never watch wrestling again." He croaked out of his screamed raw throat.

Nasta chuckled deeply before forcing himself up to his feet and carrying Harry into the kitchen, boiling the kettle to make them both some tea. He held Harry with one arm as he used the other to make tea for them both.

"I could get used to this, I feel like Braiden." Harry grinned.

"I could put your tea in a bottle." Nasta said with a matching smirk, raising his one eyebrow.

Harry laughed. "I don't have Daddy issues. I just want to be held, I don't think my legs will support me."

Nasta took the cups over to the table one at a time before sitting down and easing Harry up slightly, to where he wasn't flat on his back in his arms but was still reclining slightly resting on his shoulder. He gave Harry his cup before sipping on his own. The warm tea relaxed his body fully and he let out a long sigh. He felt so much better.

Harry did the same but he was visibly uncomfortable as he shifted continuously on his lap. Nasta slipped his arm from around Harry's back, to down around his hips, pushing his forearm under his thighs and pulling his weight off of his sore bum, the awkward placement and angle of his arm was borderline painful, but when Harry smiled at him so lovingly and gratefully, he didn't care, especially not when Harry snuggled up to him and pecked at his lips as if feeding from them.

"I love you so much Nasta." Harry told him, his eyes burning with sincerity. Nasta loved those eyes only slightly more than he loved those plush, pouty, kissable lips, especially when those eyes burnt with such love for him.

Nasta made sure not to jostle Harry as he kissed him before pressing him to drink his tea, hoping it would relax him some more.

Max came tearing into the room, his wings and fangs displayed as he sniffed deeply, a constant and uncontrollable growl in the back of his throat.

"Harry's fine, we had a very rough sex session." Nasta said soothingly as Max came to kneel before Harry and sniffed at his naked, bleeding body.

"Very, very rough." Max grumbled deeply as he took in the bloody bite marks on Harry's inside thighs.

"I'm alright. Are you done with work?" Harry inquired as he pushed his teacup at Max, looking at him pleadingly with wide green eyes until Max chuckled and gave him a kiss before going to make some more tea.

"All done. Two sick calls and an outbreak of Scrofungulus in Maidstone that's spreading very quickly to neighbouring cities. Twelve batches of the antidote done in four hours. My hands are cramping."

Max set three cups of tea down on the table and sat down but before he could pick up his cup his hands were caught in small, soft, gentle hands and Harry began massaging his hands, rubbing his fingers and easing the painful tension from him.

"You keep this up and I'll be forced to marry you." Max teased, kissing Harry softly.

Harry chuckled and wrapped Max's hands lovingly around his teacup, pulling back with his fingertips gliding over the backs of Max's hands teasingly.

"So tell me how you two got to have such a rough ride when I was stuck in work, labouring over potions, where's Draco?"

"Lucius flooed Draco and wished to speak to him." Harry answered. "So he left not too long after you did."

"And the sex?"

"I caught Harry indulging in a new fetish." Nasta answered.

"You weren't playing with those toys without us again were you?" Max pleaded.

"No, he was panting and getting off on watching your TV."

Max lowered his eyebrows. "What the hell was on the TV? I thought I blocked all the porn channels when Caesar went looking for them just after I moved in."

"You forgot to block the soft porn channels." Harry grinned.

"Soft porn channels?" Max questioned.

"The contact sports channels." Nasta elaborated.

Max understood all at once and he grinned and then threw his head back laughing.

"What sport was it? Football, rugby, American football? All of those are homoerotic sports."

"Wrestling." Harry said softly.

Max laughed and pinched his cheek gently. "I'm proud of you love. Only you could know that watching wrestling would wind Nasta up."

"It did not 'wind me up'." Nasta refuted. "He was damn near ignoring me! I was throwing myself at him and he tried to get away from my advances so he could watch his match."

"I still don't know who won the Intercontinental championship." Harry pouted.

Nasta nibbled around his neck and Harry chuckled. "I'm far too sore to go again." He said apologetically.

"Max, could you get a healing salve for him, I tore his insides. We didn't use lubricant."

"Fuck, I wish I'd been there to watch." Max exclaimed even as he got up to pull down the first aid kit he kept on the top cabinet in the kitchen. He took out the right salve without even needing to look at the little label on the front and handed it to Nasta.

Nasta coated a finger and without any hesitation, or time to allow Harry to protest or think about it, pushed that finger into Harry's body. Harry moaned and dug his heels and his little toes into Nasta's leg and rubbed his feet against his leg as he mewled and writhed, not entirely in pleasure either as that probing finger rubbed the splits inside his body, no matter how gently.

Max knelt down in front of him again and held his feet tightly to stop him from hurting Nasta accidentally as he applied the healing salve, but he did help take Harry's mind from it by kissing and licking his kicking feet, which were too ticklish for Harry to ignore the ministrations placed on them, so he alternated between giggling and moaning, which made Max chuckle and Nasta to grin against his neck.

"All done." Nasta replied, easing his finger out gently, grimacing as it was covered in blood. Harry was bleeding more than he thought he had been. "Give the salve time to work love then you may want to have a bath, you're bleeding quite a bit."

Nasta handed Harry off to Max, who cuddled Harry on his lap tightly before easing himself up into his chair and pulled the honey tea towards Harry as Nasta went to wash his hands in the sink.

"I haven't had a bath in ages. We've only managed short showers since the quintuplets were born."

"We'll take over the afternoon shift." Max joked, winking at him. "You take as long as you need, though if you stay in for over two hours we'll assume you've drowned and barge in on you."

Harry chuckled and snuggled into Max as he agreed without too much prompting; he loved baths and hadn't had the time to indulge lately. He was looking forward to it.

* * *

Draco looked horrified to his Godfather, Severus, who was a ruin of the man he had been only a week ago.

His hair, which was usually greasy anyway, hung in limp rats' tails against a face that was drawn and skeletal looking. He looked like he had aged fifty years overnight and Draco was at a loss for what to say as he stood beside his Father.

The Headmaster had managed to get Regulus' body away from Severus and he was being prepared for burial. His water swollen wand was clasped tightly in Severus' hands and a leather cord with a tarnished silver pendant that Draco had never seen before was tied around Severus' throat.

"Severus, we have been friends for many years and I mislike seeing you like this. You did not deteriorate this badly when Regulus first went missing, why have you now that you have found him? You knew he was dead long before you saw him, or perhaps it is the manner of which you saw him for the first time in almost two decades that has you acting this way."

"Harry and Nasta are having nightmares about what they saw." Draco put in quietly as Severus remained silent. "It's only logical to think you are as well, especially with the added stress of finding him after so long and in such a place."

"He drowned." Severus' voice was coarse and gruff. "The Inferi dragged him to the bottom of that lake and he drowned."

Draco swallowed. Nasta and Harry were having nightmares of the Inferi dragging them into the lake and being drowned also, so he found those words clogging his throat with emotion after being woken up three times a night and listening to Nasta and Harry as they talked about the horror of being dragged into the ice cold lake and drowned at the endless bottom in the pitch blackness.

"I can take small comfort in the knowledge that Regulus was not pregnant at his time of death." Severus told them. "But the pain of seeing him, dead and lifeless, of holding his stone cold body in my arms, looking as young as he was when he died, unchanged and unaged."

"It cemented it in your mind that he was dead." Lucius finished. "It affirmed it in your mind that he was dead and gone and it put an image of him as he died in your mind, an image you had lost over the years or had become less real and now that you have seen him again, it has brought all of those images back and with it all of the memories."

"You need to let him go." Draco said softly. "Not his memory or his unique person, but his body. You need to let him be buried; you need to bury your hurt and pain with him, because if you don't, you'll end up joining him."

"Is that such a bad thing?" Was the soft, curious reply as if the thought were not only acceptable, but appealing.

"Yes, it is a bad thing, because you have people here who will miss you still." Draco answered. "Mother and I would be distraught and what would all those dunderheaded first years do without you to weed out the talent and train them in your own unique way. I only have a love of potions now thanks to your teachings."

"You're a strong man Severus." Lucius slipped in. "You have survived before; you can do so once again. Allow us to help you. Allow us to support and love you, you are young still, you're life can carry on, but life is only what you make of it, if you wallow around in self-pity and squalor, living in despair and your own filth, then perhaps you are better off dead after all."

Draco was shocked at his Father's words and the firm hand that dragged him towards the doorway. The heavy wood door slammed with a resounding bang and Lucius strutted down the corridor, still pulling him along.

"Father…how could you say that to him?" Draco questioned, still stunned.

"Severus is a very stubborn, prideful man Draco. People like Severus will not accept help from anyone, they need to be forced and manipulated into living once more."

"You sound like you're speaking from experience."

"Who do you think it was that got him to start living his life again after Regulus went missing in the beginning?" Lucius raised an eyebrow at him and Draco grinned, more comfortable these days at showing emotion around his Father, which seemed to both surprise and please Lucius Malfoy. "I was the one who got him to get off his backside and started him off looking for Regulus after he first realised that the boy was missing and didn't find him at the Potter wedding."

Draco hoped that it worked this time as well and that they didn't get a floo call informing them that Severus had killed himself in his private rooms. He couldn't wait to get back home so he could give Harry a hug and reassure him that everything was going to be fine, that the nightmares would eventually abate and the terror he felt would fade. He knew Max was helping Nasta, but he hoped that he would be able to help as well. He didn't like the thought that Nasta was suffering as Harry was and he wanted to be able to help the older man like he was Harry. He didn't understand why Nasta was only allowing Max to comfort him after the nightmares, Harry he could understand, he was the one who had gone through the ordeal with him, but why wouldn't Nasta allow him or Blaise to help him or comfort him when he woke up gasping in a cold sweat?

* * *

Harry groaned as the staring, pointing and whispering started back up the moment he stepped foot into the Great Hall.

It was the twelfth of January and they were back at Hogwarts after a very chaotic goodbye and a trip through the floo, because Harry refused to waste time he could spend lounging around at home on the gossip mongering, uncomfortable, cramped compartments of the Hogwarts Express.

The newspapers had ignored Richard, Myron and Lucius' threats and had continued printing lies and rubbish about his children. One particular issue had claimed, very spectacularly, that his 'defective child had died' and that he was 'inconsolable to the point of a complete mental breakdown.'

Harry could have gone a lifetime without hearing the lies spewed about him and his family, but when students noticed that he was in fact still surrounded by his four lovers and that they were carrying six babies and not five, the whispers broke out.

Hermione rushed to him and refrained from breaking his back in her usual hug as he had both arms full of baby. She looked so worried she was actually pale.

"I've been reading the papers and…"

"All shit." Harry cut in. "I haven't given any interviews, these lot haven't given an interview, we've been trying to stop them from printing shit about me, them and the children, but they're ignoring us and any legal jargon Lucius, Richard and Myron are sending them. Richard in particular is outraged that he and his law firm are being ignored. He's threatening to take legal action against them."

"So you haven't lost…"

"No. All babies are alive and well."

"But they said one was born…"

"Leolin looked like he was born without the skin on his back because he was very premature. He took Nasta's Faerie blood Hermione, Faeries wings finish developing during the fifth month of pregnancy, they were born at four months, so Leolin's wings didn't have skin, we had to be so very careful because it's painful for him and because they were basically open sores we had to be aware at all times of any infections and things, but he's completely fine, he has a few scabs left, but the skin on his wings has grown in nicely."

"I'm glad to hear that Harry, but Leolin, really?" She gave him a knowing look and he felt his cheeks flush with blood.

"See, even Granger thinks it's a terrible name." Draco put in as he moved past them to the Slytherin table.

"It's not a terrible name; I just know why you called him that." She put in softly as she kissed his cheek. "Ginny and I want to catch up with you later; we haven't been introduced to the little bundles of joy." She gave him a grin that he returned and Harry chuckled as he left to the Slytherin table to be pointed at and have nosy little fuckers trying to get a glimpse of his blanket wrapped children.

"I swear to Merlin if they don't stop I'm going to curse them." Max hissed possessively as he cradled Regan in his one arm, his other arm slipping around Harry in a display of the possessiveness in his voice.

Harry cuddled Leolin and Farren tightly to his chest as a Ravenclaw ambled past in a faked casual way while waving to a friend halfway down the Ravenclaw table, but her eyes were devouring his mates and the babies they held as she peeked over his shoulder to see if the blankets covered the babies' faces.

Harry lost it and shoved her away from him, she stumbled, but he hadn't shoved her hard enough to land her on her arse, thought he had wanted to. He glared at her and she hurried past to the friend she had been waving to.

"That wasn't nice Harry." Nasta chastised, but there was no real heat to his words.

"What? I was just giving her a helping hand, she obviously wanted to reach her friend, but it seemed she hit a section of floor covered in a sticking charm." Harry answered innocently.

Draco and Blaise snorted, Max let out a laugh and Nasta smiled and handed him a chunk of fudge chocolate.

Harry quickly and safely held Farren and Leolin with one arm, snatched the chocolate chunk and shoved it whole into his mouth, chewed and then swallowed, before moving his sons back into separate arms.

"You said there was none left." He accused with a pout.

"You had eaten three bars."

"They were snack sized bars, they don't count."

"What made you change your mind?" Draco asked, leaning over the table and using a napkin to wipe a smear of chocolate off Harry's lip.

"He deserved a reward for helping the young woman get on her way after hitting a sticking charm." Nasta replied simply and Harry grinned widely.

"I love you." He told Nasta.

Someone snorted and the five of them looked to Theo Nott, who was sitting as close to Blaise as he could given that Pansy Parkinson had claimed the seat directly beside him and the Greengrass sisters directly opposite.

"Something you wish to say?" Draco inquired in that snobbish, drawling tone he pulled off so well that made you feel like a scummy, inch tall, mollusc.

"You can't love more than one person." Theo answered back.

Harry reared back in surprise.

"Who the hell told you that?" Max demanded incredulously. "Because I assure you they're wrong. I love my Mother and Fathers, my brother and sisters, my grandfather and grandmother, all of my Uncles and Aunts and cousins, I love my little niece, I love my four lovers and our six children with all of my heart. If what you're saying is true, then what parent do you love and which one don't you love? Because if you can only love one person at a time, then you only love one of them and if you love one of your parents, you can't possibly love _our _Blaise as you claim you do."

Harry grinned at the stressed emphasis on the word our, ensuring that not even Theo could miss the possessive claim Max put on Blaise.

"You can't all love him! Not as much as just one person could! I could love him fully, not designate him a time to be in my affections!" Theo burst out passionately.

"Who said anything about our affection being designated to time slots?" Harry demanded. "We love one another fully and completely every moment of every day! I can't just turn my love for one of them off and move onto another, I love them all, all of the time."

"You think you do…"

"No, I do. End of!" Harry snarled as he pushed Farren at Max, slipped around him and shoved Blaise along the bench until he was between him and Max and sat in his place, turning his back on Theo and by extension Pansy and latched onto Blaise with the arm not holding Leolin.

"Ma ma!" Braiden cooed from Blaise's arms and Harry felt all tension and anger melt from him as he looked into the little face of his five month old son.

Harry kissed those pouted lips, not even minding the drool and pulled back to rub noses with him, making Braiden screech in delight.

"Pass Leo to me love." Nasta encouraged. "You can focus on Braiden then."

"Leo?" Theo cut in, his face disgusted and horrified. "You let him call a child Leo, Blaise?"

"I didn't _let_ him do anything Theo. Harry named them and that's the end of it. I quite like the name, it fits him." Blaise said coolly, as he twisted Braiden on his lap to face Harry.

"Just like a Gryffindor to name a child Leo." Astoria sniffed.

Harry glared at her. "His name is Leolin. Lee-O-leen." He stressed to them. "Not Leo."

He turned back to Braiden and tickled his sides and Braiden huffed in screechy giggling delight and Harry couldn't not grin at him as those hands reached out to him, little fingers clenching.

"We make an adorable baby Blaise; you'll have to give me another one soon." Harry said loudly.

Blaise kissed him and Harry grinned into that kiss as he heard a hiss come from Theo.

"You too Draco, I want a baby from you as well."

Draco smirked at him and saluted him with the glass of water he had taken a sip from.

"Whatever you want love." He proclaimed.

"What about me? Don't you want my babies?" Max actually managed to fake a look of total devastation and Harry chuckled.

"You've already gotten two out of me." Harry reminded him.

"Not nearly enough." Max pouted. "And what about him?" He said pointing at Nasta, who raised an eyebrow at him silently. "He has three babies."

"He's not asking for any more." Harry winked at Nasta who smirked.

"So the five babies you just birthed were not Draco's?" Astoria asked looking smug at this thought.

"No. They weren't." Harry answered, his tone very unfriendly.

"I could give you a baby Draco! I'm ovulating today!" She told the blonde excitedly.

Harry burst out laughing at the disgust, horror and slight panic on Draco's face.

"That's disgusting!" He exclaimed, losing control of his tight, Malfoy mask for a moment. "What could possibly lead you to conceive that I would not only want to have sex with you in the first place, but that I find the idea of having a baby with you remotely pleasant or welcoming?" He demanded.

"But, you want a baby, you _need_ an Heir." Astoria replied confused.

"Yes, I want a baby with my lover Harry, I do need an Heir, but as I'm yet to graduate and my lover has proven himself fertile and a competent, capable Mother, my Father is willing to wait until Harry and I eventually conceive naturally, rather than force the issue and make problems."

"Really?" Harry questioned.

Draco nodded. "It's what he wanted to speak to me about yesterday before we went to visit my godfather."

"How is he?" Harry asked softly.

"I am hopeful that he will be fine in time, but as you can see from the presence of Horace Slughorn at the top table, he will not be teaching again this year. Mother insisted he take the rest of the year off and is doting at him at his home, much to his ire and annoyance."

Harry grinned. "I hope he gets better soon." He whispered as Dumbledore stood to welcome them back after the Christmas season and gave the go ahead for the feast to start.

Harry dove in and filled himself with as much food as he could manage. He had eaten a filling lunch, but Nasta seemed to think he was too skinny, so he was eating bigger portions than he normal did, but if it gave Nasta peace of mind he'd suffer through it.

* * *

Harry collapsed onto the settee in their private rooms with a groan, accepting the three babies that were passed to him as Nasta and Max went around making sure everything was safe and as they had left it, of course Max went right into the little kitchenette and made sure all of his things were there still and that all of his appliances still worked. Harry thought it was cute, but he wouldn't be saying the 'C' word out loud to anyone but the babies.

A harsh yank on his hair had him snapping open his eyes and howling, which of course had his mates surrounding him in seconds and startling the armful of babies he had, including Braiden, who had gripped hold of his hair and pulled it.

"I'm fine, I'm fine. Braiden pulled my hair and I wasn't expecting it." Harry answered as he ignored his throbbing scalp and watering eyes to sooth Braiden, Tegan and Calix.

"I think it's bedtime for them all now anyway." Nasta put in as he took Tegan from him and nestled her head into his strong neck, patting her back gently and soothingly.

Draco handed a quiet Leolin to Blaise, who already had Regan and Max scooped up Farren as Draco took a crying Braiden from him, leaving Harry to sooth Calix as Blaise took the calm babies into the bedroom.

They got the babies to calm down easy enough and got them off to sleep, it was then time for their ritual snuggling on the settee before they headed to bed themselves. Draco sat against the arm of the settee with Blaise in his lap, leaning against his chest, Nasta claimed the middle spot with Harry lounging all over him and Max sat against the other settee arm with Harry's lower body in his lap, because the settee was too small to sit all five of them side by side, so two of them, usually Harry and either Draco or Blaise, had to sit in laps so they could all fit.

"I love this peaceful moment to ourselves." He told the others as he twisted himself until he could lie on his back with his head in Blaise's lap, Draco's fingers carding through his hair and massaging the sore spot Braiden had tugged on.

"Savour it while it lasts, as soon as those buggers get older we're going to have absolutely no free time." Max said lazily, covering a yawn with his hand.

"I think it's bedtime for us now." Harry giggled slightly as he stretched and rolled to his feet.

He went into the bedroom, shirked all his clothes off and then crawled naked into the bed.

"It's too cold for you to sleep without pyjamas." Nasta fretted.

"I'm going to sandwich myself between you and Max." Harry told them. "You two run hotter than those two skinny sticks." He poked his tongue out at Blaise and Draco, the former chuckled and the latter rolled his silver eyes.

Draco dressed into his favourite pyjama bottoms, Blaise did the same and they cuddled up on the right side of the bed, Draco on the outside, Nasta slipped into the middle and Harry snuggled up to him and then Max pressed tightly against his naked back and Harry shivered in pleasure and in delight as the warmth of their bodies seeped into his own to chase away the goosebumps that had sprung up over his skin. The heavy duvet was pulled over all of them and Harry snuggled down between his two biggest, oldest lovers and eased himself into sleep a bit hesitantly, because no matter how much he tried to play about and brush it off, they all knew why he wanted to be between Nasta and Max and it had nothing to do with how warm they were and everything to do with the nightmares he and Nasta had been having since the cave incident.

* * *

A/N: Back at Hogwarts for the last two terms before they graduate! Soon the Hogwarts era will be over! Hell it's almost been two years since Harry became a Dracken, that's a scary thought, it's flown by. Braiden will be a year old in August!

Thanks to **Maxton** for being the **7,900th reviewer**. We're so close to 60 chapters and 8000 reviews, that's _immense_.

Happy birthday to about five of you who wanted a chapter as a present! This is late for some, early for others, but it's still your birthday gift, so enjoy.

**summerstorm**: I enjoy people pointing out mistakes that I've missed so I can actually go back and fix them! So thank you, I must have read over that missing word several times and each time my brain filled it in automatically, I never would have noticed, so thanks!

**Nena**: No. A female dominant, just like her female submissive counterpart, cannot get pregnant by a non-Dracken. Only the male dominants have the luxury of impregnating non-Drackens, but they often don't want to.

**Angelica**: 7 stone is 98 pounds or 44 kilograms. Braiden currently weighs 14 pounds which is 1 stone, so 7 Braiden's makes the weight of 1 Harry.

**Zept**: You make a very good point. A debatable point, would phoenix tears work or not. Hmmm…I wish I could give you an answer right now, but this needs thinking and consideration. I'll get back to you if you don't mind waiting a bit.

**jimthecricket**: No Voldemort is dead. Harry killed him before the fic started, it mentions how in chapter 18 – Survival.

**IceNecromancer**: I also said that Nasta beat the shit out of him and he never, he just punished him. I didn't mean 'beat the shit out of him' literally but emotionally, none of the mates would use fists on one another in such a way, it's technically abuse. The most they'll do is rough sex, their unique punishments, but they'd never physically beat one another unless they were having an actual fight or dominance struggle. Sorry for the confusion.

**Kate101**: The story is on AFF, I'm on that site under the same user name, so search for me and you'll find the fic, failing that, all links are in my profile page.

**Zx14ninja**: Green and yellow scaled are worth more because they are used to make very strong healing potions. Different coloured scales do have different properties due to the different chemicals and pigmentation which colours them. Blue and purple scales are more often used in jewellery, red and orange scales are worth the least because they are very volatile and can't be used in any potions without them exploding, but again they can be used in jewellery or more commonly they are used in art, dried out and crushed they can be mixed to make high quality paint or even used to make mosaics and then framed on some billionaires wall.

As for what happens to the dominants if the submissive dies, if it was Harry, the dominants all love one another enough to stay together, but if the dominants were only together for the submissive, they will go their separate ways, taking any children they have with them, thus separating half brothers and sisters.

**unneeded**: If Harry called for Kreacher directly, yes he'd had to appear and answer, but the past two times he's showed up, Harry called for Dobby, not for Kreacher, Harry was pointing out that he wouldn't come if he called for Dobby anymore.

Harry's hormones are straight, but he went through a terrifying, horrific ordeal just that morning, it's his mind's way of coping with the fear and horror he feels without rendering him a complete vegetable.

**Bellasea**: Ron was not there when Harry started talking about Drackens, Molly had shooed away Ron, Ginny and the twins before Harry mentioned anything to do with Drackens. So no, he doesn't know.

I think that's it! Don't forget to please read the **Scaled Bits**! It's not a separate story it is actually a collection of missing scenes for _this_ story which will clear up a lot of confusion some of you have and contains added scenes and extras that you won't want to miss if you love Rise of the Drackens!

Thank you all for reading and reviewing if you bother!

StarLight Massacre. X


	59. Lessons Learnt

A/N: There is a sex scene in this chapter, if you want, head over to AFF or AO3 for the uncut versions of this story, both links are on my profile page.

_Last Time_

_Draco dressed into his favourite pyjama bottoms, Blaise did the same and they cuddled up on the right side of the bed, Draco on the outside, Nasta slipped into the middle and Harry snuggled up to him and then Max pressed tightly against his naked back and Harry shivered in pleasure and in delight as the warmth of their bodies seeped into his own to chase away the goosebumps that had sprung up over his skin. The heavy duvet was pulled over all of them and Harry snuggled down between his two biggest, oldest lovers and eased himself into sleep a bit hesitantly, because no matter how much he tried to play about and brush it off, they all knew why he wanted to be between Nasta and Max and it had nothing to do with how warm they were and everything to do with the nightmares he and Nasta had been having since the cave incident._

Chapter Fifty-Nine – Lessons Learned

Harry felt like a zombie as he made his way to Charms with Hermione. He thanked his aching back that this was his last lesson of the day as his friend nattered his ear off about anything and everything and he just wanted to get through the lesson and get back to Max and Nasta, who he was sure were not coping on their own with six babies.

He hated this, sitting in lessons trying to force himself to learn when all he wanted to be doing was playing and caring for his children. It was torture and it wasn't fair as he was forced to listen to Professor Flitwick and write out what had been put on the board with a hand that was much more used to holding a bottle than a quill.

The bell rang and he swiped his arm over his desk, knocking all of his things into his backpack, he shouted a goodbye to Hermione and ran to his rooms, taking the stairs three at a time, dodging past little firsties, he grinned as he reached the seventh floor and the portrait of a door. He tapped the keyhole with his wand and rushed into his rooms, everything was peaceful and calm and Nasta and Max were both sleeping on the settee, Max had Regan and Tegan on his chest and Nasta was cuddled up with Calix and Leolin.

"Ma ba!" Braiden cooed out softly as Harry walked into the living room and past the travel cot he was in.

Harry dumped his backpack and turned around to scoop Braiden up gently.

"It looks like your Daddies had an eventful afternoon baby." He said with a grin, kissing a soft cheek. "Oh I missed you so much Braiden, even though I only saw you at lunch."

Harry sat on the other settee that was free of sleeping dominants and babies and sat Braiden on his lap facing him.

"Have you got any more new words for me today?" He questioned.

"Ooo boo?" Braiden looked at him confusedly and Harry chuckled, chucking him under the chin and kissing him, which made Braiden throw his arms up and give a wet giggle.

Harry wiped up the excess dribble and curiously checked Braiden's gums carefully, there was so much drool coming from Braiden now that he was bound to cut his first tooth soon. His gums were redder than normal and slightly swollen at the front. Harry sighed; Braiden _was_ cutting his first tooth.

A chubby fist went into the wet mouth and Braiden gummed on it.

"You want a teething ring don't you baby?" He said softly as he got up with Braiden in his arms and went searching for where they had put the teething rings, but there was so much junk on the floor that he almost broke his neck tripping over.

"Fuck!" He hissed, trying not to wake up Nasta and Max, but he was sure he had just twisted his ankle tripping over a blanket. "Messy bastards!"

"Ba ba."

"Yes Braiden, they are." Harry said to his son as if Braiden's cooing had been agreement with his statement.

Harry got up and his ankle was tender and refused to hold his weight.

"Oh fuck this!" Harry snarled as he sat back down and threw an abandoned dummy at Max's head, aiming higher than normal so he wouldn't hit a baby. The white dummy bounced off the top of Max's head and his blue, blue eyes snapped open to see Harry glaring at him from the floor.

"Ooh, what time is it?" He asked as he sat up and stretched, giving a little kick to Nasta.

"About quarter past five."

"Are you alright?" Nasta questioned sleepily as he realised Harry was grimacing on the floor.

"No, you left all this stuff on the floor and now I've twisted my ankle, so a little help please." Harry answered.

Max immediately put Regan and Tegan into a bassinet apiece and hefted Harry from the floor and settled him onto the settee he had just got up from.

Nasta put down Leolin and Calix down and looked around at the mess in distaste. He waved his wand and everything flew back to where it belonged, leaving the room spotless as Max hunched over his foot, eased off his shoe and sock and rolled his ankle. Harry hissed at him.

"It's twisted; I'll get you a potion for it." Max said as he got up to fetch his first aid kit.

"What were you trying to get or were you going to change Braiden or…?" Nasta trailed off questioningly.

"I was looking for the teething rings. His gums have swollen and gone bright red, he's drooling constantly and he's gumming his own hand, I think he's cutting a tooth."

Nasta's eyes widened and he went to a draw in the side cabinet and pulled out a brand new, wrapped teething ring. He ripped the cardboard backing off of it, removed the plastic and then handed it to Harry, who waved it at Braiden.

"Ah! Ah!" Braiden cried out as he grabbed it and it immediately found a home in the wet mouth, being gummed on hard.

"If he's teething, this is going to be hell!" Max groaned.

"What's going to be hell?" Blaise asked as he walked in with Draco, just in time to hear the last few words. They had both had Arithmancy as their last lesson.

"How did you get here so fast from Charms?" Draco cut in. "You must have run the entire way."

"Braiden's teething and yes I did run from Charms." Harry answered them both.

"Braiden's teething?" Blaise asked excitedly as he dumped his backpack and rushed over, cupping Braiden's face, the teething ring still in his mouth and kissed his forehead.

"Why is that hell?" Draco asked as he wandered over after taking the time to slip off his shoes.

"Because he's teething." Harry said slowly. "He's going to be in pain and discomfort, he'll be grouchy and grizzling at all hours, he's not going to be sleeping through the night anymore and he's going to be miserable, which will make me miserable, and I'll make sure you four are miserable too."

"I didn't think about that." Draco admitted a bit sheepishly. "But then I haven't actually been around many teething babies."

Max handed Harry a potion and Harry drained it with a grimace of distaste.

"Nasty." He exclaimed, before grinning at his little boy, who was looking up at him through Blaise's eyes, teething ring in mouth. "He's adorable. I'm so glad he has your eyes."

"I wanted him to have your eyes." Blaise admitted with a small smile. "But he just looks so handsome and adorable; I wouldn't wish him different at all now."

"Neither would I." Draco smiled, pointedly ruffling Braiden's hair, which fell neatly back into place, all smooth and perfect, so unlike Harry's hair.

Harry chuckled. "He really needs a haircut though."

"I'll dig out the spell later on; I don't think any of us want a pair of scissors near his head." Nasta said with a smile, coming to kiss Braiden and then him, he pulled Blaise into a kiss before heading to the kitchen table where all of his paperwork was stacked.

Harry grinned as he saw the faces on Max and Draco, who did not like being left out. Draco reached him first, yanked his head back and kissed him vigorously until neither of them could stay without air for a moment longer and Max took over right where Draco left off.

"Well that was a nice show." Blaise chuckled. "Do we get to watch the continuance of it later on?"

Harry let out a short giggle and blushed when his four mates turned to him, either with grins or raised eyebrows. He let out another little giggle and then thought screw it and carried on giggling, but hiding behind his hand.

"That is so fucking cute." Max exclaimed.

The smile slid from Harry's face and he glared at Max.

"Do not, _ever_, call me the 'C' word!" He demanded.

Max held up his hands, a wide grin on his face. "I give I give, don't kill me."

Harry smiled then, happily appeased, and stood Braiden up on his lap and bounced him gently. His son took the teething ring from his mouth to let out a happy, joyous laugh and Harry joined him.

"Oh I love you so much." He exclaimed as he pulled Braiden to his chest for a hug, kissing his face.

Someone snapped a photo and Harry shook his head.

"Unposed pictures are so much better." Draco said as he put the camera back onto the kitchen counter.

"You just wait; I'll take a picture of you sleeping in the buff and mail it to Witch Weekly." Harry threatened with a grin.

"You wouldn't." Draco replied surely. "You're too possessive of our bodies and privacy to do anything like that."

"He's got you there." Blaise chuckled, sitting on the floor changing a wet Calix, who wasn't even crying.

"That baby is so laid back he's horizontal." Harry groused as Blaise applied the nappy rash cream.

Because Calix didn't cry to let them know he was wet, they often didn't realise until the rash had already been caused by Calix sleeping in his own urine. It upset Harry more than he let on as the rash was very uncomfortable for his little son, so he demanded that Calix be checked every half an hour for a soiled nappy, which was helping, along with the soothing nappy cream and leaving his nappy off for a little while after having the cream applied.

"We've got a teething baby, one with nappy rash and one with scabs on his back, all we need now is colic, diarrhoea and a baby with a fever and we'll have a full house."

"Don't say that." Harry bit out, not wanting to think about it.

"It's alright love, Calix will be fine." Max soothed him, coming to sit beside him on the settee, wrapping an arm around him in comfort. "We've noticed the problem and are actively working to fix it, it's obvious that Calix takes after his Dad and is far too laid back to care if he's sitting in his own piss."

Harry chuckled weakly and cuddled up to Max. "I just can't stand the thought of him being in pain or uncomfortable because we didn't realise he was wet."

"Well it's his own fault." Draco insisted. "His brothers and sister all cry when they're wet, how are we supposed to know if he doesn't at least wail to let us know when he's wet? All we can do if he refuses to let us know is keep checking him, as we have been doing. We're doing fine Harry, I think we're coping spectacularly well with six near newborn babies. No one's perfect and no one who has a remotely realistic view on parenthood expects us to be perfect, so stop worrying."

Draco kissed his smiling lips as he walked past to pick up a grizzling Farren.

"Why is it only your kids that are awake when they're supposed to be sleeping?" Draco asked Max.

Max grinned. "They're special, just like their Dad. They don't do conformity. "

Harry laughed as he twisted Braiden around on his lap so he could face the room as he chewed hard on his teething ring.

"His cutting tooth must really be hurting." He said aloud as he watched Braiden clench his little jaws as hard as he possibly could around the teething ring.

"There's nothing we can do love, he has to go through it, imagine never having any teeth." Blaise said from the floor as he played with Calix, whose bottom half was bare as his delicate skin dried.

"Might make receiving a blow job more pleasurable." Harry said a bit tearfully, trying to cheer himself up over the thought that he could stop Braiden from being in pain.

The four startled laughs put a smile back on his face and the kiss to the corner of his mouth from Max made him feel so much better.

Blaise put Calix back in a clean nappy and rubbed his belly soothingly as the baby sucked on a dummy, fighting sleep.

"Pass him to me." Harry said as Calix fought sleep viciously.

Harry passed Braiden over and accepted Calix, cuddling him and finishing off the tie to his nightdress, with him having nappy rash, it was easier to check him every half an hour if they didn't have to struggle to get his legs out of his sleepsuit every time they checked, so they were putting Ashleigh, Myron and Richard's Christmas present to good use.

Harry rocked and soothed Calix, humming lightly as Max cupped the back of Calix's head with a huge hand, fingers stroking through soft, black, downy hair.

Even the yawn Calix gave was fought furiously and Max chuckled deeply.

"It must be your genes love, because every child we have is just so adorable." Max said kissing his cheek.

Harry gave Max a glare, but let it go as he agreed that every child he had was adorable, he just didn't agree that it came from him.

Calix finally lost his battle with sleep and Harry stood to put him in a bassinet and scooped up Nasta's firstborn son. Regan was such a quiet baby, much like his Father and Harry felt like he wasn't spending as much time with Regan as a consequence.

He stripped Regan of his blanket and nightdress, but kept him in his nappy, stripped his own top half to a wolf whistle from Max, who got a teasing, exaggerated shake of the hips as Harry undid his belt and trousers and kicked them off before curling up on the settee with a blanket wrapped around him and Regan as he held his thirdborn son on his chest, bare skin to bare skin.

He murmured softly to Regan, having a one-sided conversation with him as his mates moved around him with the other children, Max started dinner when Blaise complained he was hungry, Draco was doing homework, trying to get as much of it out of the way as possible and Nasta was doing paperwork now that he wasn't on baby duty, but Harry was in his own little world with a sleeping Regan.

When it was time for dinner, Harry moved to the table, Regan tucked into one arm and ate with his other. He was so slow everyone had finished and Max had started washing up as he ate the last bite of lasagne.

"Thank you Max." He said softly, pulling his tallest mate down for a kiss on the cheek as he dropped his plate into the sink.

Max was happier than usual and Harry didn't understand why until he was told a moment later.

"That's the first meal you've let me cook on my own since the incident." He boasted happily.

Harry startled at that and then grinned. "Then I guess it was time to forgive you and to hand you my trust again."

"I won't abuse it this time, not ever again. I promise." Max bent down and kissed his lips firmly, before ducking down further to kiss Regan's sleeping face.

"Though I do want to cook some meals with you. I enjoyed our time together." Harry shot over his shoulder as he made his way back to the settee.

"I'm sure we can work something out." Max agreed with a grin.

Nasta took Regan from him and swapped him with Farren as Regan started grizzling and squirming due to his dirty, smelly nappy. Nasta handed him a bottle and Harry placed it off to the side, waiting for when Farren would wake up, he would be the first. His gutsy baby would of course be the first to wake. Harry smiled, very happy with Farren's appetite, it was Leolin's he was worried about as his youngest son was two weeks old now and still hadn't picked up his milk intake.

Farren woke up with a wail in his throat and Harry smoothed a soft cheek gently before picking up the bottle, testing it against his still bare forearm and sent a wordless, wandless cooling charm at it, tested it again, before he stroked it over Farren's cheek and watched indulgently as his secondborn son rooted for the bottle teat.

"Did you just do wandless, wordless magic?" Draco demanded incredulously.

Harry looked up confusedly, before his attention was pulled back to a suckling Farren and he replied distractedly. "Huh? Oh, yeah, I can't be bothered to go into my bag to get my wand."

"Look at him, so flippant and dismissive about it, like it's not extraordinary." Blaise shook his head. "It's amazing Harry. Every time you do it it's amazing."

Harry flushed a bit. "I've always been able to do it, so it's not anything special to me. It's just convenient, but not really anything I'd show off to others about."

"If it was me I'd be bragging to everyone around me." Draco told him.

"You do anyway with as much as you can get away with." Max teased.

"I'm proud of myself and all of my hard earned achievements', why shouldn't I rub it into everyone else's faces?" Draco defended.

"We love you for it." Max assured. "You wouldn't be you if you didn't completely trample those less fortunate in the brains, looks and ability departments."

"Don't forget the academic department." Nasta added from the kitchen table, where he had started back up with his paperwork, looking thoroughly stressed and overworked, but he was grinning at Draco nonetheless.

"I think lovers department too, I mean, who wouldn't be jealous of him for having me as a lover?" Max said with a deep, amused laugh.

Harry chuckled even as he watched the last suck of milk disappear from the bottle. He hefted Farren up and burped him, before settling him in the crook of his arm and rocking him gently to sleep, listening as Max and Draco dissolved into an argument over who people would be jealous of for having the other as a lover.

"Alright, knock it off the both of you before I gag you both with a dirty nappy." Nasta threatened as he threw his quill onto his paperwork and stood with a stretch. "Blaise, did you remember to do your Ancient Runes translations? It's due tomorrow."

"All done." Blaise confirmed with a grin as he packed his bag in preparation for tomorrow, waving the sheet of complicated diagrams and runes that confused the hell out of him at Nasta.

"Draco…"

"All homework is done and complete, tomorrow's books and needed homework is already packed." Draco cut in with a cocky smirk.

"Harry, did you finish your Transfiguration and Defence essays?"

"I finished the Defence essay." Harry replied sheepishly.

"You have double Transfiguration first thing tomorrow love, get your essay out." Nasta told him firmly.

Harry sighed and didn't even bother trying to argue, it was fruitless and a waste of time to argue with Nasta over school anyway.

Draco took Farren off of him and he was left to pull out his homework from under yesterday's newspaper, right where he had left it, with the headline Saviour Potter arrives at Hogwarts with lovers and babies in tow. Nasta had gone ballistic over the latest allegations that he was a catamite and was being kept as a pleasure slave by two much older men, Draco and Blaise hadn't been mentioned and only three babies had been 'confirmed' as being seen by eyewitnesses.

Harry trudged through his Transfiguration essay, rewriting it twice because Nasta wasn't happy with it, before he finally snapped and threw a tantrum. Nasta had caught him, bitten his neck, calmed him down and now he was cuddled up on Nasta's lap on the settee.

"Why the tantrum Harry?" His oldest lover asked eventually, still carding his fingers softly through his hair.

"It all seems so pointless." Harry replied.

"Doing the work or just Transfiguration in general?"

"All of it! I don't want to be here, doing all this pointless shit when I could be back home spending all day taking care of my children like I want to be doing."

"What about job prospects? You won't get even a half decent job if you don't graduate Hogwarts."

"I don't want a poxy job! I already have one and that's looking after my children!" Harry snapped.

"So that's all you want to do for the next three hundred odd years? What about when our children are all grown up Harry, when they're not living at home anymore and you have nothing to distract you from the silence and the emptiness of our house because Max, Draco, Blaise and I are all out at work."

"You'll still be working at three hundred?" Harry asked.

Nasta chuckled wryly. "No, but we'll stop having children when we're about a hundred Caru. I very much doubt our children will be living with us when they're two hundred themselves. So what are you going to do when we don't have any more children to look after and they've all flown the nest?"

"I…I don't know." Harry said quietly.

"Isn't it a much better idea to get the qualifications you need now, if not to get a job right away, but to ensure you can actually get one later on in life, when you have nothing else to do? Even if you do decide not to get a job the moment after you've graduated, you can still have those qualifications to fall back on when a time comes when you might need them."

Harry sighed; he hated it when Nasta was so logical and wise. "I guess that makes sense." He grumbled.

Nasta chuckled and kissed him. "Get your essay; we'll go through it together seeing as it's getting late."

Harry did as he was told and clambered back onto Nasta and listened as Nasta made more sense of the essay than the textbook had. The essay was done and complete in forty minutes and he was bound to get an 'EE' on it if not an outright 'O' it was that good.

Harry kissed Nasta as he packed all of the things he needed for tomorrow and he was led to the bedroom and up to their platform bed. It was this bed he missed the most when he was at home rather than at school. He _loved_ the platform bed and he'd have to make sure any future house they had, had a platform bed like this one, though maybe with a bigger ledge and a bigger bed. Harry striped himself bare, not that he was wearing much to begin with, and forced himself between Max and Draco to curl up to sleep.

* * *

Harry woke up the next morning and groaned. Only the one nightmare last night and Nasta hadn't had any that he knew about, he was glad it was coming to an end, finally. He rolled over and was surprised that he actually had the space to move on the bed, then the cold sheets registered in his brain and he opened his eyes to see he was on his own in the bed and the weak winter sun was trying to force its way through the curtains.

It wasn't often that he slept longer than his mates and as he realised that every one of the five bassinets around the bed was empty, he got confused. He was normally the first one to wake up and was certainly the one who did the babies' morning feed. Had he been slipped a sleeping potion? No, he didn't have the strange after taste in his mouth that a potion induced sleep left.

He climbed out of the bed, found someone's discarded boxers to wear for now and padded down the stairs in just a pair of boxer shorts he was almost sure were Blaise's and went into the living room cum kitchenette. Max was cooking, Nasta was reading the paper, Blaise and Draco were entertaining the six children.

"Sleeping beauty arises!" Max called out from the kitchen as he spotted him.

"I can't believe I slept for so long." He murmured as he realised his mates were all showered and dressed.

"You did have a late night." Nasta reminded him.

"It was only quarter to twelve." Harry disputed.

"You've been going to bed around ten every night; it's natural that you slept a bit later once you stayed up later and the nightmare couldn't have helped." Draco told him.

Harry grunted and scooped up Tegan on his way to the kitchenette in search of tea. Max was several steps ahead of him and sat him down in front of a cup of tea that was the perfect temperature for consumption.

"Anything in particular you wanted for breakfast love? I'm making crepes."

"That'll be fine, but I want some cereal or something first. I don't have much time before lessons and I want to make sure I've actually had something to eat."

Max dug out the trusty box of muesli and handed it to him with a bowl, a spoon and a jug of milk. Harry ate quickly and effectively with Tegan in his one arm. He was getting better at eating one handed now.

He finished his cereal, kissed his daughter and handed her off to Draco and rushed to the bathroom to shower and get into his uniform. He barely had time to stuff a blueberry crepe into his mouth before they had to leave for lessons, Harry and Draco to Transfiguration and Blaise to Ancient Runes.

* * *

Harry waved Draco away with a kiss and stayed with Hermione and Ginny for the first half hour break, though he knew it was probably a bad idea as he was already missing Braiden, Farren, Tegan, Regan, Calix and Leolin immensely, but he had a free period next, while everyone else had Potions and then came lunch, so he had plenty of time to catch up with his children and his two older mates a bit later on, but for now he had been kidnapped by the girls and they were bundled up against the snow and cold of the outside courtyard for their break as they talked about anything and everything until the topic of Ginny's toys came up.

"Oh Gin, can you get me some more _outfits_." He stressed as she told him and Hermione about the cute pair of ballet shoes she had gotten for Christmas. "I'll give you the money for them and give you a little extra."

"Do I want to hear this?" Hermione asked with a frown.

"Probably not." Harry answered with a lopsided smile as Ginny grinned from ear to ear.

"You liked my gift! You've used it?! I knew it!"

"Yes Ginny." He answered with a blush, laughing out his embarrassment. "Max burnt that lovely skirt you got me though, I don't think he appreciated me wearing it and then telling him not to touch. Does the company do other ones? Perhaps in blue? Max likes the colour blue."

"Ohh, I'll get you cute little outfits, did you like the skirt? I wasn't sure if you would, but Luna said to include it. Do you like cross dressing? Should I find you a dress, oh, let me take your measurements!"

Harry was attacked then as Ginny wove her wand around his body and he felt strangely violated somehow. Though Ginny could give her Mother a run for her money with how quickly and efficiently she casted household spells, though he doubted Mrs Weasley had fetish clothing and sex outfits in mind when she taught Ginny the spell to get a person's measurements.

"There. I'll find you the best I can get my hands on and those lovers of yours will be crawling after you drooling! Oh I had better go and find Luna, she'd like to help me pick out outfits for you, it's like dress up only with very skimpy clothes and a live doll."

Ginny chuckled and then took off running into the castle leaving Harry bemused and Hermione sniffing in disapproval.

"She's only sixteen Harry; you shouldn't encourage her like that."

"I fell pregnant at sixteen." Harry said softly, watching the door Ginny had gone through long after she had disappeared. "I had four lovers as well, had had a creature inheritance shoved onto me, was rushed through three mate meetings and basically paired off with four total strangers and told they were my life mates and that I would have children with them. Somehow I think a little fetish shopping won't do Ginny any harm Hermione, she's a strong, bright, wonderful girl who is going to make someone very happy one day, but she's not stupid enough to put herself into a position where she can be harmed and I doubt very much she's foolish enough to have sex without a condom or contraceptive charms, hell maybe she uses both to be sure, but if she's doing it, she's doing it and nothing I say or do will change that, whether I ask her to shop for sexy clothing for me or not, she'll still be doing it, the most we can hope for is that she's being safe."

Harry finally turned away from the door to look at Hermione with a soft smile.

"You really sounded like a proud Father just then Harry." She told him.

"I am a proud Father Hermione, well Mother. But either way I'm a very proud Mother to six children and it'll be more soon enough."

"You're not pregnant _again_?" Hermione asked, her lovely brown eyes going wide and shocked.

"I fucking hope not!" Harry grinned. "No. I'm happily unpregnant at the moment. Six is enough for now; six is enough for a long while."

"But with your…genes, it's not going to be for long is it?" Hermione asked softly.

"Probably not, but Drackens have gone years without falling pregnant again, so my fingers are crossed."

"You know how I feel about wishes and luck."

"I know, you're more for the logic and scientific approach to everything, but when those are taken from you, all you really have is faith and luck. The heat cycle will take away all logic and capacity for thinking and leave me and the guys only with luck that it's not a fertile heat."

"I thought all heat cycles were fertile." Hermione said confusedly.

"No, Nasta was telling me about dry heats. A heat cycle where a submissive's body temperature doesn't get up to the one-hundred and ten degrees needed for conception of a baby. It's basically a practise heat before the real thing to get our bodies used to the cycle again before letting us fall pregnant. It's why most mass produced creature books about Drackens think we can only get pregnant in winter, the book I read told me that as well as saying falsely that I could only get pregnant during only two heat cycles per year. I've since leant differently."

"I'm learning a lot from the book Nasta gave to me. It's so informative, Drackens are really very complex creatures and have such a large and wide history, it's amazing and I'm learning so much."

Harry chuckled and linked his arm through Hermione's, kissing her cheek before getting them walking towards the Entrance Hall on the opposite end of the castle, Hermione for Potions and Harry for his free period, he'd wait for Draco and Blaise so he could get a kiss and then he'd go and spend the afternoon with his helpless little ones and his babies too.

* * *

The very tip of a little white tooth could be seen poking out of Braiden's gum as he cried constantly and without pause. It was heart rendering and headache inducing as the normally quiet, relaxed baby screamed his lungs and throat raw.

Harry found himself tearing up as he listened and tried to sooth Braiden, but he refused to let his tears fall. He needed to be strong for Braiden, his tears would not help his son feel any better or take away the pain of his first tooth.

It was Saturday morning and Harry was so glad that Braiden's first tooth chose today to make an appearance, when he could spend all day with his son and not leave him for lessons.

His mates were all bustling around, trying to do what they could, trying to make him and Braiden feel better, but there was nothing anyone could do, so he had ordered Draco and Blaise to the library to study and do homework, had sent Max out to find something, anything, that could help Braiden and put Nasta on Quintuplet patrol as he paced around the bedroom with a screaming five month old baby in pain.

He sat on the settee under the platform that held their bed and snuggled a red faced Braiden to his chest, shushing and trying to calm him to no effect. If Max didn't find something, he was going to have to call in Ashleigh, Narcissa, Marianna and Aneirin and pray that they as Mothers' themselves, and a single Father, that had obviously gone through the teething period before, would know what to do.

It was so distressing and stressful to sit here and listen to his baby constantly crying and knowing it was because he was in pain and not being able to do anything. It made his Dracken scream and he had already accidentally let out two small distress calls that had brought Nasta running. He just wanted to take the pain away from Braiden, he hadn't slept since he had woken up crying at five that morning, he hadn't eaten anything since his ten O'clock feed last night and Harry was so worried and completely petrified that it would harm Braiden in some way to have missed those feeds, to have gone so long without food and sleep. He had tried everything just to get some milk into Braiden, even dribbling some into his mouth from a spoon, but he had slapped the spoon away in temper.

Harry heard Max come back in and Nasta directing him through to the bedroom and Harry pleaded with his eyes that Max had found something as he came through the bedroom door.

"Here, try this. The Pharmacist recommended it, said it helped all three of her children when they were teething." Max told him, digging out a little box, ripping it open and handing Harry the tube. "It says just put a fingertip sized blob on the affected area."

Harry did as he was told and prayed the Bonjela teething gel worked as he gently rubbed Braiden's gums with his fingertip.

"I called my Mum and asked her for advice; she said she'd be around as soon as Dad got home." Max told him. "But for now, she said to use the gel and then feed him as soon as it takes effect just to get some fluids into him."

"Go make up a bottle please, this one went cold a while ago, it might help if he had a fresh bottle instead of a warmed up one."

Max took the bottle and Harry continued rubbing Braiden's gums as it seemed to be working. Braiden's cried trailed off and his tears dried into tracks on his red cheeks.

Harry went out into the living room with a smile and Nasta and Max just looked so relieved that Braiden was quiet. Harry took the magically cooled bottle of milk from Max and coaxed Braiden into drinking it. He managed half before he fell asleep with the teat still in his mouth.

Harry took the bottle from him gently and eased him into his cot before collapsing onto the settee and burying himself in the comforting body of Nasta.

"That was horrible." He said into the fabric of Nasta's shirt.

"I know." Nasta comforted, wrapping an arm around him and pulling him in tighter.

"Imagine in a few months now, all five of the quintuplets teething at the same time." Max whispered in horror.

"They won't. Leolin is a Faerie; Faerie's don't start getting their teeth on average until they're about eighteen, nineteen months old and the chances that the remaining four will all cut their first tooth at the same time is astronomical." Nasta explained patiently.

"Leolin won't get his first tooth until he's a year and a half?" Harry asked.

"No. He's a Faerie love; his development is considerably slower than other babies, especially Dracken born babies. I'll get Dad to go to the Faerie Court to get you some books on it. Also he wants to rub the Court's face in the fact that he has a Faerie grandson."

Harry chuckled and snuggled up to Nasta and yawned. It had been a very long morning for them all, but he was afraid to go to sleep in case Braiden woke back up, he wanted to be there for his son, not sleeping because he wanted a nap.

"Why don't you sleep for a bit love?" Nasta coaxed.

"I want to be here for Braiden."

"He's not going anywhere Harry and I'm very sure he'll wake everyone up when he does." Max told him.

"If anyone should be sleeping it's you two, not me. You did all the night feeds last night and were up at five this morning with me and Braiden."

"We're not the ones who are tired love, you are." Nasta pointed out.

"It seems cheeky though to be tired when you've been up longer."

Max snorted and patted his bum. "This is cheeky, not you wanting to get an hour's sleep before pacing around the rooms with a teething baby, the gel can only be applied once every three hours and it's bound to wear off before he can have it again."

"I hate this." He confided softly.

"We all do love, but think how cute he's going to look with those two bottom, front teeth when he grins now."

Harry chuckled and yawned again, before deciding that it wasn't the end of the world to want an hour or two of sleep.

"If your Mum comes before Braiden wakes up, wake me up please. I want to talk to her."

"Will do, now get some sleep." Max said with a grin, bending himself over the back of the settee to give him a kiss, coming back up to kiss Nasta, before heading to the kitchen and the bags he had brought from the supermarket.

* * *

Remus was unnaturally happy with life at the moment. The closest he had been to this sort of happiness before was back in his school days and the years shortly after he had graduated, being with Sirius and James and unfortunately Peter, though Peter had always been a shy and timid boy, he had still been a close friend, one of the only people at that time to know he was a werewolf, one who he had shared his hopes and dreams with in the dead of night when the rest of the castle was sleeping, but four young boys were wide away, eating chocolate, drinking pumpkin juice and butter beer stashed from the latest Hogsmeade weekend.

He sighed and then smiled as he looked to the photograph on the fridge of Harry, four grinning young men and six children. It wasn't the life he would have pictured for Harry, or one he knew James and Lily had even considered for their beautiful baby. James had insisted Harry would be nothing less than Minister for Magic and Lily had even suggested Harry would be a specialist Healer or even a Professor, neither of them would have ever believed their baby boy was a Mother to six and a lover to four at seventeen. He hadn't even graduated yet, but none of them had thought for a moment that Harry would have a creature inheritance, Lily was a Muggleborn and James had been very human with very human parents, so it hadn't even crossed their minds, not even Sirius', who's ancestor had given Harry the Dracken blood and Sirius' own brother had been a Dracken as well without him knowing, apparently it was very easy to hide a Dracken inheritance, even within a family.

Remus remembered Regulus Black, as handsome as his older brother, cocky, arrogant, just like a son of the Blacks, but oddly shy and conciliatory, unlike his outspoken, brash and sociable brother.

He remembered when Regulus was just fifteen and had started a relationship with Severus Snape, oh how Sirius had _hated_ the very thought of Snape touching his younger brother. The rivalry between Sirius and James and Severus had been in full swing at fifteen, to find Severus was then in a relationship with Sirius' brother was like adding salt to a wound, Sirius had been certain Snape was only doing it to get back at him and had tried telling his brother, but Regulus wouldn't hear of it and Snape had told Sirius to stop thinking that the world revolved around him. The both of them had ended up in the hospital wing.

Regulus had changed when he was sixteen, it had been common to find him and Severus together, studying or just talking, they had even held hands a few times while coming into the Great Hall after a walk through the grounds, but when Regulus had turned sixteen, everything changed, he became possessive and jealous, he snogged Snape where everyone could see them, walked firmly by Severus' side, head tucked into Snape's chest, their arms wrapped around one another. It was possible to come across them in secluded corners, Regulus pinned to a wall, his legs wrapped around Severus' waist and hips and the other Slytherins complained that their love making kept them up all night.

Sirius had lost it, it had been bad enough thinking that his baby brother was in a relationship with Snape, being touched and kissed, but his sixteen year old brother having sex and groping and being groped all over the castle had been too much and he had tried to kill Snape.

Sirius had thought it a potion, because Severus was a genius with potions, but thinking back, if Regulus was a Dracken, then he would have come into his submissive Dracken inheritance at sixteen, which would possibly explain his behaviour at that time.

Then came the dreaded news. Regulus was pregnant. So not only was he and Severus having sex, they were having unprotected sex which had resulted in a baby. Remus had thought Sirius would have an aneurism at the news.

Then came the unthinkable, Regulus had lost the baby. Severus and Regulus had lost a daughter, Sirius a Niece and all because James had knocked Regulus in his haste to reach the hospital wing after hearing Lily had fallen ill the night before. James hadn't even realised it was Regulus he had knocked down until the boy had started calling him a murderer after his release from the hospital, it had upset James and he and Sirius had almost come to blows over the incident, because Sirius did still love his brother and had seen how upset and crushed Regulus had been after losing his daughter, even if the baby was also Snape's, they had eventually realised that they were being idiots and had made up, which had only heightened Regulus' rage and his perceived betrayal by his brother.

Then Regulus had died, just nineteen years old and Sirius of course threw all of his hate and pain at Snape, the person who Regulus had been seeing and living with at the time of his death. He still remembered hearing the killing curse come from Sirius' lips, remembered tackling him to send his spell astray so he didn't go to Azkaban for life, not that that plan worked as only three years later he was imprisoned in Azkaban for life anyway, even if it was falsely.

"You're thinking too hard again." A soft voice told him.

Remus turned with a smile to Tonks, who was wearing just a bathrobe, her usual bubble gum pink hair dry and bouncy on her shoulders. She was the reason he had been so happy these past few months. He had expected her to run after just a week with him, but she hadn't and even seeing him as weak as a newborn kitten the morning after the first full moon there were together hadn't turned her away from him, she had in fact spent the day nursing him, feeding him chicken broth, helping him sip water through a straw and applying salves to his skin to help with his bruised body caused by the transformation.

"Just some observations from the past that make more sense when looked back upon." He told her softly. "That and I'm just worried about Harry."

"He's a tough kid, give him some credit. I've never met a boy so young, with such pressure on him, be so normal. He was just a normal teenaged boy, his bedroom was a normal teenaged boy's when I first met him, he had the temper and personality of a fifteen year old, even if sometimes he was far more mature and cynical than he should have been, but I just couldn't believe how normal he was when I actually met him. Normal sixteen year olds _are_ thinking about sex and relationships Remus, so he's had a couple of babies in his teenaged years, most wizard couples do Remus. I told you about my friend Justin, the one who got involved with that man Brian and he got pregnant within the week. He's twenty-three now and he has had eight children in five years. It's just the way male couples are and everyone knows that male pregnancies are more likely to be multiples over singletons so it's no surprise to me that Harry had quintuplets, especially with four lovers to keep happy."

Remus felt terrible omitting to Tonks that Harry and his lovers were Drackens, but it wasn't his place to tell her, even if he did find her trustworthy and one of the least likely people to run to poachers with the information, but it wasn't his life he was gambling with, it was Harry's, his mates and his children's lives and he couldn't do it and didn't think it was his place to tell her, especially with his track record, because he had thought Peter was the least likely person to ever run to Voldemort with the information about James, Lily and Harry's whereabouts.

"It's just because it's Harry." Remus sighed. "I've known him since birth, was there as James proudly told us that Lily was pregnant, I may not have been there after he was sent to Lily's sister's, but I've been there for him since he was thirteen. Knowing he has six children now, it seems inconceivable."

"It was always going to be. You see him as a son, you've looked out for him, changed his nappies, fed him a bottle or two, he was just a baby in your arms, but now he's in an obvious sexual relationship and has his own children, but the fact of the matter is, you are always going to see him as too young, even if he was fifty you'd think him too young, because to you he's always going to be a baby. Harry is obviously happy with his life and is enjoying it, all you can do, all anyone can do, is support him in his decisions, because he has obviously decided what he wants from life and he is not wasting any time going after it."

Remus pulled Tonks onto his lap and looked up at her beautiful heart shaped face.

"Why did I have to love someone so smart?" He teased.

"Because you're usually a smart man, just not when it comes to a certain black haired boy you see as a son." Tonks teased back, brushing the tip of his nose with a finger before leaning in to kiss him.

* * *

**Missing Scene**

* * *

"I think I'm just going to sleep until tomorrow." Tonks laughed.

"I thought you wanted to go to dinner tonight." Remus replied.

"It can wait." Tonks said through a yawn as she turned onto her side with a deep groan, snuggling into him.

Remus chuckled and threw an arm around the woman he loved. He was so happy at the moment that he couldn't believe he had ever seriously considered denying himself and Tonks this happiness, no matter how briefly.

* * *

Harry paced with a screaming Braiden; he had kicked Blaise and Nasta into the bedroom with the Quintuplets and kept Max and Draco with him as he tried fruitlessly to quieten his screaming baby. Max caught him in his arms and pulled him onto his lap, holding him comfortingly as they were forced to listen to Braiden's agonised cries.

"I hate this!" Harry burst out tearfully. "When can we give him the gel?"

"Another hour and a half."

"This is ridiculous! I can't take this anymore. That gel is making it worse!"

A knock at the portrait door made Harry send up a silent prayer. "Thank fuck!"

Draco opened the portrait door and Harry had never been so pleased to see Ashleigh, Myron, Richard, Marianna, Narcissa and Lucius.

"Ohh, what's the matter with him?" Ashleigh fretted as she hovered over him and Braiden.

"That's why we need help, Braiden's teething and we can't stop him from crying, he won't sleep and he won't take his bottle." Harry answered tearfully. "How did I stop him from being in pain? I don't want him to be in pain anymore."

"That's the emergency?" Richard asked as he flumped onto the settee. "I thought one of you had lost a hand from the way Max was acting."

"Ignore him Harry; he purposefully scheduled high profile court cases when any of his children were teething so he was away for days at a time." Ashleigh glared at her younger Husband. "Have you tried teething rings?"

"He won't take it anymore." Harry said sadly as he showed her the ring, showing them how Braiden pushed it away, crying so hard he was almost sick, coughing roughly.

"I used a teething potion brewed by Severus for Draco." Narcissa told him. "It worked a treat."

"Severus isn't exactly in a position to brew anything." Lucius told her. "But perhaps if you could get the recipe he used, Maximilius could brew it for you."

Harry nodded, acknowledging Lucius' attempt at being civil. "What can we do for now though? The teething gel we bought can't be applied often enough to keep him out of pain."

"I used a wet washcloth with Blaise." Marianna told them.

"I don't think smothering him with a wet washcloth will help." Harry denied furiously.

Marianna laughed delicately for such a large woman. "I would have a few choice words if you smothered my grandson with a wet washcloth, no you give it to him to bite on."

"I'm willing to try anything." Harry said tearfully.

Marianna called to Blaise, who came to hug his Mother with a smile. She kissed his mouth and then turned him towards the bedroom and asked him for a wet washcloth. He looked at her strangely, but went to get what she had asked for.

Nasta slipped out of the bedroom and greeted everyone politely.

"All the babies are asleep." He told Harry as he gestured for everyone to sit down.

Blaise came back with the wet cloth and offered it to his Mother, who took it from him and handed it to Harry. Harry put the damp end into Braiden's mouth and he tried to push it out with his tongue, but instead he bit down and then he started gumming on it, his tears stopped, though he remained sniffling and making grizzling noises in his throat as he gummed on the cloth hard.

"Thank you." Harry said to Marianna as he cuddled Braiden on his lap.

"It's my pleasure Harry, I know how hard it is to see a little one in pain and know you can't do anything to prevent it, it's the worst feeling in the world."

Harry nodded as he wiped away Braiden's tears, kissing the bright red cheeks softly, letting his lips linger. He hated hearing Braiden cry, hated seeing him in a screaming fit, knowing it was caused by a pain he couldn't immediately erase.

"How are the other five?" Myron asked as he settled on the settee easily.

"Leolin's wings are getting so much better, just a few scabs left and then he'll be all healed!" Harry said happily. "Calix has nappy rash because he's too laid back to cry when he's wet, I blame Max's lack of brain cells."

Richard laughed and gave him a double thumbs up.

"Is Calix's rash under control?" Myron inquired.

"Of course, we're checking him every half an hour, he has cream to be applied and we're leaving him out of his nappy to let his skin dry. It's given us an excuse to use the nightdresses; they're more practical than sleepsuits."

"I bet they look adorable in nightdresses, especially Tegan." Narcissa fawned.

"Actually Calix looks the cutest in them." Harry grinned. "Farren's too big to really pull it off; Leolin's too little so his just drowns him and looks more like a wedding dress on him."

"You have to show us." Ashleigh coaxed.

Harry grinned at Max, who nodded and went to get his second son. Calix was tiny in his arms and in the little nightdress with the blue flowers embroidered on the front he looked dainty as he was handed to his Grandmother to coo over.

"Oh he looks absolutely adorable! Do you have pictures of him in the nightdress?"

"More than we possibly know what to do with." Draco answered with a chuckle. "I suppose we could repaper the walls, we have more than enough with how many photos Harry has taken."

"I like taking photos of them; I don't want to miss a single moment!" Harry said with a smile as he rocked Braiden in his arms, who was gnawing on the wet washcloth until it was time for more teething gel so he could have a bottle and then sleep.

"At this rate you can line them all up and make a timeline of all their lives."

Harry stuck his tongue out at Blaise and handed Braiden off to Nasta so he could get everyone tea. He enjoyed the peace and conversation with the family while it lasted, though he wished Aneirin and Sanex had agreed to come, but Aneirin was finishing up paperwork so he could come and help them the following week and had told him Sanex was also busy with work. Harry wondered if he had done anything to offend either of them recently, but nothing came to mind and their last meeting had been friendly and amicable enough, especially with presenting Aneirin with two grandsons and a granddaughter and Sanex with two Nephews and a Niece. He missed them both and didn't understand why they hadn't come when he had called asking for help.

"Harry? Love, are you alright?"

Max was standing in front of him and Harry looked up confusedly, blinking slowly.

"Huh?" He asked.

"Did you have a flashback love?" Max asked, holding his hands softly and pulling him into a hug.

"No." Harry said a bit defensively, pulling away from Max, he wasn't some distressed woman; he hated being treated like glass.

"You got the same look on your face and you weren't responding to us."

"I was just thinking."

"What about?" Nasta questioned.

"Your Dad and brother." Harry admitted after realising they wouldn't leave it alone. "I don't know if it's just me, but they seem to be treating me differently since the birth of the quintuplets. Was it something I did or said? Did I offend them both or something by not allowing them near Leolin even though he was related to them to blood? Because that wasn't personal, I didn't want anyone holding Leolin after his birth."

"I think that's our cue to leave." Richard said in the silence that followed as he stood up.

Harry watched confused as everyone said their goodbyes and left, Calix being handed to Draco, who was avoiding his eyes.

"I did do or say something, didn't I?" Harry said hollowly as he felt light headed at the thought of offending two much loved and very respected people that he held close to his heart.

Harry slid down the kitchen counter and stared ahead blankly. Nasta's face appeared in front of his gaze and Harry realised his eyes were blurry through tears. He blinked and those tears slid down his face.

"Harry love, no one blames you."

"I'm not like other submissives, I'm not, but I couldn't hand over Leolin after just learning he was a Faerie and had an open back wound, I couldn't."

"Harry, it's not about Leolin love, it happened before Leolin was even born."

"What? What did I do Nas? Please tell me." Harry begged tearfully.

Nasta sighed heavily and pulled him between his crouched legs and held him to his chest, even as Harry struggled and tried to push him away.

"You tried to kill Sanex." Nasta told him, softly, calmly, as if he had done nothing more than knock over a glass of water.

"What?!" Harry screamed trying more viciously to break Nasta's hold on him.

"After you had gone into premature labour and gone feral, Sanex foolishly followed you up to the bedroom through concern. He acted like a damned idiot and he's already been told off by me and Dad for it, but he didn't think, he heard you screaming and followed you. You were feral, in labour and looking for a place to birth and Sanex was in the same room, trying to help, of course you reacted negatively to his presence, of course you tried to eliminate the perceived threat, no one blames you Harry."

"Obviously they do or they wouldn't treat me differently!" Harry snapped as the memory played out in his mind as Nasta's words uncovered the memory from his mind. "Fuck I almost killed him Nasta! I would have if Myron hadn't come home when he did, I had Sanex pinned down in the corner of the room, he could have died! I could have killed him! I almost did."

"But you didn't." Nasta said firmly. "Sanex even admits it was his own fault, he shouldn't have gone after you like a brainless idiot, he knew better, he's been taught better. He's grown up with Drackens, he's been taught these things Cariad, he should have remembered how dangerous a feral Dracken is and kept away from you, but he didn't, that was his fault, not yours."

"But I almost killed him!"

"No one blames you." Nasta answered firmly. "Max, get my brother and Father here now, no excuses." He ordered. "Harry need's to hear it from them."

Harry heard Max moving away and the portrait door opening and closing. Nasta still refused to let him go, holding him tightly and unrelentingly.

It took ten minutes before Max came back with panicky looking Aneirin and a confused Sanex.

"Max said that you needed us and that it was urgent, I was picturing you sick or dying." Aneirin confessed as he hunched down and clamped Nasta in a hug, kissing him.

"No, but Harry noticed that you and Sanex are treating him with caution and believed it was because he wouldn't let you hold Leolin."

"What? Harry, I understood why you were more protective of Leolin, why you wouldn't let him out of your arms. My Dracken is a bit more cautious around you because, well you…"

"Almost killed Sanex." Harry said tearfully.

"It was my fault Harry." Sanex cut in. "I didn't think, my mind was just completely blank and I followed you without thinking. I never should have followed you up the stairs, let alone into the bedroom."

Harry got out of Nasta's arms and slipped his arms around Sanex. "I'm sorry. I don't want to kill you, no matter how much of a pest you and Caesar are sometimes."

Sanex laughed at that and hugged him back tightly. "I'm not afraid of you Harry, I'm afraid of your Dracken though, you are damned scary when you're feral, I almost shit myself. But I couldn't be afraid of you now in human form, you're too cute and your glare is adorable."

Harry glared at him, his eyes promising death, but Sanex laughed.

"That's it; you just look so cute like that."

"Sanex, you carry on speaking and he'll kill you without his Dracken form." Nasta warned. "No one calls Harry the 'A' or 'C' words and lives."

"It wasn't you're fault Harry, but you know how Dracken instincts are, I felt I had to protect my child, my human son, from you after you had tried, and very nearly succeeded, in killing him. But seeing you with him now, I have no desire to rip him from you, or to fight you to protect him, which I would have done if I thought you any real threat to Sanex. I don't blame you; Sanex was a fool who forgot everything I drilled into him for the last forty years. I admit it was his fault, so stop blaming yourself for something that was obviously the fault of my son."

Harry smiled and hugged Aneirin.

"Now, where are my Grandchildren? I want to see all six of them before I leave."

"You still want to come and help next week though, yes?" Harry questioned as if Aneirin might have changed his mind overnight.

"Of course, but I want as much time with my six Grandchildren as possible, even if I will be seeing a lot of them over the coming months."

Harry chuckled and went to sit on the settee as Max finished making the tea Harry had abandoned when their guests had fled from him. All six babies were brought out of the bedroom for Aneirin and Sanex to see, though more for the fact that it was coming up to feed time.

Harry cuddled with Braiden, who had fallen asleep with the smallest corner of the damp washcloth clenched between his gums and Blaise couldn't resist a picture. Draco was cuddling Farren, Aneirin had Leolin cradled carefully in his arms, Sanex had Tegan, Nasta was holding a sleeping Regan and Max was gazing adoringly at little dainty Calix. Hell Harry loved his family, even if they did try to kill one another from time to time, as long as they could still have moments like this, everything would be forgiven and forgotten.

* * *

A/N: This chapter has given me no end of trouble and problems, so it's being left here and I'll get on with the next one before I end up losing my temper with it.

**KittaSinly**: AO3, Archive Of Our Own, is a fanfiction website where I post the full uncut version of the story for those who can't get onto AFF.

**summerstorm**: No that wasn't a mistake and I am using the British curriculum like the actual books. There are three terms. September to December, then half-term for Christmas, January to April, then half-term for Easter, then April to July, then summer holidays. The boys just came back after Christmas, so they have two terms left before graduation.

**chachamaru43**: I have already answered this question. I started writing Blaise/Harry fics before Half-Blood Prince came out, when Blaise Zabini was just a name in the sorting way back in the first book. I took the first name Blaise, which is French and the second name Zabini, which is Italian, which is why the person I write Blaise as, is always half French and half Italian. I created my own Blaise Zabini because he was just a name, how was I to know J. K. Rowling would bring him out in Half-Blood Prince and flesh him out a bit more? But that's beside the point, I tried to write him as J. K. Rowling had in the books after I read Half-Blood Prince, but I couldn't make it stick, he just wasn't how I had pictured him and wasn't how I had been writing him for years, so I ignored the mention of him in Half-Blood Prince and kept him as my own version as that was the only way I'd be able to write Blaise Zabini. That's all there is to it, simple as that, sorry if you don't like it.

**mundez**: It has already been mentioned that yes they will be getting married. There is no separate service for Drackens; they obviously won't be using a Muggle wedding because as far as I'm aware it is illegal for more than two people to be married to one another at one time, so they'll be using a standard, more open minded, wizard ceremony.

**Sweets**: I loved the original chapter so much and I couldn't wait for it to be updated, only to reach the bottom and realise it was up for adoption, I watched for an hour or so, reading through all the reviews, until I realised that no one was adopting it, I couldn't see it rot and go to waste. I debated with myself on whether to adopt it or not, because I still had two other fics to write, but in the end I decided I wanted it, even if it did jeopardise my other fics and it just went from there. I wrote the first six chapters very quickly and it took off from there. It was easy picking what to use and what not to use, because I had a clear picture in my head of what a Dracken would and wouldn't be, so it was simple to pick up traits for them.

I love Draco/Harry/Blaise fics and I'm not a fan of Severus/Harry fics at all, not even with Lucius added to it, so that was the first thing to go when the original author said it didn't have to be the pairing she had chosen. However I do love Snape being a mentor or a guide to Harry, which is where having Snape be an older, wiser Dracken came to me, but with the addition of two older mates, that sort of made it unnecessary, but I decided to make Snape a Dracken before I knew it would be more than a threesome and as for where the inspiration comes from, I have a very, very clear and active imagination and I spend a lot of time thinking and planning everything that's going to happen and I can picture it and see it clearly as I do so. I can see the world I've created, I can see the people in it, I can tell them apart and keep them separated from one another, I've made it mine, because I've created almost everyone and everything in it, so I see it as mine, which probably helps the conviction of that come across in the writing.

**Lily**: Dominant females are anomalies, just like the male submissive. Certain traits pass over and get mixed in and muddled up. Females are not supposed to be dominant as males are not supposed to be submissive, so yes, female dominants have heat periods to get pregnant like the submissives, because their bodies are still female and that confuses the Dracken responses that are caught between female and dominant, which equates to male, which is why Marianna's Dracken forced her into playing the Mother and Father role in Blaise's life, Mother for the female in her, Father for the dominant.

That's all for now I think, thank you to all of you who have read and reviewed,

StarLight Massacre. X


	60. Downhill Slide

_Last Time_

_Harry chuckled and went to sit on the settee as Max finished making the tea Harry had abandoned when their guests had fled from him. All six babies were brought out of the bedroom for Aneirin and Sanex to see, though more for the fact that it was coming up to feed time._

_Harry cuddled with Braiden, who had fallen asleep with the smallest corner of the damp washcloth clenched between his gums and Blaise couldn't resist a picture. Draco was cuddling Farren, Aneirin had Leolin cradled carefully in his arms, Sanex had Tegan, Nasta was holding a sleeping Regan and Max was gazing adoringly at little dainty Calix. Hell Harry loved his family, even if they did try to kill one another from time to time, as long as they could still have moments like this, everything would be forgiven and forgotten._

Chapter Sixty – Downhill Slide

The next week was easier than Harry could have possibly imagined with Aneirin to help them. They could keep Braiden calm and fed with a combination of the teething gel and the wet washcloth and Harry found enjoyment from seeing the teeny, tiny little tooth that appeared in the front, bottom of Braiden's mouth which was soon quickly joined by a second front, bottom tooth. It made his smiles absolutely adorable when he showed off those two little bottom teeth and he made sure to get as many photos of it as he could.

His lessons were also picking up pace as they quickly approached February, the work getting harder and more in depth as every Professor pushed and pushed and pushed all of them, swamping them with homework until Harry felt like crying with the unending homework as he was forced to spend time with his children by holding them on his lap as he did his homework and essays and mock exam questions, the threat of being taken out of the exams by his Professors if he didn't complete everything to standard, thus never graduating or worse, having to repeat his last year, was hanging heavily over his head.

Blaise was the most affected, becoming short and abrupt with everyone if he didn't have complete silence in which to work with, which with six very young babies, was not even remotely possible so Nasta ended up ordering him to the library or to the study hall, which had been converted from a large, disused classroom, set up by the Professors for all seventh year students who wanted some extra help as there was often a Professor or two there to help where they could.

Draco actually impressed Harry, and likely Max and Nasta as well; by how calm he was as he planned every minute of his day to fit in everything he needed to do. Unlike Hermione, who blocked her homework and revision and spent every minute of her time limit doing what her schedule said to, Draco would start immediately on something else once he had finished the first, regardless of how much time he had left after his allocated limit. This often let him breeze through the subjects he knew, to spend more time on those he wasn't as proficient in and sometimes left him with time to spare, which he didn't waste and instead used to play with their children or help Harry with his own homework, which gave Harry some more free time to spend with their children as well, which made him less stressed and made him that little bit happier.

Today was not one of those days as Draco was struggling to keep himself to his own schedule and Harry was half a minute away from bashing his head against the table in frustration. Deciding he needed a distraction from the screaming babies and Draco's fevered quill scratching, Harry swiped his books to the floor and stood up with a huff.

"That's not going to help you finish your homework." Nasta told him as he bounced Braiden over his shoulder as he screamed.

"I don't care, I've had enough." Harry declared as he moved to the kitchen and started taking out pans and bowls.

"Are you hungry?" Max asked even as he carefully fed a softly suckling Leolin. "We can exchange places if you want."

"No, I'm not hungry; I'm stressed so I'm going to bake."

Harry made good on his promise as he beat his cake mixture viciously, watched by his mates, who didn't say a word to disrupt him in case he turned on them.

Harry threw himself next to Max when the cakes were in the oven and snuggled in and just touched Leolin's sleeping face.

"Do you feel any better?" Max asked with a grin.

"Not yet." Harry answered as he scooped up Farren and inhaled the soft scent of his second child. "I can't wait until we're out of this place. I'll miss it and the teachers, but I can't deal with so much stress all at once."

"It'll be alright soon love." Max soothed, sliding Leolin into his other arm and wrapping his free one around Harry, kissing him gently. "It's almost February, and Nasta's thirty-eighth birthday. Feeling old yet Nas?"

Nasta rolled his eyes, but his lips were turned up into a smile. "Not yet, though you are only thirty-two Max, I doubt you'd feel old even when you turn three hundred."

"Of course not." Max laughed. "I'll be forever young!"

Harry chuckled and bounced Farren a bit more. "Young mentally that is."

Draco snorted and Max dug a finger into his side to make him squirm. His timer went off and Harry handed Farren to Max and took out his fairy cakes, leaving them to cool as he went and wrapped his arms around Draco and nibbled at his neck. He could feel the amount of stress Draco swallowed to keep himself from shoving him off or telling him to get off as he feverishly tried to complete his work.

Harry sat back on his legs and placed his hands on Draco's shoulders, rubbing gently to begin with, before steadily increasing the pressure until he was working out the knots from Draco's neck, back and shoulders, gently digging in thumbs to work out the bad knots.

Draco shuddered under his touch and let out a deep sigh of air, his entire body relaxing.

"I should have done this ages ago." Harry chuckled, leaning forward to nibble at Draco's skin. "I don't think I've given a massage since the night Nasta joined us! I tricked him into having sex with me."

"How did you manage that and what does it have to do with massage?" Max questioned curiously as he put Leolin down and picked up Regan.

"I stripped naked for bed and refused to wear clothes unless Nasta gave me a backrub. He couldn't do it properly so I straddled him and gave him a real massage to show him how it was done. It sort of escalated into sex when I started rubbing against his front when he rolled me onto the bed. It was damn good sex too, I really should give massages more often."

"You can massage me if you want to." Max offered with a grin. "I'll even give you damn good sex." Max added a wink and Harry laughed for the first time in what felt like days.

Harry sandwiched himself against Draco and sucked at his neck, hearing the small hitch of breath.

"I could give you a proper massage if you took off your shirt and lay down." Harry breathed into Draco's delicately pink ear.

"I need to finish this Harry." Draco answered, but it was not half as convincing as perhaps Draco would have liked.

Harry smiled. "One massage, then you can go back to doing your work; you'll feel better for it."

"Am I allowed to say no?" Draco inquired.

"No." Harry replied with a smile and pulled Draco to lie on the floor, tugging the shirt off as he went. "Throw me a cushion please Nas."

Nasta threw the cushion gently to him and Harry caught it, propping it under Draco's head before climbing to straddle Draco's bum.

"Oh!" Harry got off of Draco again. "I'll be right back." Harry went to the bathroom, got a bottle of lube and carried it back into the living room.

"You can't really think you're going to have sex on the living room floor with how much work we still have to do." Draco replied, though his silver eyes had blown wide with the beginnings of lust.

"It's in place of massage gel and I couldn't find the baby oil. I think Blaise moved it after bathing Braiden in the morning, but I don't know where he had put it." Which was a complete lie as he knew where it was, it was just that the lube tasted a hell of a lot better than baby oil.

Harry straddled Draco once again and squirted some lube onto his hands, rubbing them together to warm the gel, he then spread the gel onto Draco's back, his hands moving so much more smoothly as he rubbed and caressed Draco's back, who groaned and sunk into the floor as his body let go of all the tension it was carrying.

Harry couldn't help but lean down to kiss at Draco's perfect skin, licking the lube that clung to his lips. He really did prefer it to the baby oil. He licked the gel from Draco's back, his blonde groaning further as he felt Harry's tongue trace his spine.

"Can I have a massage next?" Max whined as he cradled Calix, who had opened very dark blue eyes to peer around at the world around him curiously.

"If you want one." Harry replied. "You can all have one, all you need to do is ask, I love giving massages."

When every knot had been worked out of Draco's body and he was so relaxed he was almost dozing, Harry lay on his back and kissed from his shoulder, up his neck, to his face and made his way to his jaw and finally his mouth, where he let his lips linger.

"Now you can do your work." Harry said as he stood up and stretched. "Max, on the floor."

Max grinned as he passed Calix to Nasta and took Draco's spot on the floor. Max's back was larger than Draco's and getting his legs straddled over Max's hips required him to be more flexible than was strictly comfortable, but Harry enjoyed himself as he took to rubbing lube on his lover's back and sides. Max was decidedly not ticklish as Harry ghosted gently fingertips over his sides and in the soft dent by his hipbones, coming close to his stomach, but Max didn't even twitch.

Harry mentally timed Max's massage to Draco's, made sure all the knots were out of his body, before declaring him done and asking for Nasta to lay on the floor.

His oldest mate passed Calix back to Max and tugged off his jumper and the vest underneath, before lying on his stomach and silently accepting the soft, small hands that caressed and smoothed over his skin. Harry took care to kiss as much of Nasta as he could, licking up the lube before spreading more around so his hands could work easier over the skin.

Once again he timed his massage so it didn't take any longer than Max or Draco's had, but made sure also that the knots had been removed and Nasta was relaxed and loose before declaring him done and going to wash the lube from his hands and to finally ice his cooled cupcakes.

He mixed the icing sugar he had made sure Max had put in the cupboard just for an occasion such as this and mixed it with a few drops of food colouring to make it a pale blue. He set to icing the cupcakes and lobbed one at Max, who bit into it and moaned, complimenting him heavily over the taste and the presentation of the simple cupcake, but it made Harry grin and swell a bit with pride and accomplishment.

Harry made tea and served it along with a plate of his cakes to his mates and allowed Nasta to pull him onto his lap, even though every fibre of his being screamed that it was degrading. It wasn't. How could it be? He loved being cuddled by his mates, so what if Nasta wanted him on his lap, snuggled in like a baby? No one was here to see them and it felt nice, wasn't that all that mattered? All that should matter?

Blaise came back to their rooms late and he was in a very bad mood and Harry wasn't prepared to put up with it any longer. Blaise had been his first for many things, he had been mated to him for the longest, had loved him for the longest but he was not going to put up with this behaviour any longer, three days was long enough.

"Get on the floor now." Harry ordered with a growl. Blaise rumbled warningly at him, but Harry just glared at him until with a sneer and a scrunch to his nose, Blaise sat on the floor by the coffee table, looking to be fully prepared to take his homework out and start working again.

"No. I'm not putting up with this Blaise. You can't treat us like this just because you're having a bad day. We're all stressed, it's hard I know, but there is nothing we can do about the babies, or about how much work the Professors give us, but you can't treat us so terribly just because it's getting to you, you're overworked love, so take off your shirt and lay down."

"I've got too much to…"

"I wasn't asking Blaise." Harry cut in hardly, glaring again. "Do it. Now!"

Blaise scoffed, huffed and took off his shirt, Harry pushed him onto his stomach onto the cushion that hadn't been moved and picked up the lube again.

"What are you doing?" Blaise demanded.

"Please Blaise, just shut up." Harry answered as he warmed the lube before spreading it over Blaise's back and set to work.

There were so many knots Harry didn't know where to start first, he traced Blaise's spine, running his thumbs lightly over the bone as his fingers fanned out to brush the skin of Blaise's shoulders, moving downwards until Blaise squirmed. Unlike Max, he was ticklish and Harry's fingertips so close to his sides made his muscles jump under the skin.

Harry popped bone and loosened knots until he could feel the tension draining out of Blaise's body like a poison. Harry didn't need to time Blaise's massage because soon Blaise was breathing heavily and evenly, his head pillowed on his folded arms on the cushion, his body more relaxed than it had been in days.

"He fell asleep on me." Harry said scandalised, but quietly so that he wouldn't wake him.

"It could have been worse; at least it wasn't during sex." Max pointed out. "Your massages are top class Harry; you could become a professional masseur."

Harry scoffed. "As if you'd stand idly by and let me caress men and women's backs for a living. You'd likely tear the heads off of my customers."

"There is that, but other than that you'd make an amazing masseur." Max assured.

Harry chuckled quietly as he took the blanket from the back of the settee and covered Blaise with it.

"If he's still asleep in an hour I'll carry him to bed." Nasta said from the settee, cradling Regan close.

"I hope he sleeps for a long while." Draco grumbled, working on his own work, but it was with a decidedly more relaxed air about him. "You're not the only one who his attitude has been grating on."

"He needs some sleep." Harry agreed. "Hopefully he'll wake up in a better mood."

"While he's sleeping and getting on with recovering from his almost breakdown, why don't you start on your own work hmm?" Nasta suggested lightly.

Harry snorted. "And end up like him? No thanks!"

Nasta just gave him a look and Harry sighed, flumping down and pulling his scattered homework to himself and forcing himself to do it to standard and not just write random words and nonsense until it was the required length.

* * *

Harry woke up and groaned. The screaming in his ear meant a baby had been what had woken him. He rolled over to several other groans and grumbles and he sat up groggily, he scooped up Tegan and accidentally on purpose kneed Nasta's shin. He grunted in pain and blinked hazel eyes that looked more greenish in the early morning gloom.

"Was that for?" He mumbled sleepily.

"She's your daughter." Harry grumbled as he carried her carefully down the stairs and into the little kitchenette to make a bottle for her. He didn't know why she had woken up an hour early for her feed, but Harry hoped she didn't make a habit of it.

Tegan refused the bottle and Harry sighed as he blinked his eyes open a crack, put the bottle down before he turned her over to check her nappy. It was dry and unsoiled. Harry woke up a bit more now as Tegan continued to scream, he turned her over in his arms and actually looked at his little daughter, who was red faced and squalling. Actually, she was more red faced than she should have been, even if she was crying so hard.

Immediately his stomach lurched into his throat and Harry quickly felt her forehead, his hand lingering on her skin and his eyes widened and his heart raced as he felt how warm she actually was. His hand slipped to her cheek and then her neck, she was really, seriously burning up.

Harry let out a distressed scream and almost instantaneously he was surrounded, each mate speaking until Nasta hit the three others over the head lightly, their chins dropped to their chests and stayed there until Nasta pulled their heads up. They remained quiet.

"Tegan's burning." Harry told them. "She's burning up, she needs a Healer."

Nasta touched her head and hissed. "Max, Healer now."

Max was gone before Harry could say anything further; Harry was ushered to sit on the settee with Tegan, Draco brought a cool, wet washcloth and Harry laid it over Tegan's forehead, hoping it would help until the Healer arrived.

"How long has she been like this?" Harry demanded. "How long has she been fevered while we were sleeping just inches from her?!"

"Don't think about it Harry." Blaise soothed. "She let us know when she was ill and we reacted immediately."

Max came back into the room pulling Madam Pomfrey, who had a belted robe around her body, she had obviously been sleeping.

"I'm sorry Madam Pomfrey, but please, I don't know what's wrong with her."

Madam Pomfrey's wand was in hand and already running diagnostic tests, she handed Harry a thermometer.

"Place that in her ear until it beeps, if you would Harry."

Harry did as he was told and swallowed heavily at the reading when it beeped. One-o-one point three degrees.

"She has a high fever; does she have a rash anywhere upon her body? Particularly reddish-purple spots?"

Harry untied the nightdress from around Tegan and slipped her out of it carefully, leaving her in just a nappy. He searched her critically for any spots or blemishes, but there was nothing.

"No, no rash or spots."

"That's good. I think she just may have an infection. The fever is telling us that her body is fighting the infection. Viruses thrive at about ninety-eight degrees Fahrenheit, the elevated temperature will help her body fight the infection more effectively and will alert her body to the infection, which will then cause her body to make more white blood cells and antibodies. I wouldn't suggest giving her medicine at this stage, just keep her clothing light, don't swaddle her with blankets and keep checking her temperature, if it at all rises, then you need to head to St Mungos and get a specialist to take a look at her."

"So we leave her?" Harry demanded furiously, not at all happy with that plan.

"Understand Harry that fever is the body's way of dealing with infections. I don't believe she has a serious infection and her temperature is not dangerously high, so giving her any medication could do her more damage. She seems to have calmed down since you are comforting her, which suggests her crying was for attention, which is why she refused the bottle, she wasn't hungry, just uncomfortable, though if she still doesn't accept a bottle when it's past time for her usual feed then floo to St Mungos, though I don't believe this will be the case."

Harry nodded unhappily as he pulled Tegan's head through the neck of the nightdress and slipped her arms through one at a time. He gently tied the collar of the nightdress closed before tying the sash at her waist.

"How long until it goes away?" He couldn't help asking.

"A few days I'd say, any more and again, take her to St Mungos Harry, though I'm sure she'll be fine."

Harry nodded.

"Thank you very much Madam Pomfrey." Max told her as he gazed at his daughter worriedly. "I'm sorry for startling you as I did."

"That's alright. I'd do anything for any person in this school. If I didn't like being woken up at odd hours on different days of the week I'd have applied for the librarian post."

Harry chuckled and said goodbye to the Healer as she waved away Max's offer to accompany her back to her rooms.

"I am a grown woman, I am not so old yet as to forget where I sleep, you are needed here more than walking me needlessly to my rooms. Good morning to you all gentlemen."

"She told you huh?" Blaise teased as she left. Max scowled at him and ruffled his hair.

"There's no point going back to sleep, the other five will be waking up soon anyway, I'll make us some tea." Nasta said as he kissed Harry and then kissed Tegan.

Nasta was as good as his word and soon enough Harry was cuddled up with a cup in his hands, sipping on the comforting, delicate flavour of honey.

It relaxed him as he brushed gentle fingers through Tegan's downy hair, which was growing in as black as Braiden's. She blinked open her eyes and let out a discontented murmur. Harry soothed her and shushed her, rubbing her tummy softly.

"Come on baby girl. It's alright, Mummy has you now. I'm not going to let anything happen to you."

His voice seemed to calm her and when he had finished his tea and pulled her up onto his chest, his heartbeat lulled her into sleep and he was reassured by the small puffs of air against his bare skin. Tegan would be alright, with some tender love and care, she would be fine, he wouldn't let anything happen to her. Her or any of his children. Not now, not ever.

* * *

Aneirin couldn't keep the smile from his face as he looked around himself to the halls of the Faeries. He had made an appointment to see the Faerie court and he knew they didn't want him here. In fact they hated him being here and had put off the meeting twice already, which had been in his best interest as he gathered as much information as he could from his families accounts of the Faerie courts, but he had kept onto them and persevered and now he was in the Faerie halls, about to speak to the court and rub their snotty noses in his Faerie grandson.

Harry had fearfully told him about his only granddaughter's fever and Aneirin had hopefully reassured him about it with the story of when Angharad had gotten a cold when she was only a few days old and the time when Nasta had gotten a fever when he was two months old. He explained that babies' immune systems needed to be strengthened and that Tegan getting an infection was not a sign of bad parenting, but her body's way of strengthening itself for when some bigger, more serious infection came along, that it would help her body be prepared to fight it off and give her a better chance of getting through it.

Harry hadn't looked as fearful, or as tearful, after Aneirin had finished explaining the fever to him and thankfully after only twenty-eight hours, Tegan's fever broke and she became her happy, cooing self once more and Harry had been so relieved. He was just glad it hadn't been Leolin, because his immune system was almost non-existent, he had told Harry seriously that if Leolin ever got a fever or showed signs of sickness that he was to immediately go to St Mungos, no wasting time, no messing about, just straight to the hospital's specialist, magical creatures paediatricians as he would need medicine and quite a lot of it to survive.

"Why have you come here?"

Aneirin looked up to the Faerie in front of him and grinned as he recognised him.

"It's been a long time since our families last met Aubrey." Aneirin greeted, unable to take the smirk from his mouth. "What has it been, a hundred and ten years?"

"You're bloodline is too dilute Delericey." The tall, slender Faerie told him stiffly. "You have no business being here _dragon_!"

"It's pronounced Dracken actually, _Tylwyth Teg_." Aneirin replied mildly, not giving anything away until he met with the Seelie and Unseelie court Faeries.

Aubrey snarled at him, but another Faerie laid a hand on his shoulder and pushed him off on his way down the corridor, almost making Aubrey fall to the ground as he stumbled at the force.

Aneirin greeted Warren amicably. His family had gotten on with Warren's for a very long while.

"I do not understand why you have come here today Aneirin, but the Seelie and Unseelie court will see you now."

"It is good to see you too Warren, you look well."

"I have been well for these past few centuries, unlike you. I had heard your grief was unparalleled in its passion. What of your youngest child?"

"My son, Nasta. He was born Dracken. That was almost thirty-eight years ago Warren."

"Time passes differently here, you know we do not count the years as other races do."

Aneirin inclined his head.

"You have unrested the Seelie and the Unseelie courts, they whisper and taunt. Dragons do not belong in the Faerie courts." Warren warned him gently.

"Perhaps I do not, but my son and his lover have birthed a Faerie." Aneirin told the tall Faerie, who had been noted in all his family's journals and biographies, as being a friend to the Delericeys.

Warren stopped dead and just looked at him with wide eyes, the same eyes that all Faeries gained after their baby blue eyes changed, the eyes that Leolin would have when they finally changed colour.

"This…this is madness! A Faerie has not been born into your line in a life age!"

"A hundred and fifty-eight years and yes I know you don't deal with years, but that is as long as it has been since the last Faerie in our line was born."

"The child died not long after birth, did it not?" Warren asked gently.

"Yes, a sickness took her and it ravaged her body until she gave out." Aneirin answered, thinking about the girl who would have grown to be his great-great-great aunt.

"Unfortunate that we are so strong against such things in adulthood, yet when we are at our most defenceless, we are also at our weakest and most vulnerable against such things. It should not be that the young die in such horrific ways as we watch helpless, I will pray for your son's child's good health and speed into adulthood."

Aneirin nodded in acceptance of the spoken words and they carried on to the courts. Warren gave him a hard, strong slap on the shoulder at the door that would have sent a human flying to the floor, but he was a Dracken and made of much stronger, sterner stuff, so he managed to keep his footing against what was meant to be a good will gesture.

Aneirin didn't knock on the door, the court had sent for him, they were expecting him and knocking would have been seen as him stalling, which would not be a good impression to make with his first action, so he just walked through the door and walked to stand before the table of nine Seelie and Unseelie Faeries. He greeted them all in order of seating, the Faerie on the end of the table on the left, then the Faerie on the end of the table on the right side, then back to the left, then the right until he greeted the Faerie sat in the middle of the table, last.

"Alston. Dain. Siusan. Zuzana. Eitri. Kailen. Narilla. Donella. Sindri."

"You are a Delericey." The male Faerie seated second from the end of the left side of the table, Eitri, told him.

"I am. Aneirin Delericey."

"You have no Faerie blood in you, you have no place here." The female Faerie next to Eitri told him. Siusan's eyes were dark, but still the bright colour of all Faerie's.

"The blood was weak within your line." Donella told him, her lips tugged down into a stern frown. "Your blood was cursed with the death of all Faeries in your line."

"The ancestors have seen fit to lift the curse. A Faerie has been born into my line through my youngest son, whose lover bore him a Faerie son not one moon turn ago."

"Is this perhaps some cheap trick to associate with the Seelie and Unseelie once more?" Zuzana asked haughtily, her dress adorned with large and tacky, but expensive and glimmering, gems.

"You have not bought the child with you." Dain pointed out softly, he had been another friend to the Delericey's once upon a time.

"My son and his lover are very protective of the child and will not allow him out of their sight."

"Then how do you plan to prove your claim true?" Alston asked with unfriendly eyes.

Aneirin held up the folder he had brought, he laid it on the table in front of Sindri and watched as the head of the court opened the folder to show pictures of Leolin, most particularly his back in various stages of growth.

"He was not carried to term." Narilla said softly, her soft eyes bright with tears as she touched the picture of Leolin being held gently on Harry's bare chest, his raw and sticky wings on show as he wore just a nappy for the photo.

"No, he was born at just four moon turns."

"That is too soon! He should not have lived."

"My son and his lover were very nurturing and took excessive care with him, they are still very possessive and caring of him, but they have requested books so that they may help their son further and adequately so that he may reach adulthood happy and healthy."

"The child's eyes have not turned." Kailen pointed out.

"No, he is less than a moon's turn old; can you expect his eyes to have turned?"

"No, but your son, I take it he is the taller male?"

Aneirin nodded. "My son Nasta and his lover Harry."

"Both males?" Zuzana screeched in scandal.

"Not every man wants a woman." Aneirin put in bitchily and more than a bit pointedly.

"Your son's eyes have Faerie hints." Dain cut in before Zuzana could start a scene.

"Yes. He is a carrier and passed the gene to his youngest child."

"Youngest? Your son and his lover have more than the Faerie child?"

"Yes, my son and Harry have three children, two boys and a girl."

"Only the youngest boy is Faerie?"

Aneirin nodded in answer.

"This male does not look out of boyhood!" Narilla fretted.

"Harry is seventeen, but he is a Dracken, not a human."

"Dragons!" Alston spat.

"Yet from two dragons came a Faerie." Aneirin boasted.

"Drackens are notorious for their lovers and children. How many lovers does Harry have and how many children?" Eitri asked.

"Harry has four lovers, including my son and currently has six children, three of them my son's."

"Are there any more…_animals_ in the family lines?" Donella inquired spitefully.

"No." Aneirin answered curtly. "Just Dracken and Faerie blood."

"Why have you come here?" Zuzana demanded. "One Faerie does not change your blood status from null!"

"It should." Aneirin said. "How can my bloodline be claimed as barren if a Faerie child has been produced? But it was not a change for my blood status I came for. I came for books, for information, so that my family can properly care for a Faerie child. We wish for him to reach adulthood well."

"If you cannot adequately care for him, perhaps he should not be in your care." Suisan murmured. "I would be happy to accept the babe into my arms and to my breast."

"Not acceptable." Aneirin said furiously, anger making his eyes darker, his temper breaking through for the first time since being here, though he had known this could be a possibility. "Leolin belongs with his Mother and Fathers, with his brothers and sister, his family. You will not take him from us. I came for information to make his life easier, so that we may raise him properly, but if you do not plan to give me what I want, say so now and I will leave and help my sons raise their child as best as we can."

"You will never…" Zuzana started, but she was cut off midsentence.

"Request granted." Sindri spoke for the first time, his voice heavy and slow with age. "I will have Warren escort you to the library, where you may take as many books on Faerie children as you need. No Faerie child deserves to be taken from family and no Faerie child will suffer needlessly while I am head of the Seelie and Unseelie court. If it is information you need, you shall be gifted it. It is nice to see the Delericey's back among us once more, Aneirin. Your son Nasta and his son Leolin, along with his Mother Harry, will be most welcome among us should a time come when they wish to visit, I would like to see Leolin before he grows too large and heavy to fit into these bony, weakening arms. I always do like to hold Faerie children, but so few are being born these moon turns and fewer are reaching adulthood, I will pray for him, as I do all babes, and mayhaps the ancestors will hear me this time."

"I thank you, Sindri, Head of the Seelie and Unseelie court." Aneirin answered respectfully. "I will bring Nasta, Harry and Leolin to see you when it is convenient."

Sindri inclined his head and just like that it was over and he was dismissed, picking up the folder of photos and leaving through the door he had come through, to meet Warren on the outside. The man was smiling at him and clapped him on the back once more, this time in greeting. Aneirin swore that if he was ever choking, he would have Warren help him out.

"You spoke fluently and eloquently and did not get riled up, you did well." Warren told him, throwing an arm around his shoulders.

"I almost did." Aneirin grumbled.

"But you did not fall for those harpies' ploys! Suisan has failed to even birth four Faeries now and she craves the feel of babes in arms, it is no wonder she tried for yours and Zuzana cannot find a Valkyrie who will lay with her for children and not pleasure."

"I don't know what pleasure can be found from her, but I am somehow glad to hear she has never had a child."

Warren chuckled and nodded. "Alston is upset as he lost his daughter to the human son of a Dracken, they married without his blessing and have two children, both are Drackens which his daughter has not let him see. He had intended for her to marry the son of his wealthy friend to create an unbroken union between them. I heard that the dowry was to be quite a sum."

"What is Donella's excuse for being a tart?"

Warren chuckled again. "She has tried and failed to raise three Faerie babes to adulthood. It is rumoured that her Valkyrie was being adulterous, so their union was cursed by the ancestors. She does not like to see any babe being raised to adulthood anymore when her own were taken from her."

"It was nice to see Dain and Kailen still accept the Delericeys."

"Many here have not forgotten, Dain and Kailen were very close to Trefor Delericey before he was killed, they were very thick friends, they were saddened when Trefor's son's daughter died and when Nesta did not produce a Faerie child, despite his five children and your blood was declared a null line, they were very upset. But they will rejoice again now that Trefor's blood has thickened once more, it is rumoured that they and Trefor were more than friends, which is why they have never taken a Fae in a union."

"Perhaps they just don't want someone like Zuzana, Suisan and Donella as a life partner, though Narilla seemed nice enough."

"Narilla is a Mother to us all. Any babe who becomes orphaned or is in need of help goes to Narilla. She is the epitome of the perfect Fae, her Valkyrie is so proud and so protective he will not let any other Valkyrie near her unattended, he would have been waiting outside the table court exit for her, he does not like leaving her to attend court issues alone."

"A bit like Harry. He is considered the most perfect submissive Dracken, my son and his three other lovers are so protective, but he takes their actions as smothering and believes they are trying to take away his independence, so he often lashes out at displays of such protectiveness."

Warren chuckled. "Your son has his hands full then, Harry sounds like a wildfire."

"Oh he is that. He can be very aggressive when his children are threatened or taunted, his mate Maximilius has a brother and his mate insulted Harry's first child, Braiden, and he almost tore her leg off. He was pulled away before he could be successful, but he did leave a very nasty scar."

"I wouldn't expect anything less from a Mother." Warren said as they entered the vast, colossus library. "I will be sure to find you the very best books to help you raise your grandson Aneirin."

"We have already started."

Aneirin looked over to see Dain and Kailen with a pile of books off to one side.

"I thank you."

"Any relative of Trefor is a relative of ours." Dain said sincerely.

Aneirin did not like how that sentence was phrased and neither did it seem, did Warren, whose thick black eyebrows pulled in to meet over his nose, so deep was his frown. He would have to search his family tree more finely and find out if every child of Trefor's was by his Husband, though it would be difficult to find out, seeing as Trefor and all of his children were dead.

Aneirin was happy to leave with a charmed bag full of books that would help the boys raise Leolin, anything at all that would ease their worry would help and he promised Warren, Dain and Kailen that he would return to show them Leolin as soon as he was able.

As his watch told him it was coming up to half two in the morning, Aneirin decided to head home to bed, he would see the boys tomorrow as he was scheduled to help Max and Nasta with the six as Harry, Blaise and Draco went to their lessons. In the end he was glad to leave the Faerie courts, but he was not glad to leave behind Warren, whom he had only met that day, but felt like he had known his entire life.

* * *

Nasta blinked open his eyes and squinted in the dark, trying to work out what had woken him. Nothing seemed amiss, but he pulled in a deep breath regardless, only to realise his nose was blocked and the small scents he could pull in were sweat from his own body and sickness. His own sickness.

Nasta coughed into his hand as quietly as he could and forced himself up on shaky legs and went to the bathroom sink to get a drink and he caught sight of himself in the mirror.

His skin was white and covered in beads of sweat, his eyes were rimmed with red, with black bags further down, his lips were chapped and sore and an inspection of the inside of his mouth showed his throat was red and swollen. He felt as weak as a kitten; shaking more the longer he stood in front of the mirror. He closed his eyes and breathed out unhappily.

He run a hot bath and gathered everything he needed, being very quiet as he got fresh pyjamas from the bedroom dresser so he didn't wake any of the others.

He slipped into the water and reclined back, lying down so he was as covered by the water as he could be without wetting his hair and sighed. The steam helped his blocked nose, even if it did make his head pound, he'd have to take some Paracetamol tablets as he was sure Max was out of headache relievers after the past two days. Blaise was stressed so he was back to his foul mood and was showing it vehemently, Draco was stressed so he was in a foul mood, Braiden was getting an upper front tooth and Calix had a bad nappy rash that was likely very uncomfortable for him if the pitch of his crying was any indication. They had all needed headache relievers yesterday and the day before, but he also needed one now, quite a bit more than yesterday or the day before as well.

Nasta didn't stay in the bath for long, just long enough for his body to feel warmer than it had and the bone deep ache to ease off and he got out, towelled himself off and dressed into the warm, fleece lined pyjamas that had been a gift from Harry last Christmas. He hadn't worn them yet, but he was thankful for them now as the softness relaxed him and the fleece lining retained the heat from his bath.

He crawled onto the settee and wrapped himself in the blanket from the back of it, he couldn't bring himself to get the tablets, he was too tired. He fell into a fitful sleep not long after only to be woken by a large hand on his forehead and Max's sapphire blue eyes looking at him with such concern after what felt like only minutes of him closing his eyes.

"You're burning."

"I think it's just a cold." Nasta replied thickly, his tongue felt like lead and his head was throbbing with his heartbeat.

"More like the flu." Max said as he pulled down the medical kit, pulling out a thermometer that had yet to be used once since they had bought it.

"That had better not be a rectal thermometer." Nasta joked weakly.

Max grinned. "You're so weak and feverish you couldn't stop me if it was."

"Try it." Nasta refuted, but as Max placed the thermometer gently into his mouth and under his tongue, all joking was put aside as those concerned blue eyes bore into his own hazel, which had brightened with the fever to a pale brown.

Max's hand stroked through his sweaty hair, brushing it from his face as he timed the thermometer, taking it from under his tongue and sighing.

"Too high for you to be messing around." Max answered the question in his eyes. "If you were a human you'd have already had a seizure."

Max wiped the thermometer with antibacterial gel and put it away, getting down his potions case instead and digging through it. He cursed as he realised what Nasta had already known, he had no headache relievers. He got out a pale blue potion instead and uncorked it, he knelt down next to the settee and slipped an arm under his neck and eased him up enough to sip down the icy potion.

"A fever reducer, it should get you away from the danger zone, if you were Harry I'd put you on a sex ban for the fear of ending up with another baby, not that I think you're up for sex at the moment."

Nasta groaned. "It's that high?"

"Yes, so I'll make you some soup and ply you with hot tea and I'll get a small cauldron going for headache relievers, you'll need one soon I'll bet."

"Can't I just take Paracetamol?" Nasta asked as the pain in his skull spiked.

"You can, but it won't last as long and you won't be able to take any headache relievers with it once it wears off and the pain comes back and you can take more headache relievers in twenty-four hours than you can Paracetamol. It'll only take an hour, I promise." Max assured as he set to work immediately on the potion, unlocking the cupboard he kept his personal ingredients in and getting out what he needed.

The hour was set to be gruelling, or at least it was until Max's hand stroking through his hair lulled him back to sleep.

Nasta was woken once again after what felt like only minutes, to soft voices and a happily shrieking baby.

"Braiden, shush love, please."

"S'okay." Nasta mumbled as he forced himself to sit up to meet Harry's very worried emerald green eyes, Braiden's stunning indigo and Max's sapphire blue.

Braiden shrieked again, making the pain in his head turn almost blinding, he felt like his skull was splitting in two halves, but the little baby reached out to him, his two and a half teeth on show as he dribbled and grinned at him and Nasta was a slave to that gorgeous grin as he took that baby from Harry and let him bounce between his hands, no matter how much it made his arms ache to hold Braiden like this. Braiden screeched in happiness again and he flinched as it felt like his skull was crushing his brain.

Thankfully Max had seen him wince and immediately handed over the headache reliever. Nasta downed it and almost instantaneously the pressure lifted from his skull and he fell back with Braiden in pleasure.

"Oh that felt good." He moaned thickly, sniffing through his blocked nose.

"I'll bet." Max said with a small smile. "I won't ask if you feel any better, but I thought you should know your fever came down a few degrees while you were sleeping, it's still very high though."

"Had better not have taken my temperature rectally when I was sleeping." Nasta tried to glare, but it probably came out as a squint.

"No, I took it from under your tongue again." Max winked.

"You poor thing." Harry cooed as he folded his legs under him bedside the settee and nuzzled his cheek and chin as his fingers combed through his hair. "Don't worry; I'll take care of you."

Nasta managed a smile and admitted to himself that it was kind of nice to be fussed over once in a while as Max brought over a mug of hot tea, Harry made sure he was tucked in and continued playing with his hair and Braiden was sat upright in his lap, cooing and clenching little fists into the blanket he had over him.

Harry kissed him and Nasta scowled weakly.

"I don't want you getting sick too." He complained.

"If I'm going to get it Nas, I'm going to get it. Virus' like the flu are airborne, we've all been sleeping next to you and it's likely you've had this virus for a few days, it takes a while for the symptoms to show." Harry replied knowledgably as he peppered kisses on his face. "So I'm not going to stop kissing you when I could already have it anyway."

"Just keep Leolin away from me then." Nasta begged. "You heard Dad; his immune system isn't mature enough to handle any viruses or illnesses."

Harry nodded, but they left the worry unspoken of. Leolin had been next to the bed in his bassinet. He could have already been exposed to the illness.

"I wonder if this is what Tegan had." Harry murmured. "Perhaps she gave it to you."

Nasta chuckled, but it ended in a hacking cough that left his throat searing. He groaned and dropped back against the settee; Braiden giggled and leant forward to pat at his belly.

"It's alright boyo, I'll be fine." He assured, giving his son eye contact and the biggest smile he could manage.

"What happened?" Draco asked as he came out fastening the cuffs of his shirt.

"Nasta has the flu."

Immediately Draco stopped and looked to him with such soft, worried eyes Nasta wanted to cry. When Had Draco grown to love him so much to be so worried over a simple virus?

A cool, pale hand pressed to his forehead and Draco made a small noise of disgust.

"Have you given him anything?" Draco demanded of Max.

"Of course I have you dolt. He's had a fever reducer and I made a fresh batch of headache relievers. I've been keeping him plied with his favourite tea and I'm in the process of making him chicken soup. He's well taken care of."

"All of us are going to take such good care of you." Harry said softly with a loving smile. "You'll be better in no time."

Nasta was sort of hoping it took a while for him to get better, though he felt guilty for this want as he thought about his tiny, vulnerable son. The longer he stayed sick, the higher chance Leolin had of catching his illness, which could possibly end with a fatality as Leolin had a very immature immune system currently.

Blaise came out of the bedroom and it seemed he knew immediately something was wrong as he looked to him and those indigo eyes softened and that sensual mouth pouted out with concern. Blaise wore concern and worry well.

"What's the matter?" He asked as he came to kiss his forehead, allowing his lips to linger as he tested his temperature. "You're burning."

"I've got the flu." Nasta answered weakly, he was getting tired again and so much fussing was draining him.

"Ma ba!" Braiden exclaimed, holding chubby hands out to Blaise, who picked him up almost on autopilot as he tucked the blanket up and around his ears.

"If you tuck me in even more you might as well throw the blanket over my head." He teased, sniffling and ruining Blaise's tucking in job by raising a hand out of the blanket to rub his itching eyes.

"How do you feel now?" Harry asked.

"Weak, tired, stuffy." Nasta answered. "I feel sorry for you three."

"Why?" Draco asked, looking between Blaise and Harry, who he had indicated.

"I'm ill and unable to perform my duties as top dominant, you defer to Max now."

The shit eating grin on Max's face said he had known this all along and was very happy to be acting top dominant, no matter for how long, in Nasta's place.

"You shouldn't enjoy this so much, Nasta is sick." Harry chided.

"It's not like he's dying. It's just a shit that Drackens can't get any big infection or disease, but the little things take us out for weeks. Can't get sepsis, but we can get a cold."

Harry glared. "That's not the point!"

"Don't you have a shower to take and a uniform to get on?" Max asked mildly.

Harry glared harder. "You sort out the quintuplets then, because you're on baby duty all on your own with Nasta being sick."

That wiped the smile from Max's face and Draco chuckled as he moved to the kitchenette to make a cup of tea for himself, pulling down the emergency cereal as breakfast was out of the question this morning with Max having to brew a potion and make soup.

Max sorted out the babies and Harry came back out fully dried and dressed, his hair a tangled mess and a smear of toothpaste on his chin. Nasta chuckled and Draco immediately took charge of the situation, pulling out a handkerchief, wetting it with his tongue and rubbing the smear of toothpaste away.

Nasta fully expected Harry to shove Draco away and start a rant on how he wasn't a child and that he didn't need his face cleaned like a toddler, but Harry said nothing, he just stood still, tilted his face for Draco to get the smear easier and balanced himself by holding Draco's elbows.

"Can I please at least brush your hair?" Draco nearly begged "It looks like a Snidget nest."

Nasta thought Draco was pressing his luck, he didn't know why Harry hadn't fought back, but thought that maybe it was because he was lying on the settee ill. It was nice…no, amazing to see Harry let them take care of him, no matter how small a way it was and he was upset to think that as soon as he was better it would stop.

Harry sighed and made such a face it was as if Draco was asking him to clean the toilet with his tongue.

"If you must." Harry replied and Draco looked so happy as he rushed to get a brush, cursing when he couldn't find the brush he wanted, acting as though Harry would change his mind at any moment and Nasta wasn't sure if he was wrong as Harry sat down to eat a bowl of cereal, drinking his tea and cradling Calix, who wasn't wearing a nappy underneath his little nightdress.

Draco eventually found his brush and comb and sat on the settee behind Harry who was on the floor with Calix, cooing and speaking to him as Draco carefully and gently brushed his hair.

"You've got nice hair." Draco complimented. "I just wish that it wasn't so naturally messy!"

Harry chuckled and gave his finger over to Calix, who clenched a tiny fist around it.

"It's hard to believe they're almost a month old already." Harry murmured as his hair was combed, brushed and then styled by Draco, he swallowed every instinct that wanted him to squirm away from the brush and push Draco away.

"They need to have their Dragon Pox injections soon, I'll make the appointment." Draco put in and Harry stiffened visibly.

"I've taken Braiden for two now, I can't have five screaming babies on hand."

"Four." Nasta put in weakly. "Leolin can't have his inoculations until he's older, the vaccinations would kill him."

"When does Braiden need his third injection? At nine months?" Blaise questioned.

Draco nodded as he curled Harry's fringe carefully out of his eyes. Harry adjusted Calix until he was resting against his shoulder, trying to lull him to sleep.

"Only three months to go." Max mock cheered.

"Oh no." Harry breathed. "The four of them have their second injection when Braiden has his third!"

"Ah fuck." Max groaned. "That didn't time out very well."

"I blame you." Harry told the bigger man.

"Me? Why me? I didn't tell you to have the quintuplets three months early."

"You're the reason I'm pregnant in the first place."

"Oh sure, I'm positive Nasta had nothing to do with it even though he gave you three kids and I only gave you two."

"You started it, don't you remember? On that rooftop in the bright sunshine, you jumped off the roof with me and took me on the grass."

"I seem to remember Blaise taking you first actually." Max replied.

"Doesn't matter, you got me off that roof and onto the grass with every intention of fucking me."

"Don't make it sound so sordid Harry; I hardly did it against your will." Max whined as he flumped onto the floor and put his head in Harry's lap.

"You know Calix isn't wearing a nappy, if he has an accident now it'll go all over your head." Harry said sweetly.

Max shot out of his lap and Blaise laughed as Harry grinned. Nasta laughed but it turned into a cough and Draco snorted in amusement as he continued playing with Harry's hair.

"That's not funny."

"It is." Harry assured as he pulled away from Draco to kiss Max.

"It's gross."

"He's your son."

"Still gross."

Harry rolled his eyes and let himself be pulled back by Draco.

"Aren't you done yet? I better not find bows or anything in it."

"I don't know about bows, but I'm finding bits of twigs, string and what looks like shredded newspaper."

"Oh ha ha, I can't breathe for laughing." Harry said sarcastically.

Draco chuckled and kissed him. "I like playing with your hair, you hardly ever let me do it, so I'm making the most of it."

"If I promise to let you do it tomorrow, will you stop now?" Harry pleaded.

"Of course." Draco replied smoothly. "As long as you don't forget our agreement."

"You have three other witnesses, I won't forget."

Draco placed a kiss to the top of his head and put his brush aside, unclenching his legs from around Harry's shoulders and letting him get up with Calix.

"Little cutie is finally asleep, I'll put him in his bassinet and wrap a nappy around him, but I'll keep it open so it's not as tight. He doesn't roll yet, so I doubt it'll leak, you make sure you check on him every half hour though." He directed at Max.

Max nodded and kissed him and then Calix, giving his son's back a soft rub as Harry carried him to the bedroom.

"I love you Calix, but you have got to start letting us know when you're wet, you can't keep sleeping in your own urine, it's not hygienic and it's giving you sores. Wouldn't it be better to just cry?" Harry pleaded to his sleeping son as he laid him down and slipped a nappy under him, leaving it open. He kissed Calix, moved over to kiss Regan, then Tegan, caught Farren's cheek as his head went from one side to the other and pecked Leolin's little lips as he snuffled quietly.

"All five of them are sleeping." Harry informed Max as he took Braiden for a cuddle and a kiss.

"Ah Da Ba!" Braiden told him as he played with Harry's shirt collar, lowering his head to suck and gnaw at it.

"Oh Braiden, you can't eat that, you'll get an icky soap powder taste in your mouth." Harry said with a laugh.

Nasta fell into a coughing fit, moaning as he rolled onto his side as he gagged. Max was by his side rubbing his back and Blaise was by his head, combing his hair away from his mouth.

Draco got him a glass of water and helped him sip at it as Harry held a curious Braiden, who was watching his Daddies closely.

"Ooo boo." He said, looking back up at Harry.

"Yes Braiden, Daddy Nasta isn't feeling well. We're going to take care of him until he's better."

"Ah! Ah!" Braiden reached out for Nasta, but Harry held him easily.

"No Braiden, we don't want you getting sick too, but don't worry, Daddy Nasta will be fine very soon, he's very strong."

"Give him here, you three need to get off or you'll be late." Max said once Nasta had calmed down, taking Braiden from him and sitting him on his hip, an arm wrapped around him tightly and securely. "Don't worry about Nas, he'll be fine with me, I've got him some soup on, I'll make sure he takes his potions and he won't be moving, in fact I'll make sure he does little else other than sleep. You three just focus on your lessons."

Draco nodded and shouldered his bag. Blaise picked his up and tucked three books into his one arm, holding them up against his body. Harry went to kiss Nasta goodbye and gave him a smile.

"We'll see you at lunch love. I hope you feel better soon."

Nasta smiled weakly and settled onto his side, he was well overdue to get some more sleep. His body felt leaden and he could feel a fine tremble in his muscles and he just felt so _weak_, it wasn't a feeling he was much used to and he decided he didn't like it, even if it did get him fussed over and stopped all the arguments and disagreements. He still couldn't believe harry had actually let Draco brush his hair. Nasta fell asleep once again, leaving Max to finish the soup, keep six babies fed, clean and happy and to play with Braiden, who was getting more and more active and curious about his surroundings.

* * *

Nasta was fussed over even more when his Father came the next day to help with the children. It was made even worse when Max's parents decided to come and visit and he felt like a five year old again as Max's Mother Ashleigh made it her life's mission to keep him covered at all times and continuously fed him soup and tea. It was one thing being fussed over by his mates, a completely different thing being fussed over by overprotective parents.

Harry dashed into the room only three minutes after the school bell rang, he kicked off his shoes, dumped his bag and immediately came to kiss him, feeling his head for his temperature and his eyes went glossy with concern as he felt he was still running a fever.

"I'm fine." He stressed. "Don't waste your free periods worrying over me, do your homework."

"I've done it." Harry replied. Nasta gave him a look. "No seriously I have. It's Friday, I had double defence, I finished my class work and my homework well before the bell, I even handed it in to Professor Drios, who was very surprised. I had time to finish off my other homework too, so I'm free to look after you all weekend."

"You've finished your Transfiguration essay and mock exam booklet, your Herbology questions and your History of Magic essay?" Nasta asked sceptically.

Harry nodded and pulled all three items out of his back to show him.

"Good boy Harry." Nasta complimented and Harry grinned, kissing him.

Max came out of the bedroom with Farren and dumped him on his Mother as he saw Harry, pulling him into a huge hug and kissing him.

"Which baby needs what?" Harry asked as he saw the desperation in Max's eyes.

"Aneirin has Calix, Myron has Regan and Richard has Tegan, Leolin needs a bottle, Braiden's had his but needs a bath after he spit up on himself and Farren needs a nappy change." Max directed the last one to his Mother, who sighed, but happily went to the changer and pulled out a fresh nappy.

"You take Braiden, I'll get Leolin." Harry delegated and went through to their bedroom to pick up his youngest, grimacing at Braiden's vomit covered jumper. He'd never get it clean and it was a favourite of his for Braiden.

Harry made up a tiny bottle, used the remaining water to make everyone tea, as that seems to have been what Max was doing if the counter of mugs was anything to go by and fed Leolin, who didn't even open his eyes as he accepted the bottle teat into his mouth and suckled.

Harry was very pleased that Leolin finished his bottle and proudly announced his feat to everyone as he burped Leolin gently and mindfully of his little wings.

Harry murmured to him and told him how proud he was of him, kissing his cheek and nuzzling his neck. When he pulled back to look at Leolin, he almost dropped him as he let out a little screech.

Despite his illness and current weakness, it was Nasta's arms who wrapped around him first, even if he did stumble, sway and hold onto him tighter than usual for support.

"It's fine! I'm fine, I was just startled, Max, get Nasta back on the settee." Harry ordered, though it was Aneirin who dragged his son back to the settee and tucked him up, Harry followed and he grinned a secret grin.

"What's the matter Harry? What startled you?" Max asked concernedly as he pet Nasta's hair.

Harry grinned wider as he kissed Leolin, before he turned him around; his tiny son was disgruntled as he frowned at the room, his pure, solid gold eyes peering at them as they all gasped, screeched and grinned at the completion of his Faerie heritage, proudly showing his Faerie eyes to the world.

* * *

A/N: How many of you guessed during this chapter that it would end this way? How many of you figured out from Aneirin's visit to the Faerie court and the hint of Nasta's carrier gene in his eyes meant that Faeries eyes are all gold? None of you mentioned knowing beforehand, so I think this was a successful plot twist!

We reached over 8,000 reviews! An absolutely massive milestone! Thank you everyone who has reviewed to help me reach this amazing achievement!

**Evil Ginger27** was the **8,000****th**** reviewer** and amazingly **superfan8** was the **8,100****th**** reviewer! **Thank you!

**Flower-Bloom**: Yes that is entirely possible as the two mated pairs do not share blood, but it would be a hell of a coincidence.

**America's the Hero**: The familial feelings would discourage them from seeing one another as eligible mates. They would be raised together as siblings and the submissive one of them would likely not even think to choose the dominant as a mate, though it is entirely likely that the dominant would not go to the submissives meeting purely on the grounds that they were raised as siblings.

**termeh**: Putting Harry into a cold room while on heat would do little more than make him even more uncomfortable, his body temperature raises from his core and spreads through his body, not even dumping him in a bath of ice could cool him down, though with how hot he'd get he'd likely turn the ice to water much more quickly.

**Tiggerfan**: Like wizards, they age much more slowly and do not look their age, when they reach three hundred, they will not look like ancient, skeletal dust bags, but they will look and feel like a hundred year old human, barring any extreme circumstances that would possible age them.

**Dissimilis-Mentis**: I update all three websites at exactly the same time, I upload them all and then post them within seconds of each other so don't worry, you're not missing anything by reading on a different site.

**Kreyana**: Harry needed two mates to get him pregnant, not only is heat needed to open the neck of the sac, but magic covers it and it needs two mates around him to absorb the magic from his body enough to break the covering of the sac which would enable him to get pregnant. The second heat was a cock-up, in which Harry rejected Draco as his mate, accepted Max as his new mate, then forced himself to accept Draco again, so his Dracken sees each of them as only half a mate. So really Harry should have only needed three mates, but due to the cock-up he had Max as well, which left him with four. It is possible that he could try and get only one specific mate's baby, but as soon as he goes on heat he calls to all of his mates and they rush to get back to him, but as shown with the birth of the Quintuplets, the first one to have sex with Harry doesn't always get a baby as Blaise has sex with Harry first and he didn't get Harry pregnant, but Max and Nasta did. It's up to chance really.

**Wicked**: If the alternate ending had gone ahead and Harry had killed Sanex as well as lost two babies he would have slipped into depression, his Dracken would have ripped him apart from the inside over the loss of the two babies and Aneirin would have needed counselling again to get over the loss of his oldest son and he would have smothered Nasta and tried to protect him from everything, which would have annoyed and frustrated Nasta, who would naturally be torn over the issue, but he would never of blamed Harry, he's a Dracken himself, he knows how the instincts work, but it wouldn't have stopped him from grieving for his older brother.

As for the quintuplets, one of them is a Dracken, but it hasn't yet been revealed which one.

**CeeCee**: I hope you enjoyed the Scaled Bits chapter you wanted, lemon scene between Myron and Richard, Myron on top of course, written just for you, entitled Home Alone.

**quaff**: No, Luna is not a Faerie.

**Feydra_Kitty**: Yes, Amelle's attitude to Ashleigh is purely because she lost the ability to have chicks, her submissive instincts scream that Ashleigh will take her chick from her and raise it as her own because she can't have any more herself. It's stupid, irrational and untrue, but that's submissive instincts for you.

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and hopefully now all the Avengers/Thor/Iron Man fics and crossovers are mostly out of my system, it won't take as long to update chapter 61.

If you are not reading the Scaled Bits, you are missing out on vital information and character developments that you need to know to properly understand what is happening. I urge you to read it, it's not just for shits and giggles, it's part of this story and you are missing out on parts that you need to read in order to understand what is happening.

StarLight Massacre. X


	61. Growing Up

_Last Time_

_Harry grinned wider as he kissed Leolin, before he turned him around; his tiny son was disgruntled as he frowned at the room, his pure, solid gold eyes peering at them as they all gasped, screeched and grinned at the completion of his Faerie heritage, proudly showing his Faerie eyes to the world._

Chapter Sixty-One – Growing Up

Getting used to Leolin's gold eyes was something they all had to deal with as they were such an inhuman colour it was a strange thing to see.

But even stranger was that Leolin's eyes had changed first, when his brothers' and sister's eyes were still varying shades of blue. Though that changed quickly as Nasta's birthday approached. Tegan woke up one morning with suddenly hazel eyes that reminded Harry of Sanex and of course when Regan woke up the next day, his eyes were the same hazel. Nasta, who had recovered fully from his bout of illness after a horrific five days confined to the bed and the settee, spent several hours cuddled up with them both, gazing into those eyes as he did everything from tickling and nuzzling them, to reading them a story about a lost unicorn foal and staring into their eyes as they suckled from their bottles in his arms.

Next to change was Calix, whose eyes, which had steadily been getting darker and darker and darker, until one morning he opened his eyes and looked back at Draco through Myron's jet black eyes. Of course Max had to immediately floo call his parents and get them to come over, right this very minute. The poor trio had thought something was wrong with one of the babies and Myron had clipped Max around the ear for alarming them, before holding his tiny grandson in his huge arms and cooing gently to the baby who cooed back, jet black eyes looking into jet black eyes. It also didn't help the Myron clone image that Calix's hair was growing out a deep, rich chestnut brown, the hair he shared with his Father and Grandfather.

The day before Nasta's birthday Farren woke up from his afternoon nap with bluish-green eyes and Harry laughed happily as he saw the hint of green that had taken over Farren's eyes, thinking that perhaps Farren at least had gotten his eyes, but after another week and they still didn't go completely green and changed depending on his mood, the lighting and what colour he was wearing, they could sometimes be more bluey-green, or a more greenish-blue, but never fully blue or green, Harry conceded that Farren's eyes were blue-green in colour and were going to stay that way.

Nasta had kept a slight cough for a few days after his illness had gone and thankfully none of them, especially not Leolin, had caught Nasta's flu virus and by the time his thirty-eighth birthday came around, he was feeling much better and had stopped coughing and sneezing randomly throughout the day.

Nasta was woken up to breakfast in bed and several gifts from his smiling mates who all kissed him and wished him a happy birthday.

He loved every gift he received and told his mates so as he was given several books on obscure languages by Max, a very cute, stuffed Welsh Dragon toy and a small, thin, handwritten booklet on Parseltongue by Harry, who promised to help him read and understand the very strange, very alien looking squiggles, that Harry had assured him were actual words and had told him had taken nearly eight months to put together properly because writing in Parseltongue was even harder than speaking in it.

Draco had given him a full set outfit made completely from dragonhide. Nasta couldn't help but check the thickness of it, which made his mates snort in amusement and Draco to huff that he knew better than to buy him dragonhide anything that had actually killed the dragon, but the surprise came when Nasta recognised the feel of the hide under his hands and Draco admitted to having contacted the Dragon reserve he worked on and got his colleagues to use the hide from one of his favourite dragons to make all of the items. Draco had paid an absolute fortune for the entire outfit to be made from the one dragon and not a mix of different breeds and different dragons, and Draco had hand-picked the dragon used and he went pink as he admitted to giving extra for the outfit, which would go towards helping the reserve along with the profits from the sale. Nasta had crushed him in a hug and given him a kiss.

Blaise had gifted him with a tin of coffee and Nasta had looked at him with an unimpressed scowl as Blaise grinned widely and urged him to open it. It was full of Nasta's favourite, and expensive, imported green tea.

"In the false hope that it'll make you more used to and accepting of coffee." Blaise explained.

Nasta chuckled and pulled him forward by his neck to kiss his lips.

"Thank you, all of you, I haven't had much reason to be happy in years passed, but I have to say, waking up with the four of you, our six children around us, is the best birthday present I could have ever received."

"Oh you're going to make me tear up." Harry sniffed. "You know I'm still girly sometimes after the birth."

Nasta chuckled and rubbed his thumbs under Harry's eyes gently.

"I love all of you."

"Dada!" Braiden cried out from somewhere underneath them.

Max immediately got out of the bed and went down the stairs to the cot they kept underneath their platform bed, far enough away so that the crying of the hungry quintuplets didn't wake him, but close enough to them they could reach him quickly.

Braiden was happily deposited on Nasta's lap, sitting upright and giggling happily now that he was around his most favourite, familiar people.

"Good morning Braiden." Harry greeted, pecking that dribbling mouth.

Braiden screeched and smacked his lips together in an imitation kiss and it stopped them all short.

"That's new." Draco said as he bent forward and kissed Braiden, who reacted quicker and kissed Draco back, which made him grin.

It was a game they played for the first five minutes of the day. They took it in turns to kiss Braiden and get a drool covered kiss back. By the end of the game, Braiden was also holding his arms out to accept them as they bent to kiss him and clenched his arms around them as they wrapped him in a hug, then Farren woke up and their day properly started as it was a Tuesday and Draco, Blaise and Harry had to go to lessons.

Max had made them all breakfast, though Nasta had already eaten his, so he was free to play and feed the babies, nuzzling little Leolin as he cradled him gently, watching as he finished all of his milk.

"Do you think it's time to give him another quarter ounce of milk?" He asked. "He seems to be handling his bottles better, attempting to give him more couldn't hurt."

Harry looked up from his breakfast and smiled at the empty bottle.

"Try it on his next feed, it's about time we increased his milk intake, he's been finishing all of his bottles on every feed except the night one." Harry agreed, stroking a hand through Leolin's darkening hair. It was set to go as black as Harry's, Blaise's, Nasta's, Braiden's, Regan's and Tegan's, they were all predominantly black haired. Max and Calix had chestnut brown hair and Farren had gotten a darker brown, but Draco was the only blonde and he looked odd.

It was with an accompanying swoop through his stomach and lower abdomen that Harry came to the solution that if he were to give Draco children, he might not be the only blonde in the family anymore. Harry shook those thoughts away, he couldn't be pregnant again, he couldn't have another baby so soon, he just couldn't, no matter if Draco _was_ the only blonde in the family for a while yet.

"Are you alright Mio Bello?" Blaise asked, looking at him concernedly.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Harry answered, shoving away his thoughts and feelings and going back to his raspberry pancakes. "Just thinking too hard again."

Harry smiled tightly and his mates saw through it immediately, but Harry's pleading green eyes told them to leave it alone and they did…for now.

* * *

Harry was cornered by a vicious, wild, frothy-mouthed, red head after his last lesson, or at least that's how he saw Ginny as she pushed him right up tight to the wall and slipped him a tiny, palm sized box.

"It enlarges into a very special gift; I got everything you wanted and then some with the left over money, I doubt you'll mind though. You're lovers are going to be all over you Harry, I left instructions for the first thing you should wear, it'll drive them wild so don't you dare chicken out! Nothing is hotter than a man who'll do anything to get his lover's heart pumping and I assure you, wearing these items will have their hearts beating so fast they'll stop! I'm sure you can all use some stress relief, especially if Blaise's public mood is anything to go by, Purebloods don't usually show such emotion or frustration in public." Ginny told him as she latched onto his arm and pulled him away from the wall.

Harry saw Draco as he was being dragged and gave a helpless, one armed shrug as he was pulled along like a puppet.

"Don't look so much like I'm leading you to your death." Ginny chastised. "Hermione, Luna and I want some time with you as well you know, you haven't spent any time with us and we haven't even seen your babies since you arrived, how is that fair? We're your friends aren't we?"

"Of course you are, it's just so much is going on and I can't imagine Hermione's not revising as well."

"Oh she is, but she brings her material with her so we can test her, I've been hit with a book twice and Luna had the book snatched off of her when she told Hermione she was wrong and the answer was Nargles. Hermione almost threw a fit."

Harry chuckled as he was dragged to the library and he groaned, though he felt slightly better that Seamus, Dean and Neville were also in the dusty room.

"Harry, haven't seen you outside of class for a while, what drags you from your cave?" Seamus teased with a grin, immediately shoving his books aside, much to Hermione's ire.

Harry indicated Ginny with his head and grinned. "A bossy little red-headed sixth year."

Ginny smacked him and Harry made an 'oof' sound as his body forcibly expelled air.

"Not so rough Ginny, I only had a tear in my body, right where you hit me mind, a month ago. I'm tender still."

"Was that from your Caesarean?" Hermione asked interestedly.

"Yeah, I've had two now." Harry rolled his eyes as he massaged his stomach muscles, which had been playing up all day.

"So, are you up for playing Hufflepuff?" Ginny asked. "I can't continue being Seeker and Chaser, you're not pregnant now and you're fit yes? So can we count on our golden boy to play in March?"

Harry startled. He had forgotten he was Quidditch captain and Seeker.

"I'm not sure; I'll have to run it past the others…"

"They're not your parents Harry; you can make your own choices." Ginny snapped.

"I know I can, but something that involves my health like this and it's better to just discuss it with them rather than tell them I'm going to do it and stressing them out. They'll more than likely let me anyway, I'm not pregnant anymore and I could use the stress relief really, I've never wanted to cry so much in my life until McGonagall gave us that twenty-three inch essay and two exam booklets."

"Me neither, I could have hit her with a table leg." Seamus agreed and Hermione made a half startled, half strangled noise.

"It's alright Mione; he doesn't mean it, though I have the almost untameable urge to introduce Professor Binns to Moaning Myrtle."

Harry shared a laugh with the guys before Hermione got them all back onto their work with a glare. Harry quelled under that glare meekly and hurried off to find some books for his History homework.

He was walking down the History section, which was quite a way away from his friends, when he came across someone he would have rathered never see again in his life. Ron was at a small table, his own books out. Harry wondered if it was the absence of any friends to distract him that had Ron in the library studying.

He turned to leave, hopefully unnoticed, but when Ron called out to him, he knew he had been seen and he turned around, schooling his face carefully blank.

"What do you want?" Harry kept his voice as pleasant as he could, given the circumstances and wondered if they were going to have a fight right here in the middle of the library.

"I…I wanted to…to apologise." Ron stammered, not even looking at him.

Harry raised an eyebrow. "Who are you and what have you done with Ron Weasley?" He intoned blandly, Ron shot him a grin.

"I've had a lot of time to think. I blamed you for everything because…well because…"

"I was an easy target." Harry filled in. He was always an easy target, the media were having a field day and people just loved to gossip about him because they had absolutely nothing else to talk about during their long and uneventful days.

Ron looked embarrassed. "Fred and George pointed out what I was doing and Charlie went bloody mental when he found out. They made me realise what I was doing and why and for what good it does I am sorry."

Harry sighed. "It's been two years really since the last time we spoke properly Ron, when I was lying on the floor in the Ministry atrium, bleeding from the glass, my nose pouring with blood from the possession, the way you looked at me. I was fifteen, the same age as you and I had just _killed_ Voldemort, I needed my friends around me, but the way you looked at me like I was dangerous, like I should be locked up, I just knew what would happen after, though I was hoping you'd wait until I was out of the hospital first before you blew up at me. I was practically catatonic in that hospital bed, pumped full of all sorts of potions and you were standing at the end of my bed yelling shit about me."

"I was scared and angry."

"And you think I wasn't?" Harry snapped. "I had just killed someone Ron! Killed someone right there in the Ministry of Magic in front of several Aurors and the Minister for Magic himself, I thought I was going to be thrown in Azkaban. Locked away like a dirty secret, but instead I got a pat on the head and sent back to the Dursleys and if you've been keeping up with the papers, you'd know all about what happened there!"

"Mum said." Ron mumbled. "Their trial's coming up right?"

Harry blew out a deep breath and nodded. "The date keeps being changed, trust the Dursleys to have gotten the best lawyers money could get them. They're trying to stall, hoping the case will fall through, I've been told now that they're claiming the trial will disrupt their precious baby son's schooling, so they want it put off until his school's out for summer so it doesn't affect his exams."

"Will you have to go back to them if you, for some reason, lose? Because Mum says she has a spare room for you if you need it."

Harry smiled at the mention of Mrs Weasley's huge heart and Motherly nature, but he shook his head. "It's unnecessary, I've got my own home now and I doubt your Mum has room for five grown men and six babies."

"How…how are the kids?" Ron asked hesitantly.

"Fine. I could talk to you for hours about them, but something tells me you're not really interested and would find the conversation boring." Harry replied stiffly. Ron blushed.

"I…is there any chance that we can go back to how we were?" Ron asked softly, not looking at him.

"No." Harry said regretfully, shaking his head sadly. "No. It's been too long and we've both changed. If I could overlook all the arguments, the fights, every hateful word you spat at me when I was in that hospital bed, in so much pain and thinking I was going to prison, I could never overlook what you did to me knowing I was pregnant. You almost lost me my son Ron and I can never forgive you for that. Braiden is _the _most important, precious person to me Ron, him and my five other beautiful children. That you almost took him from me with your actions." Harry's right hand clenched into a fist and he gritted his teeth, sucking in a breath between them to keep himself calm. "Knowing you could have been the reason I almost lost him, I could kill you for that Ron and I want you to know that if you had killed him, I would have killed you. I would have hunted you down, even if it was the very last thing I ever did, even if it took me years, I would have hunted you down and killed you for it, because even then, I loved him so very much and the pain of losing him would have been more than I could bear."

Ron nodded his head and sighed. "I won't do anything like that ever again, to anyone. When we were in the hospital wing and you started screaming like that, I…I was terrified. When you screamed at me to get Madam Pomfrey, I didn't even think not to do it, I just did it. I wanted you to stop screaming like that, I've never heard you scream like that before."

Harry made a small sound, almost a snort, but softer. "That was a gut wrenching pain; it was more fear than pain though. I knew something was wrong, I just knew I was losing my baby, so I screamed out the pain and the fear."

"There really is no chance then?" Ron asked. "I miss you and Hermione."

"I'm sorry Ron, perhaps if you talk with Hermione she'll start talking to you again, though I do recommend waiting until the exams are over, you know how stressed and uptight she gets, but as for me and you, I want nothing more to do with you. We can be civil, but I don't want a friendship, I don't want to talk to you, I'm sorry Ron, but I can never forgive you for causing me that almost miscarriage, because of you, my Braiden might never have been born and if you saw him now, the little person he has grown to be, the budding personality he has, the happy, relaxed six month old he is, you wouldn't be able to forgive you either."

Harry walked away then and went to collect his bag.

"Harry? What's wrong?" Neville asked as Dean craned his neck to look where he had come from.

"Nothing, I think I'm just going to go back to my room's now, but thanks for reminding me that I have friends and I promise to spend more time with you, you can even come around at the weekend to see the babies if you want, though you may be roped into a feeding or two." Harry grinned.

"What did he say to you?" Ginny demanded, staring over his shoulder. Harry looked to see Ron with a haphazardly packed backpack, hunched over and leaving the library. "I swear if he said anything…"

"Ginny." Harry cut in. "I'm a big boy, I can take care of myself. Ron and I just talked. He seems to have grown up a lot this year, we didn't even fight or curse each other, we just talked to one another, alright?"

"He must have upset you." Hermione said softly.

"No, he actually didn't. I just really need to hold Braiden right now."

"He threatened Braiden again?"

"No, but we dragged up a lot of bad feelings when we were talking, including the miscarriage he caused in the hospital wing and I need my son."

His friends nodded and Harry smiled. "I'll catch up with you all later." He promised as he took long strides out of the library and started for the main staircase so he could get back to his rooms quickly.

He was on the sixth floor when his skin tightened and the hair on the back of his neck stood up, he spun to the left just as a stunner went flying past his head. His wand was in his hand before he had turned to face his attacker, praying it wasn't Ron after their talk, but he met the enraged eyes of Theodore Nott, those white teeth were clenched so tightly together and bared at him like a feral dog.

"What is your problem?!" Harry spat.

"You are!" Nott hissed. "I've had my eyes on Blaise since fourth year! I befriended him, seduced him, we experimented kissing one another, I watched him as he lost his virginity to that Ravenclaw, he watched me lose mine to that little Hufflepuff and throughout it we were watching one another. Do you know how hard it is to be a gay Pureblood? Do you know how hard it is to find another gay Pureblood when you yourself are gay? My Father will not permit me to have anyone other than a Pureblood and you took the only other gay Pureblood for yourself!"

"Well that's too bad." Harry growled. "Blaise obviously didn't like you as much as you liked him."

Harry had to quickly pull up a shield charm as a stinging hex flew at his head.

"He does!" Theo screamed. "We were going to be together Potter! I was going to impregnate him this summer, we had it planned!"

Harry snorted. "You really don't know Blaise if you think he'd carry your baby. Blaise is incapable of carrying."

Theo blinked and breathed heavily like he had run from the Great Hall to the Astronomy Tower and back again.

"There's a potion that allows a man to carry a baby if he wasn't born with the sac to do so naturally." Theo informed him.

"It only works in less than twenty percent of males, how do you know Blaise would be one of those less than twenty percent? What makes you think Blaise _wants_ to be pregnant? What makes you think Blaise would carry your child?" Harry questioned spitefully.

"He would!" Theo roared. "We were getting up from kissing, we were going to move on to more sexual things than kissing and petting, we were going to have sex together as soon as I turned seventeen in November, but then you turned up on the scene and Blaise had changed! He wouldn't even look at anyone else, only you! No one will believe that you slipped him a love potion, that you still are giving him love potion, not perfect Potter! But I _know_ you are! He changed overnight!" Nott spat. "People don't fall in love overnight Potter unless they're given love potion! Blaise wanted to wait until he was out of school before he had children, but you fell pregnant immediately, disrupting his studies, ruining his marks! It's no wonder he's in such a bad mood these days after you shoved five other babies onto him! Five babies that aren't even _his_! No man wants another man's baby shoved onto him!"

Harry swallowed as all of his fears were dragged up, but he trusted Blaise and he wouldn't let this bastard rip them apart. He loved Blaise far too much.

"Blaise is happy." Harry said calmly and clearly. "Blaise loves us, all of us, and you're just angry because he won't give you a second glance, Blaise is _ours_ Nott, he isn't yours to lay claim to, he is the Father of my firstborn son, he was my first lover, my first love and I will not give him up without a fight, you will never take him from us. Never."

"Do you know how many people's virginity Blaise broke? Sixteen! He loved taking virgins, loved breaking them in and then leaving them to grovel at his feet for any scrap of attention he would give them."

Harry swallowed and urged himself to stay calm. Either Nott was lying or Blaise had changed a hell of a lot because Harry had never met this cruel and cold man Nott was describing.

"Not so cocky now are you Potter? Blaise and I are perfect for one another because I loved breaking in virgins too, though we both preferred male virgins. We would have been perfect for one another, until _you_ came along!"

Harry sighed. "You only think you'd be perfect together, you've convinced yourself of it, but Blaise would have never loved you, would never have married you and would never have settled down with you."

'He's a Dracken Nott you idiot.' He thought to himself with an inward sigh. 'He would never have settled down with a human, no matter what he said or what he did before he found his mates.'

"He would have!" Nott screamed, red sparks coming out of his wand tip in his anger and Harry clenched his own tighter, ready for any curse to come at him. "You're just a filthy whore Potter! You stole Blaise from me, you stole Draco from Astoria and you're fucking two grown men."

"My love life is none of your business. Blaise didn't want you and Draco didn't want Astoria."

"Draco is not gay, he never has been! Blaise and I tried to get him to sleep with us in fifth year and he told us to get away from him before he broke our necks, you should have seen his face, he was disgusted with our suggestion!"

"It must have been the addition of you then, because Draco and Blaise love fucking each other and they both love fucking me!" Harry hissed, his temper being awoken at long last, he felt that flood of heat that his temper brought, heating his blood and making his hand itch to curse the stain in front of him.

"You have them both drugged!" Nott screamed. "Anyone who knows them can see it!"

"What, you mean like you and Astoria? Please Nott, I've been with Blaise for a year last October and with Draco a year last January. Don't you think Blaise's Mother and Draco's parents would have noticed anything amiss with their children over the likes of _you_?" Harry taunted.

Nott growled and more sparks came out of his wand, Harry looked at it pointedly and interestedly.

"I wonder if you're so much of a substandard wizard that you'll lose control and blow up your wand. I'd love to tell Blaise that story, I'm sure he'd laugh so loud and he could use a laugh these days, because you want to know why he's so stressed? It's not because I'm forcing five children that aren't his on him, it's because we had to take four of those five babies for their Dragon Pox vaccination over the weekend and they screamed the hospital down, add in that our son Braiden is teething and cries in agony as he cuts a new tooth, it's getting Blaise stressed because he doesn't like seeing our children in pain, no matter the reason."

Nott actually snarled and aimed a bone breaking curse at him that Harry deflected easily.

"Please Nott. I'm the best in our year at Defence; do you really think the likes of you can get one over on me? I destroyed Voldemort when I was fifteen."

"You should have gone to prison for that! I heard you killed him using dark arts!"

Harry snorted. "People always talk when someone's better than them; there were no dark arts involved or I would have gone to prison for breaking the law, I killed Voldemort in front of Aurors and the Minister himself, if I had used the dark arts in front of them, I would have gone to Azkaban regardless of if I had used them to kill a madman."

Nott shot another spell at him, this one a crushing hex and it was aimed at his head. Harry deflected once again, readying his stance for the next spell as they were getting progressively more offensive and dangerous.

"Give it up Nott, you won't walk away from this and you will never have Blaise. Just stop because I don't really want to hurt you, though I will if you carry on!"

"Please Potter; stop acting as if you're some amazing hit wizard! You're just a seventeen year old student! I know how to block as well as you do!"

"All this because you think you love Blaise?"

"I do love him! Just stop drugging him and let him choose for himself! Him and Draco! You can keep your old men; just stop drugging them with love potion!"

"I'm not…"

"You are!" Someone screeched from behind him and Harry made an absolutely idiotic, fundamental mistake.

He spun around giving his back to Nott to assess the new threat and as he caught sight of Astoria Greengrass, her wand out and aimed at him, he tried to put his back to the wall, like he should have done in the first place, but he didn't have time to do anything as a spell smashed into his back and sent him into a suit of armour, Harry lost consciousness as soon as his head cracked on the solid metal.

* * *

A/N: Don't you just hate the both of those little snots? I haven't given you a cliffhanger in ages, so I thought, why not? I hope you like it.

Also Ginny has given Harry a second box of goodies, just wait until you see what's inside this one! That chapter's going to be hilarious...and mostly sex as per usual, though it likely won't be on this site, though there will be enough plot to post a chapter, it'll just be missing all of the good stuff and likely a lot of words.

I feel the need to explain, as I've been asked by a lot of you, about the Faeries. Faerie is the species name, like Drackens, but Faeries use different names for their dominants and submissives, where Drackens just use the simple term dominant Dracken and submissive Dracken, Faeries call dominants Valkyries and submissives Fae. So if I describe someone as a Valkyrie, they're a dominant Faerie, if I mention Fae, they're submissive Faeries. Like Drackens, Faeries have female Valkyries and male Fae, but as with Drackens it's an anomaly that's very rare. So I hope that clears that up a bit more and yes, we will be seeing a lot more of the Faerie court in the future and don't be fooled by their supposedly kind nature, they can all be vicious and cruel.

**neverliveindoubt**: I'm not sure at what age Harry would check for his children being Parselmouth, but I would think it would at least be at a few years old, perhaps three or four? As for any conceived foetus being YY, I've already said in an earlier, much earlier, chapter that it would automatically be miscarried as the foetus isn't viable, a foetus cannot live without an X chromosome.

**mundez**: Alexander was born in 1905 and Kimberly was born in 1908, it's currently 1998 in the fic, so Alexander would be 93 and Kimberly would be 90. Talia, Alayla and Julinda weren't so much worried for his health, but worried he'd injure himself by laughing so hard, which he has done before, so they were being overly cautious and protective of their grandfather.

**unneeded**: Yes and no, a Dracken would punish their mate if they found out they had cheated and kill the person they had cheated with, but they wouldn't kill their mate, but Trefor Delericey wasn't a Dracken, he was a Faerie and his Husband was a Faerie, they weren't Drackens.

**Sera21**: The one thing that Drackens have that helps them immensely is the Dracken Counsel; they're not just a set up to help police mate meetings and hold fancy parties. They are there to ultimately help new Drackens cope with their new inheritance if the parents request the help, they offer financial aid for the Drackens who can't support their families and it's not just dry heats that prevent pregnancy, after a birth, most submissives go for years before they even have another heat, Harry was an exception with the quintuplets, and will be an exception time and time again, because he _wants_ children, though he may not realise it consciously, and he doesn't have to worry about the financial backlash of having so many children, so that helps speed along his mentality to having another baby and letting his Dracken know he's ready for another baby because that worry isn't there.

I have no idea why you're going on about student loans and car loans as most Drackens are from Pureblood families, they wouldn't have cars and as there aren't any wizarding universities, they wouldn't have student loans either and 'run of the mill' Drackens do know they're Drackens, Harry was the exception to that, as previously stated in much earlier chapters. Nearly all Drackens are told when they are children what to expect when they're older and are ready and prepared for it by the time they come into their inheritance.

I'm writing this for me, not a 'target audience' and I don't know why you're complaining about it being a 'baby blog' because this fic is a romance/family fic, not an angst fic, I said right from the very beginning that this fic would be very baby orientated and that's not going to change anytime soon, if you want a dark, angst filled fic, go and find one, because this isn't it.

Thank you all to everyone whose read and reviewed and is enjoying this fic,

StarLight Massacre. X


	62. Backlash

A/N: This chapter contains a removed sex scene and scenes of distressing, controversial material, if you want to read this chapter in full, please read on Adultfanfiction or Archive of Our Own because this chapter, on this site has been edited to meet child friendly criteria.

_Last Time_

"_All this because you think you love Blaise?" _

"_I do love him! Just stop drugging him and let him choose for himself! Him and Draco! You can keep your old men; just stop drugging them with love potion!"_

"_I'm not…"_

"_You are!" Someone screeched from behind him and Harry made an absolutely idiotic, fundamental mistake. _

_He spun around giving his back to Nott to assess the new threat and as he caught sight of Astoria Greengrass, her wand out and aimed at him, he tried to put his back to the wall, like he should have done in the first place, but he didn't have time to do anything as a spell smashed into his back and sent him into a suit of armour, Harry lost consciousness as soon as his head cracked on the solid metal._

Chapter Sixty-Two – Backlash

Draco had told them that Harry had been dragged off by his friends and was likely being forced to revise for his exams by Hermione, but as the time inched closer and closer to curfew, they got more and more worried.

Shouldn't Harry have been back by now? Wouldn't he have come to tell them he was staying away for longer than dinner? Were they being too over protective? Were they being stifling and unfair to Harry? Was he just in Gryffindor Tower for the first time this year catching up with his friends and had just lost track of time?

As Nasta tucked Leolin back into his bassinet after his ten O'clock feed and went back out to the living room, seeing that Draco and Blaise were not concentrating on their homework and Max was pacing…again. He let out a sigh.

"Alright, go and find him. I'll stay here with the kids." He relented. "Do not assume the worst because if you go barging in on him and his friends, you'll put us all at risk and embarrass the hell out of him, so calm and collected please and remain human at all times, no sniffing or licking and use your brains."

Draco threw his quill down and jumped up, marching to the door and hardly waiting for Blaise to catch up. Nasta shook his head and sat down, trying to relax his jittering nerves.

"You're worried." Max stated, wanting to go with the younger two, but knowing Nasta needed some support with the six babies, he couldn't protect all six if someone threatened them.

Nasta sighed again. "I know. I don't think Harry would have stayed away this long, from just us maybe, but not from the kids. He's still protective over Leolin and with Tegan's recent fever and Braiden's teething; I can't see him staying out too long, but maybe I'm just being paranoid. Maybe Harry really does need this break and he's enjoying himself with his friends so much he lost track of time."

"Hopefully Blaise and Draco will find him safe and well and they can put our minds at ease. I don't mind him spending a night in Gryffindor Tower with his friends, though sleeping with him missing from the bed is going to be hard, who will I cuddle with?" Max pouted.

Nasta cracked a smile and chuckled; he pulled Max into a hug and kissed his mouth.

"You really are adorable Max and I'm sure if Harry wants to stay with his friends for the night and you want to cuddle up to someone in bed, Blaise won't object. Blaise is as big a cuddle monster as you are, though you'll have to put up with me at your back, because I want to cuddle you too." Nasta growled, nipping at Max's neck.

"Ooo, that growl has a hint of sex in it." Max grinned as he moved his mouth into alignment with Nasta's and kissed him hard.

"When was the last time we had sex?" Nasta questioned.

"I don't remember."

"Me either." Nasta growled attacking Max's mouth, shoving him backwards onto the settee.

"We're going to have sex now?" Max asked, excitement lacing his voice and lighting up his eyes.

"I haven't felt any distress from Harry, he's likely fine and with his friends and until I hear differently, I'm going to try not to assume the worst and I'm going to try not think about it so I can have my wicked way with you until Draco and Blaise track down our errant submissive and drag him back kicking and screaming."

"I hope to be doing some screaming of my own." Max grinned and Nasta growled, attacking that pliant mouth with vigour.

* * *

**Removed scene**

* * *

"Oh fuck, we really need a bigger settee." Max grinned. "I love you Nasta."

"Love you too Cariad." Nasta replied softly, trying to regulate his breathing.

Nasta rolled off of Max's chest and onto his back, tucking himself back into his boxers and zipping up his jeans.

"The other three will kill us if they ever found out we fucked on the settee without them." He said to the ceiling.

Max snorted beside him. "Let them, I wouldn't regret that if they stood over us with those cute, scowly faces they wear so well."

Nasta laughed before he sat up, searching for his shirt. He found it under the coffee table and tugged it on and threw Max his clothes, finding his wand and cleaning up the mess and removing the heavy scent of sex from the air.

Just as he finished a small cry came over the baby monitor and he sighed.

"Looks like we finished just in time for feeding." He grinned to Max who hadn't moved. The larger man groaned.

"I don't think I can move."

"You had better; I'm not doing all six of them by myself. My legs already feel like jelly without walking up those stairs ten times tonight."

Max groaned again before sluggishly tugging on his clothes to help with the kids as Nasta set the kettle to boil before he left for their bedroom and the platform that held five bassinets of hungry babies.

* * *

Draco was rapidly losing his temper as he banged hell out of the portrait that Harry had told them covered the entrance to Gryffindor Tower. The fat lady in the pink silk dress squawking at him and calling him a brute all the while.

"For the sake of Merlin and my sanity just go and find someone to open this damned, fucking portrait!" Draco hissed, keeping his fangs sheathed by the skin of his teeth. Blaise laid a calming hand on his shoulder as the fat lady disappeared, hopefully to get someone to open the portrait.

"If they're having a party in here I'll skin Harry with my teeth!" Draco told Blaise.

"Just spank his naughty behind and drag him to bed to reaffirm just where his skin should be." Blaise winked.

Draco snorted. "I won't begrudge him time with his friends, but six hours is surely enough? I mean, what have they been doing for six hours?"

"Catching up most likely, Harry hasn't exactly been a social butterfly these past few weeks."

"Has he ever been a social butterfly? Only now instead of spending every minute of the day with Granger and Weasley, he's spending it with us and Max and Nasta, our family."

"Just let him explain before you tan his arse over your knee." Blaise warned as the portrait was pushed open by a Prefect.

"Can I help you?" She sneered as she took in their Slytherin crested robes, not that she wouldn't know them as Slytherins just by looking at them, even if they hadn't been wearing Slytherin robes and ties, they were well known on sight through the school as Harry Potter's Slytherin lovers, though Draco had made a name for himself beyond being Harry Potter's lover, the same couldn't be said for Blaise, who had been practically unknown until he suddenly became Harry Potter's boyfriend over a year ago now.

"We're looking for Harry."

"He isn't here." She snapped as if she thought they were wasting her time or just wanted to see the inside of their common room.

Blaise sighed heavily. "If he isn't here can you please go and get one of his friends?"

The girl left with a huff and they were once again looking at the scowling fat lady. Draco was about to start hammering on the portrait door once more as five more slow minutes passed, but just as Draco was grinding his teeth in impatience, the door opened and Ginny Weasley poked her sleepy head out.

"What's the matter? Is Harry okay?" She asked as she stepped fully out, wrapping her dressing gown tighter around her pyjamas.

"We haven't seen him; we were hoping he'd be with you."

"What? No, Harry left only an hour or two after being with us, said he wanted to get back to Braiden. I haven't seen him for about four hours." Ginny said concernedly.

Draco and Blaise shared a look and they rushed off back to their rooms to inform Max and Nasta. They needed to find Harry.

* * *

Nasta swore as he startled so badly he dropped the bottle he had just finished feeding Regan. His arm had automatically tightened around the baby instead of loosening like it had around the bottle.

The panic on Draco and Blaise's faces stopped him short of chastising them and instead he put Regan down in a handy bassinet and rushed to them.

"What? What happened? Where's Harry?" He asked his own panic rising.

"He wasn't in Gryffindor Tower, Ginny said she hadn't seen him for four hours, he left the library to come back here, but he never made it here." Blaise told him in a rush, his panic and fear evident.

"He didn't give out a distress call that means he's either not in distress or unconscious. Draco, go and see if he's with Dumbledore, if he's not, get the Headmaster in on the search. Max, go and see the groundskeeper Hagrid, Harry's good friends with him, perhaps he met him in the corridor and decided to spend some time with him. Blaise, go to Madam Pomfrey and see if she's seen him. You come back here after!" He ordered them. "I'll stay with the kids, but I'll floo the family and let them know we need them."

The three rushed off and Nasta combed a hand through his hair roughly.

"Damn it Harry, where are you love?" He asked to the room at large before grabbing the pot of floo powder and setting to call their extended family to let them know that Harry was potentially missing. He was never going to let Harry out of his sight again after this; his heart couldn't take so much adrenaline.

* * *

Harry was forcibly woken up by a spell to find himself cuffed to a bed, normally this would get his heart racing in excitement for his creative, naughty mates, but the pain in his skull reminded him that he hadn't been with his mates when he had lost consciousness, that the last thing on their minds right now would be sex when the last thing he remembered was being thrown into a suit of armour.

That and Theodore Nott sat straddling his hips brought back his memory quicker and he growled lowly.

"Now now Potter, no need to be nasty. Astoria just wanted to bash your little head repeatedly against the plinth you head-butted and be done with it, but I have something else in mind for you, so I sent her away to bed before she was missed by her fluttery dorm mates."

Harry recognised the bed he was on. He'd been on it before. It was Blaise's bed in the Slytherin boys' dormitory. It still smelt like Blaise and he hadn't slept in it for a year.

"Get off of me!" Harry snarled lowly, glaring heatedly at Nott.

"Was that the glare you gave the Dark Lord as you killed him? It gave me goosebumps, but a few raised bumps on my arms won't stop me. I will have Blaise."

"He doesn't want you!" Harry snapped. "He's never wanted you, he doesn't even like you!"

The pain that rocked through Harry's jaw had his head flying to the side against the pillows and breathing deeply. He needed to be more careful. He couldn't let his mouth run away, his hands were literally tied, he couldn't defend himself.

He turned his head back to face Nott and he sneered heavily, a facial expression he had picked up from Draco over the past year. Nott just grinned down at him, trailing fingers through the blood on his hand that had come from Harry's lip.

"You're insane." Harry snapped. "There is something very fucking wrong with you!"

"Yes there is and I'm looking at him!"

Nott smacked him again and Harry growled, tugging on whatever held his hands above his head.

"Why am I here? Do you really think Blaise won't find me here?"

"This will be the last place in this entire school they'll look for you." Nott smirked and Harry had a sinking feeling he was right. "By then you'll be just damaged goods."

"What do you mean?" Harry demanded, trying to sit up, but his restraints did not have a lot of give and he could barely get his shoulders up from the bed.

"Do you think Blaise will want you after I'm through with you?" Nott asked him, a terrible glint in his eyes. "If I can't have him, _you_ sure as hell can't!"

Nott hit him again and Harry blinked away the white dots floating in front of his eyes. He needed to focus, he needed to get out of this place and back to his mates.

When Nott started undoing his belt buckle, his mind clicked. Nott had called him damaged goods, had said Blaise wouldn't want him after he was done with him. He meant to rape him.

Harry thrashed and snarled at the fucker who wanted to do something so very heinous to him just because he had false notions of being with his mate.

"Get the fuck off me Nott! Now!" He growled.

'Our children, he wants to take our children from us!' Passed through his mind and he remembered something so very important. If a submissive Dracken had sex, no matter if it was willingly or not, with a non-Dracken they would become barren. His sac would destroy itself and he would not be able to have any more children for the rest of his life.

Draco's face floated through his mind as he continued fighting Nott as best as he could with his arms restrained over his head. If this happened here and now, he would never be able to give Draco biological children. Draco would never have a biological child if he chose to stay with him. Would Draco even stay with him if he couldn't give him a child? Would he have a choice? An image of Lucius Malfoy looking down on him answered that thought. No. Draco would lose absolutely everything if he chose to stay with him after this, he couldn't let it happen. He couldn't.

He pulled his knee to his chest, wormed his foot between him and Nott and kicked him as hard as he could, feeling satisfied when Nott went tumbling over the end of the bed, unfortunately he had had a handful if Harry's waistline when he had kicked him and his button and a scrap of fabric had gone with Nott.

Harry scrambled up and controlled the panic building within him. Panicking would not help, he needed to have a clear head, he needed to think. He unsheathed his claws and sliced through whatever the hell was binding him before sheathing them again as Nott bore down on him again looking livid. No matter how much he wanted to kill this fucker, he couldn't. Thinking of his family, of his children and his future children, he couldn't put them at risk like that, he had enough of himself to know that. Harry Potter or no, defeater of Voldemort or no, if he came out as a Dracken now, he would be executed as one and his family and his extended family would soon follow.

He surged to his knees, ignoring the tear in his trousers that was exposing his boxers underneath, and met Nott head on, who was surprised to see him free of the bed. Harry couldn't stop hitting him, knowing what this man had done, what he had wanted to do, what he was going to destroy, no matter if it had been unknowingly or not, sent him into a raged fuelled attack on Nott.

The snores from the two beds with curtains closed made him snarl too. Crabbe and Goyle had been in the room the entire time, there were no silencing wards or even privacy charms, and there was a full scale fight happening in the middle of it and they still didn't wake up. Harry had no doubts that they were such heavy sleepers that he could have been screaming and crying for help and they wouldn't have so much as stirred.

That made him angrier than he could have possibly imagined as he punched Nott, who went flying through the door and into the corridor beyond. Harry didn't stop his assault as he followed, keeping his claws and fangs back by the last of his will power as he tried to beat a hole through Nott's chest with his bare hands.

Nott managed to get to his feet and he shoved Harry, who just grabbed his wrists and swung Nott around and toppled him down the small flight of stairs and into the Slytherin common room, which was still quite full since the grandfather clock by the fire said it was near enough half eleven, though as most of them were sixth and seventh years they must have been studying.

"Theo? What in the name of Merlin happened to you?" Daphne Greengrass asked.

Harry growled and the Slytherins turned almost as one to look at him, but none of them did a thing to stop him when he jumped right back onto Nott and started hammering at him again, though two people ran out of the common room, likely in search of a Professor. It was just too bad Snape wasn't at the school currently, because he would have been the only Professor in this school with the physical strength to stop him.

"Potter! Stop it; you're going to kill him!" Pansy Parkinson shouted. "Do you want his death on your hands? Think of your lovers! Your children! How can you think to put them through this for your own selfish gain?" She urged him and the red cloud covering his eyes and mind seeped off, leaving just anger and pain and fear.

He gave one last hit to Nott with the side of his clenched fist before allowing himself to fall off of the body he had pinned to the floor and battered.

"What did he do? How did you even get in here?" Pansy asked as he breathed heavily on the cool stone floor.

"I don't know how I got here. I woke up here."

"What did he do that was so terrible Harry?" Daphne asked, though from the way her eyes went to his ruined trousers to his red, raw and bleeding wrists, she had a very good guess.

Harry didn't know if it was the use of his first name, the hint that she already knew or the soft tone used, but he answered her honestly.

"He wanted to rape me to get back at Blaise."

Pansy's face hardened and her small fists clenched. She breathed in deeply before gesturing him to move away from Nott, who was breathing wetly on the floor, his eyes unfocused, but blinking up at the stone ceiling.

The young woman conjured a blanket and wrapped it around his shoulders just as the door burst open and the vast belly of a huffing Professor Slughorn appeared, followed by the rest of him as he cleared the door. His prominent gooseberry coloured eyes widened impossibly further as they took in Theodore Nott rolling onto his side on the floor and Harry a little way away at Pansy's feet, blood covered and wrapped in a blanket.

"What on earth is going on here?" He asked in horror.

"He attacked me Professor!" Nott breathed out, spitting a mouthful of blood onto the floor. "He should be expelled! Put in prison!"

Harry snorted and said nothing; Dumbledore was the only one with the power to expel a student and McGonagall if the Headmaster was unavailable as Deputy Headmistress. Once they arrived he'd tell them exactly what happened, he'd even take Veritaserum if he had to, to prove his story true and then they'd see who'd be expelled.

"Miss Bulstrode, if you'd be kind enough to go and get our Headmaster. Miss Greengrass, perhaps our resident medi-witch also needs to be present, I don't think either of these boys are up to the long trek to the hospital wing just yet."

The two girls left and Harry just wanted the familiar feeling of four pairs of very strong arms around him, but how did he give out a distress call in a silent, cavernous room made of stone without everyone questioning his species? He'd just have to wait for Dumbledore to arrive, who could then send for his mates, who must be going mad with worry right about now with it coming up to midnight.

* * *

Dumbledore arrived back to their rooms with Draco and Nasta felt his heart plummet. Blaise was next to arrive only a minute later and he shook his head. Harry had not been in the hospital wing.

Nasta paced and when his family, Max's family, Blaise's Mother and Draco's parents arrived, all cramming themselves into their small rooms. He informed them that Harry had gone missing.

"Weren't you watching him?" Myron asked furiously.

Nasta gave him an unimpressed glare. "You might watch your mates every single hour of every single day, but I instil a little something called trust. Harry went with his friends after his last lesson and subsequently went missing between the library and here."

"He didn't let out a distress call?" His Father asked.

"No. I heard nothing and felt nothing and I still haven't since we found him missing."

"He's unconscious then." Marianna nodded, holding Blaise still as he tried to pace.

"Where is Max?" Richard asked.

"He's checking out the last place Harry may have gone to instead of here after leaving his friends."

"I have all the paintings on the lookout for Harry." Dumbledore informed them. "If one of them has seen anything, we will know."

A small cry had Nasta sighing, feeling a small amount of irritation at his youngest child for disturbing the search for Harry, but he went to collect Leolin regardless, ordering someone, anyone, to boil the kettle for him.

He scooped Leolin up gently and made sure the blanket was wrapped around him to stave off the night chill from his tiny body. He carried him out of the bedroom, only for his Father to take him straight off of him and go to the kitchenette to feed him.

"You have enough on your mind." His Dad told him. "Focus on Harry, the kids will be fine with us."

Max burst back into the room and it was clear he was about to lose control, but Nasta didn't have to do a thing as Myron was just there in front of his son, embracing him, soothing him and calming him down so he didn't accidentally unfurl his wings, show his scales or pop out his fangs and claws.

"I take it Harry wasn't with Hagrid?" Nasta asked, the bottom falling out of his stomach, his Dracken telling him to search every single inch of this place until they found him, but he knew that rushing around like a maniac would hinder the search more than help, they needed to think clearly.

"It's not that. I was coming back up from Hagrid's, only I took the long way back as it was easier that heading to the back staircase and I smelt Harry's blood on the sixth floor. It's been cleaned up, but I could smell it clearly. It's all over a suit of armour like he was pushed into it or something."

It got slightly more difficult to control his Dracken once he had heard that Harry had been hurt, that he was bleeding, but through gritted teeth and his nails digging into his palm he managed to keep control, unfortunately Draco lost his and it was the first time he had every shown his parents his wings, fangs, claws and glittery scales that were reflecting the candle light of the room.

Nasta reasoned that Blaise didn't lose control because Marianna was calming him and Max was now breathing deeply in his Father's embrace, taking in his scent. Nasta shared a look with him, a look that said that whoever had hurt Harry was going to die.

"Headmaster Dumbledore!"

Nasta startled as the landscape portrait in their living room was suddenly occupied by the painting of a young girl holding a Crup.

"You're needed down in the dungeons Sir, Professor Slughorn has called for you and for Madam Pomfrey."

"I believe Horace has found Harry." Dumbledore said tiredly.

"Draco, regain control of yourself or you'll be left here." Nasta ordered, pulling his subordinate's head into his neck to breathe in his scent, one of the only things to calm an enraged Dracken, their top dominant, or a parent's scent.

Thankfully it didn't take them long to get Draco calm and back to looking human with the threat of being left in their rooms before they were following Dumbledore down to the dungeons, they passed the suit of armour that smelt like Harry's blood and it took all of their control and support of one another to remain calm. It was a very heavy, thick scent. Harry had bled a lot.

When they arrived to the Slytherin common room, being directed happily and a bit frantically by the painted people popping up in random portraits, it was to yelling and shouting and Nasta couldn't help but think that maybe this was just a fight between two Slytherins that had escalated until the need of a medi-witch had arisen, but as soon as he cleared the fake wall that hid the entrance to the Slytherin common rooms, he saw Harry, blood covered and wrapped in a blanket staring blankly at the wall as a girl with short black hair and a hard face screamed at a bloodied boy on the floor, being seen to by Madam Pomfrey.

Nasta felt an almost liquid sense of relief flow through his body as he saw Harry, alive and upright, though the amount of blood concerned him and the blank look almost stopped his heart as he rushed to Harry, sinking down in front of him and holding him tight.

Harry jumped as arms slid around him, before he recognised those arms, the scent surrounding him and he clenched his arms around Nasta as tightly as he could, taking comfort from the three other pairs of arms that surrounded him.

"What has happened here?" Dumbledore's voice cut through the screaming.

"He's a monster Headmaster!" The girl shrieked and Nasta's head shot up, wondering if she meant Harry, if she had seen anything that linked Harry to his Dracken side, but she was pointing to the boy on the floor.

"That little freak attacked me!" The boy screeched, spraying out a mouthful of blood.

Harry flinched in their arms and Nasta's hand jumped to his hair, petting and combing and soothing him as he was called _that_ word.

"You deserved it and more!" The girl shouted back. "What you were going to do to him Nott!"

"Nott?" Blaise snapped his head around to face the bloodied boy, the first time he had taken his eyes off of Harry since they had arrived. "Theo?"

"Look what that _thing_ did to me Blaise! How can you even like him?" Theo spat.

"What did you _do_?!" Blaise hissed at Theo, Harry's head turned to Blaise, as if he had entertained the thought, for even a moment, that Blaise had been talking to him.

"I didn't do anything! He attacked me Blaise! Please listen to me!"

"You are saying that Mr Potter broke into the Slytherin common room just to attack you, am I right Mr Nott?" Dumbledore asked softly.

"Yes Sir, he was like a wild animal."

"Mr Potter, how did you come to be in the Slytherin common room at this time of night?"

"I don't know Sir. I woke up here after Nott knocked me out on a suit of armour."

"Where was this suit of armour located Mr Potter?"

"On the sixth floor, near Professor Slughorn's office." Harry croaked, his hands clenching in Nasta's shirt.

Dumbledore nodded as if Harry had revealed some secret knowledge or had confirmed something the Professor had known that no one else did, but as Max smoothed his ruffled hair from his forehead and kissed the skin there, Harry let it go. He felt weak and shaken, he just wanted some sleep and to never let his dominants go.

"Stay calm." Harry breathed softly. "Our secret is safe, they don't know, none of them do, just stay calm."

"We are calm Harry." Draco answered burying his nose into the back of his neck. "Though I think Blaise is going to kill Nott. Good riddance I say."

"You won't be in a minute." Harry said ominously as he poked his head out from the tangle of arms, shooting an arm out to tug at Blaise's shirt.

Blaise stood back a few paces until he was pressed against Max's back, his hand in Harry's, squeezing comfortingly.

"So Mr Nott, we have gathered that you attacked Mr Potter on the sixth floor and managed to get him down to the Slytherin common room, where upon Mr Potter woke from his unconsciousness and attacked you. Is that what happened?"

"There are too many missing hours." Draco whispered.

"Did anyone see Mr Nott bringing in Mr Potter? Or in the case of Mr Nott's version, see Mr Potter entering the Slytherin common room of his own volition?"

"No Sir." Pansy answered. "At about twenty-five minutes to midnight, Nott appeared to fall down the stairs from the boys dormitories, he was covered in blood. Harry followed a moment or two later, also covered in blood and started fighting with Nott."

"So they came from the boys dormitories? Is there anyone who can account for what happened in the boys dormitories other than Mr Nott and Mr Potter?"

When no one stepped forward Dumbledore sighed. "Very well. I will ask Mr Nott and Mr Potter to accompany me to the hospital wing to give statements. Miss Parkinson, if you would be willing to also come as you seem to have the most inclination as to what has happened."

"Professor, I also saw everything from the moment Harry and Theo entered the common room from the boys' dorms." Daphne spoke up.

"Yes, of course, if you wouldn't mind also accompanying us Miss Greengrass?"

Harry was carried securely by Nasta as Nott was levitated by Madam Pomfrey, much to his embarrassment if his undignified screeches were any indication. Harry wrapped arms and legs securely around Nasta and rested his head on his shoulder. He felt safe and calm, but he couldn't get warm, even with the blanket still wrapped around him.

They made it to the hospital wing and Nasta sat on a bed, Harry in his lap still being cuddled. Draco climbed in next to them, wrapping a hand around Harry's and bringing it to his mouth and Blaise sat on the end of the bed by Nasta's feet glaring at Theo, who was in the opposite bed.

"Now boys, tell me what happened." Dumbledore intoned seriously. "Mr Nott, please go first."

"He attacked me Sir. He must have been using that invisibility cloak of his. Draco told me about it in third year."

"Mr Potter, do you have your invisibility cloak on you at this present time?"

"No Sir, it's in my trunk in our bedroom. No. Actually I think it's in Blaise's trunk, I might have put it there when looking for one of his jumpers to wear when I was cold." Harry said as he glared at Nott. Blaise's hand found his thigh and curled around it lovingly and protectively. Nott saw it and bared blood stained teeth at him.

"How long ago did you put it there Mr Potter?"

"About two weeks ago, I had it out when I went digging through my trunk for my photo album."

"You mean when you turfed out your entire trunk onto our bedroom floor." Draco grumbled good naturedly, nuzzling his cheek against Harry's torn and sticky knuckles and the back of his hand, kissing it lightly, not caring who was watching or about the blood his lips found there.

"So you do not have your cloak on you?" Dumbledore reiterated.

"No Sir."

"He's obviously lying!" Nott spat as he had his cuts tended to.

"Accio Harry Potter's cloak." Dumbledore said clearly, aiming his wand at him. He cancelled the spell when no cloak was immediately forthcoming to prevent any cloak of his from flying through the school.

"We have established that Mr Potter does not have his invisibility cloak with him at this present time. Now, Mr Potter, it is your turn to shed some light on this situation."

"Well I got dragged off by Ginny to the library after last lesson. I spent an hour or two with my friends and then headed back to our rooms. I was on the sixth floor when a spell went past my head and I turned to see Nott."

"He shot a spell at you first?" Dumbledore interrupted.

"I didn't even know he was there until he shot the spell at me Sir."

"Very well, carry on Mr Potter."

"He started saying a lot of things about Blaise, about how he loved him and that they were supposed to be together, that they had planned to have sex as soon as he was seventeen in November and that I had ruined it."

"That's not…!"

"Let Mr Potter finish please Mr Zabini." Dumbledore chided.

"He started going on about how I had drugged both Blaise and Draco with love potion to make them be with me because they wouldn't like me any other way, that Blaise really loved him and that Draco wasn't gay and was supposed to be with Astoria Greengrass."

Daphne made a small noise and Dumbledore held a hand up to prevent her interruption.

"I…I can't remember much of what happened next, but I told Nott that I hadn't drugged either of them and someone shouted from behind me. I…I was damned stupid. Moody would kill me, but I spun fully around instead of half way around and putting my back to the wall. Astoria was behind me with her wand out and I tried to correct myself and put my back to the wall but a spell hit me full in the back and sent me into a suit of armour." Harry reached up and touched the large split in his forehead which was also the size of a duck egg. "And I don't remember anything after that Sir, only waking up in the Slytherin boy's dormitory."

"So Astoria Greengrass has a part in this also? Horace if you would be so kind as to fetch the younger Miss Greengrass, I would like to speak to her about her part in this. Mr Potter, what happened in the boys' dormitory?"

"I was restrained to a bed. Blaise's old bed." Harry said softly, knowing this next part would test the control of all of his mates, Blaise especially as his slender hand tightened around his own. "He said something about me not being nasty because Astoria had wanted to bash my head against the plinth the armour was on to get rid of me, but he had had something else in mind for me. He had sent Astoria to bed before she was missed by her housemates."

Harry breathed out shakily and took in a deep breath of Nasta's scent, calming himself to carry on.

"What happened next Mr Potter?"

"I…I'm not sure, we were talking, mostly about Blaise, but he hit me a few times for saying Blaise didn't want him and then again when I called him insane and once more when he said that if he couldn't have Blaise then I couldn't either. I asked why I was in the Slytherin dormitory of all places and he said it was the last place anyone would look for me. He said…" Harry licked his lips and breathed deeply and calmly. "He said that after he was through with me I'd be damaged goods, that Blaise wouldn't look twice at me, that if he couldn't have Blaise then neither could I, that he was going to make it so Blaise wouldn't want me anymore."

"Did Mr Nott explain what he meant by that?" Dumbledore asked softly, a deadly fire lighting up his blue eyes.

"He meant to rape me." Harry answered into the soft silence of the hospital wing and all at once he was holding onto Draco tightly as the blonde snarled and Max lunged to secure Blaise from ripping Nott's head off.

"How dare you!" Blaise howled. "How dare you think you can do that to one of the people I love the most. That I would just abandon Harry and my children just because you had sunk so low as to violate him! You don't know me Theo! You only saw what you wanted to see, that's why I started distancing myself from you! We were best friends, you were one of my only friends, but this is inexcusable! How dare you do this to Harry in my name, in _my_ _name_!" Blaise screamed as he tried to fight off Max to get to the man in the bed.

"Blaise please." Harry said softly, tugging on the hand he had clenched his fingers around.

Blaise turned to him and took his face into his hands and kissed him.

"Mi dispiace Prezioso. Mi dispiace." Blaise cried.

"You have nothing to be sorry for Blaise." Nasta said calmly. "It wasn't your fault. It's his."

"Calm down Blaise. I love you." Harry said softly. "Ti amo."

Blaise smiled and brushed away the wetness in his eyes. "Ti amo."

"Mr Potter, did Mr Nott do what he had set out to?"

The tension had been thick before, but it escalated now as they remembered the dead eyes Harry had when they found him, the knowledge weighing heavy that if Nott had managed to do what he had wanted to, then Harry was barren, that they would never have any more children because of one man.

"No." Harry answered quickly to dispel the rising tension. "No, don't think bad of me Professor, but if he had, he wouldn't be alive, but he tried very hard to do it."

Harry opened the blanket and leant back in Nasta's arms to show his ruined trousers, the button ripped off, the zip damaged and the fabric torn.

"I tore the restraints he had put me in until they broke, it felt like a scarf or some such material, but it was cold, so I think it might have been conjured, but once I knew what he was trying to do, I had to get him off of me, I couldn't let him use me like that, so I got my leg under between our bodies, because he had thankfully not restrained my legs, and I kicked him off. I tugged my arms free and I just couldn't stop myself from hitting him Professor, not after what he had done, what he had said and what he had planned to do to me in Blaise's bed."

"I think I have heard enough." Dumbledore said gravelly. "I will call the school governors and your parents Mr Nott and we shall see about having you expelled from this school for this incident."

"What?! He's lying!" Nott cried out.

"No, I do not believe he is. His account makes much more sense and ties in with Miss Parkinson's and Miss Greengrass' account of what they saw after you had left the boys' dormitory, though if you would like we can use Veritaserum to corroborate your story."

Theo remained silent and Harry snuggled into Nasta more, sucking in a breath when his large fingers came too close to the bump and split on his forehead.

"I'm sorry love." Nasta murmured, kissing just off from his injury.

"S'okay, I just want to be held." Harry answered.

Draco pressed up against his back, the expensive cologne he wore a familiar and comforting scent as he cuddled in tightly to Nasta, thinking and overthinking everything. If Nott had succeeded or if he had raped him while he had been unconscious, he would be barren, his sac irreparably destroyed. He would never have any more children and yes, while he grumbled and bitched about having more, when faced with never having another child, he found that the idea of more children was appealing, that he did want more, just not right now, but if he had to choose between being pregnant right now or being barren, he knew which one he would choose and it would be the one he would carry on choosing as well, the thought of being unable to give his mates children made him feel physically sick and sent a cold sensation of ice slicing down his spine.

He didn't realise he was crying until Max wiped the tears from his cheeks.

"Don't cry love. It's going to be fine. We love you and of course we'll support you."

"I ache." Harry admitted shyly and quietly unused to asking for help to deal with pain, but he couldn't ignore the agony he was in any longer.

He was smothered, but much gentler than usual, no mate touching more than fingertips against him barring Nasta, whose lap he was still sat in.

Madam Pomfrey was there then with a potion he recognised from Max's potion's case. A strong pain reliever. He refused the second, one he recognised as a dreamless sleeping potion. He was getting much better at recognising potions on sight thanks to Max, which from Madam Pomfrey and his mates' point of view, wasn't a good thing currently.

"Harry, perhaps it'll be better if you just sleep for now." Madam Pomfrey encouraged softly.

Harry shook his head. "I want to see the kids first."

"Then you'll take it?" Madam Pomfrey questioned and smiled thinly when he nodded tiredly.

Max accepted the potion vial that was offered to him and slipped it into his pocket, trusting that it was unbreakable, as most potion vials were nowadays, or at least should be.

"You took a bad bump to the head, you have a concussion Harry."

"I was asleep for about three or four hours, if I had concussion the damage would already be done wouldn't it?"

Madam Pomfrey checked him for any more serious damage. "You had a bad headache yes?"

Harry nodded. "Not any more though, thanks to the pain reliever."

"You may experience some after effects Harry including nausea, headaches, an intolerance to light or noise, drowsiness and you may become easily upset, confused or withdrawn. You may also have problems with concentration; all of these are normal and should last a few days. Usually I would keep you here, but given your circumstances and that you have dependent children, I will let you leave, but you are excused from lessons for the rest of the week. I expect him to be rested and taken care of." The matron directed at his mates, who all nodded seriously.

Harry sighed, he was relieved to be excused from lessons, not so happy to be kept on bed rest, but he supposed he could deal with it, seeing as it was only Max and Nasta he had to deal with for most of the day and not all four of his overprotective mates.

"Your bumps and bruises will heal, I'm sure Maximilius has some bruise salve for you so I won't give you any more and your cuts will heal fine, you have no broken bones so I'm happy to let you go with the promise that you will take that dreamless sleep potion soon, you need rest."

Harry was excused then, he wasn't happy to see a sleepy Astoria standing with Professor Slughorn on the way out, her eyes widened when she saw him and she looked fearfully from Professor Slughorn, to Professor Dumbledore and finally to her older sister. She swallowed heavily as Draco glared hatefully at her as they passed, Max keeping him and Blaise well away from the bed containing Nott and gave a wide berth to Astoria as they left.

"Brace yourself for when we get back Harry, we were worried, so we called in the family to help look after the kids while we looked for you." Max told him.

"I assumed as much, I know you'd never leave our babies alone, no matter if I was being slaughtered in the next room."

His mates flinched and Harry mentally hit himself for the insensitive remark. He blamed it on the concussion and the trauma of the day he had had.

"Let's not think about that just now." Max soothed softly, brushing Harry's hair through his fingers gently.

"Can I have some tea before I take that potion?" He asked softly, asking purely because he didn't want to make it himself. He didn't want to do much of anything himself at the moment.

"Of course." Nasta said as they reached the seventh floor and headed towards their rooms.

"Also, can we please not talk about this tonight? I just want some tea, I want to hold my babies and then I want to sleep."

Nasta sighed. "Whatever you want Harry, but we will be talking about this."

"I know."

They reached their rooms quickly after that and no amount of bracing would have prepared him for the onslaught of concern from the family members, the backlash of him being missing for seven or eight hours now.

"Alright!" Nasta called out loudly. "Calm down, just sit and breathe while we get Harry settled. Do you want me to tell them Harry?"

"Please." Harry said softly as he clung to Nasta and insecurely tried to hide himself in his shirt, something he hadn't felt the need to do for a year now.

Nasta shifted him to the rug in front of the fire and held a hand out to Draco, who took the blanket from the back of one of the settees and threw it to him, though as Nasta leant backwards to cover him with the blanket, Myron, ever the observant one, noticed his ruined trousers.

"You were violated." His voice was soft, his eyes compassionate, but the terrible anger that trembled through his body was palpable. A large fist clenched tightly, the dry, calloused skin creaking softly with how fierce Myron clenched his hands together. "By who?" He demanded furiously.

"Harry wasn't violated." Nasta said calmly as the room was set to go berserk.

"So you're not barren?" Ashleigh asked tearfully.

Harry shook his head softly as he lay back against the rug, Blaise handed him Braiden and Harry smiled, Braiden always made him smile, especially when his six month old pouted his mouth and clenched his sticky fingers in his hair for a kiss.

"Your trousers?" Myron asked unrelentingly.

"Harry wasn't violated, but the person who attacked him tried very hard to do it."

"Is this person alive?" Aneirin asked a glint that Harry had never seen before in his eyes.

"He wishes he was dead." Harry answered. "I did a number on him."

"He did a number on you too." Marianna said as she looked pointedly to the bruising bump on his head with the bloody gash through it, his bruised cheek and his split lip.

Harry raised a hand to touch the large bloody bump and grimaced. "I hit my head on a suit of armour."

"Do you have a concussion?" Lucius asked.

Harry nodded.

"He's on rest for the rest of the week." Max said as he handed Harry a cup of tea and handed out more cups to everyone else.

"You need to be more careful Harry; even if it's not consensual you'll still end up barren, why didn't you give out a distress call?" Richard asked.

"I know that, it's all I could think about. Every thought going through my mind was that if he managed to do what he wanted to, that I would never have another baby again." Harry replied, his mind going back to the struggle on that bed. "There was never an opportunity to give out the call, I was knocked unconscious, then I was fighting and then I was in a near silent, stone room, the call would have echoed and I didn't want my family in danger because I couldn't wait a little longer for comfort."

"We've got you now love." Nasta assured him, laying a large hand against his cheek.

Harry sat up and gulped his tea, Braiden being held in his lap, little fist in mouth.

"You had a lucky escape."

"I know!" Harry snapped. "I don't want to be reminded of how close I came to being raped every five minutes, I know what happened, I know what was at stake, I remained calm, I kept my head and I got myself out of my restraints and out of the situation by kicking seven shades of shit out of him. It didn't happen and I'll never let it happen, not while I'm still alive."

"You were restrained? To what?" Myron asked him unforgivingly, not letting him drop the subject, no matter how upset it was making him.

Harry sighed and steeled himself to talking about what happened when all he wanted was sleep.

"A bed. He tied me to a bed in the Slytherin dormitory."

"He was a Slytherin then?"

Harry rubbed his face and tugged on his hair.

"It was Theodore Nott." He said. "He thinks he's in love with Blaise and that Blaise would love him back if I was out of the picture."

"That boy is still pestering you?" Marianna asked Blaise, who sighed heavily and bit his lip in frustration.

"Yes, I never thought it would go this far or get this serious, it's my fault. I never took Theo seriously, he said he'd kill the Ravenclaw I went to the Yule Ball with in fourth year, he never. He said he'd kill that fling I had in the summer when I was sixteen, he didn't. When he started on Harry, I didn't think anything of it."

"None of us thought Nott of all people would go after Harry." Draco put in. "He's all talk."

"Well apparently he's not." Myron snarked.

"He _was_ mostly talk." Harry said with a small smile. "He went on long monologues worthy of Azkaban's finest. He only hit me three times in the six hours he had me at his mercy. Not including the spell that sent me into that suit of armour."

"Was it a stunner?" Max asked concernedly.

"You know, I'm not sure." Harry frowned. "Astoria was behind me, so I turned around and I was more focused on her wand and getting my back to a wall, but I don't think it hurt, hitting my head on that armour hurt."

"Where did the spell hit you?" Nasta asked.

"Middle of my back I think, maybe a bit higher." Harry answered.

Nasta nudged him over and Harry huffed as he rolled over, laying Braiden on his back between his elbows and nuzzling into his clothing, kissing his cheeks and pecking his little mouth, ignoring the drool that covered it and his chin.

Nasta slipped his shirt up and hissed, Harry felt a firm mouth press against his skin and a tongue flicked over it, Harry just focused on Braiden who yawned and his gorgeous indigo eyes partly closed. It was then that Harry realised the time, that his baby boy was awake at nearing two in the morning.

"Why is Braiden still awake?" He asked, trying not to get angry.

"He wouldn't drop off honey. He missed his Mother." Narcissa told him.

Harry sighed and dropped his head so he was looking into Braiden's eyes.

"You are a stubborn little boy." Harry said gently, kissing Braiden's soft cheek. "Are you done molesting my back?" He demanded of Nasta, whose tongue was still licking away.

"It was either a melting spell or a fire spell, those robes Draco encouraged you to buy might have saved you a lot of pain and suffering. You have a hell of a burn on your back Cariad."

"Thank you Draco." Harry said softly as he rolled onto one elbow to look over his shoulder to try and see where Nasta was licking, he could only just see the edge of a red raw mark. "Is it bad, bad? Do I need to see Madam Pomfrey again?"

Max touched the spot gently and due to the pain reliever in his system Harry didn't even flinch.

"I stock burn salves because of Nasta's idiotic and incredibly dangerous job in which he has the annoying habit of being burnt often, it might be too strong a dosage for this, as your robes did take most of the damage, but I'll apply it anyway and keep an eye on it, one of us should probably give you a mouthful of blood to be sure, but you'll be fine."

"I don't mind donating blood." Blaise told him, sitting down next to Braiden, petting his thick black hair lovingly.

Harry smiled and pulled Blaise's arm to his mouth, let his fangs come out and bit Blaise gently before sucking as softly as he could so he didn't hurt Blaise unnecessarily.

Licking the four holes in Blaise's arm lovingly, Harry smiled at him in thanks as he let himself relax and dropped his head onto Braiden's belly.

"Let's get the both of you to bed." Nasta's tone left no room for argument, not that Harry was arguing, he was getting very tired. Two in the morning was far too late to be going to bed, it was a good thing he wasn't in lessons tomorrow, not so good for Draco and Blaise, who did have lessons in the morning.

Once assured he was well and was being taken care of, their family left them to get ready for bed as it was getting later and later, though after he had put Braiden into his cot and kissed Farren, Calix, Regan, Tegan and Leolin, Harry was feeling very uncomfortable and insecure so he happily allowed Nasta to feed him the purple coloured, dreamless sleep potion, undress him, to redress him in pyjamas and to tuck him into bed when Nasta offered, he was feeling just a tad clingy to his mates and he hoped they didn't notice that he was snuggling in to them tighter than normal, or if they did, that they wouldn't say anything, because he didn't want to stop the feeling of comfort and security they provided as he wrapped himself tighter around Draco, Blaise's hand was on his hip, Nasta was wrapped around his back and Harry made sure to trap Max's hand between his body and Draco's.

He wanted to be clingy for a little while, just to make him feel better, he didn't want to be questioned on it, his feelings or his motives, he just wanted to be held as he slept, preferably in silence, though as Blaise had the very adorable habit of snuffling in his sleep, complete silence was out, but as long as none of them were talking or questioning him, he could live with soft breathing, muffled heartbeats, baby murmurs and Blaise's snuffling. In fact, the familiar noises of the night helped ease him into sleep and as Max nudged Nasta with his hips, who then pressed tighter against him, he smiled and his body went near boneless as the potion took over and he fell into a deep, healing sleep.

* * *

A/N: Happy Halloween! Have fun and be safe tonight lovelies, I'll happily be staying inside and eating all the sweets I bought for Trick or Treaters because Wales is going to be drenched with a very heavy downfall that'll last all night.

On the topic of America and Hurricane Sandy, I hope you're all safe and will remain so until it passes, I know many areas are suffering with floods, blackouts and power outages, my thoughts are with you all and I hope this hurricane passes quickly.

Thanks to **Marcusfan94** for being the **8,200****th**** reviewer** and **atymer** for being the **8,300****th**** reviewer**.

**Mrmikezabini227:** No, Dean, Seamus, Neville, Ginny, Fred, George, Ron do not know Harry is a Dracken, in fact the only ones that do know outside of the family, who aren't Drackens themselves, are Dumbledore, Mr and Mrs Weasley, Remus, Hermione, Charlie and Bill, plus various Healers.

**MoonFaith**: No, being raised as cousins, even though they share no blood, would be enough to turn the Dracken off from the submissive as a potential mate. Those children would have familial feelings for one another, would be raised as family, just because they share no blood doesn't mean those feelings aren't real, so the Dracken would realise that the submissive is family and would then reject said family member regardless of blood.

**flower-bloom**: The submissive's heat is the one that counts in an all-female couple, so the dominant female's heat cycle will slowly change to accommodate the submissives, until they are in sync with one another and have their heat periods at the same time. If there was a male or a couple of males in their mateship, then the dominant's cycle would still change to accommodate the submissives, but it wouldn't happen as quickly or as rapidly, it would take months longer, but it would still happen.

**Maple**: If Alexander and Kimberly were born the same year as Harry and his mates and were in their 90's then yes, they could still have children, but you have to remember that they were born in a different era to Harry and his mates, they have had to go through a very stressful period of a prolonged Muggle war, which would have affected fertility, they had problems conceiving Myron, so any other children would be out of the question if not downright dangerous to Kimberly's health.

Done until the next chapter! I'm thinking a Scaled Bits next and then I'll try and get the third chapter of Lycanthrope Factory out, but I never know what I want to write, so we may have chapter 63 before anything else, it all depends.

I hope you have enjoyed this chapter, I have a lot more up my sleeve to come and I hope you enjoy those and this just as much as you have the previous 61 chapters,

StarLight Massacre. X


	63. Mine

A/N: This chapter is supposed to have a scene of a sexual nature, if you wish to read in full, please head on over to AFF or AO3, both of which have the full, uncensored version of this chapter, links to both websites and my Facebook page can be found on my profile.

_Last Time_

_He wanted to be clingy for a little while, just to make him feel better, he didn't want to be questioned on it, his feelings or his motives, he just wanted to be held as he slept, preferably in silence, though as Blaise had the very adorable habit of snuffling in his sleep, complete silence was out, but as long as none of them were talking or questioning him, he could live with soft breathing, muffled heartbeats, baby murmurs and Blaise's snuffling. In fact, the familiar noises of the night helped ease him into sleep and as Max nudged Nasta with his hips, who then pressed tighter against him, he smiled and his body went near boneless as the potion took over and he fell into a deep, healing sleep._

Chapter Sixty-Three – Mine

Harry ate his toast happily enough, Draco and Blaise had been gone before he had even stirred from the bed, he had slept for so long, but he felt so refreshed and amazed as he cuddled a month old Calix in one arm, his other still feeding himself his toast.

"He looks so sweet with black eyes." Harry announced, making Nasta look up from his paperwork and Max to stop his game with Braiden and look over with a grin.

"Of course he does, he's my son. My little dainty son, think he'll be a fruit like his old men?"

Harry rolled his eyes. "Stop being so disparaging! He's our baby."

"I'm not being disparaging; I think it's great he'll be taking after the both of us by becoming a fruit."

"Is this what you and Nasta do all day when I'm in lessons? Call our children fruits?"

"Don't bring me into this, I haven't opened my mouth." Nasta said, quill not stopping its incessant scratching against parchment. "And no Max does not sit here all day and call our children fruits, this is the first time I've heard it."

"Well Calix is a dainty little thing."

"So was Caesar." Harry countered.

Max hummed. "Can't counter that, he was. You should have seen him, he was so short and so slim, soft and sweet, I still say he should have been a fruit."

"Will you stop saying that word?!" Harry snapped.

Max laughed. "I was thinking Calix would be a sweet fruit, something that also has a kick and a hardness to it, maybe an apple?"

"Did you give him alcohol?" Harry asked Nasta. "No, stupid question, Max have you drank any alcohol?"

"What? No."

"He just likes spending time with you Harry." Nasta said. "So he's being more…childish than usual."

Max grinned before Braiden caught his attention by patting him.

"What do you want cutie?" He cooed. "I'd give you my hair but I've had it cut so there's not enough for you to grab, even with your teeny weeny fingers."

"Right, I'm done for the morning." Nasta said, standing with a groan, stretching his back. "How are you feeling Harry?"

"Fine. My head aches and my back aches, but other than that…" Harry trailed off as Nasta gave him a look. He blew out a breath. "I want to kill him." He admitted bitterly. "Is that what you wanted to hear? I want to kill another person, that bastard doesn't deserve to live after what he did to me, what he wanted to do! Expulsion isn't enough."

Nasta pulled him into a hug, trapped his face between his hands and kissed him hard.

"There's no shame in what you're feeling. That man wanted to do terrible things to you; of course you want him dead or at the very least hurting. It was unknowing of the full consequences yes, but that man threatened our family, both current and future, that man could have ripped away your ability to bear our children, it's normal that you want him dead."

"It's not normal to wish another person dead!"

Nasta kissed him hard once more before looking him right in the eyes. "Yes it is."

"Nasta's right Harry, people wish those who have hurt them dead all the time and it's a psychological response to what happened to you, what you went through, a coping mechanism if you will, and it's completely normal. I want to take my claws to his throat, I won't throw away my entire family to do it over the likes of him, but I want to. I wish I could tear into him like a wild animal, take my teeth and claws to him and reduce him to a pile of meat and blood, but I won't, that doesn't make me a bad person Harry, that makes me normal, or as normal as Drackens get. I was very surprised Draco and Blaise kept it together though."

"You don't give them enough credit." Nasta told him. "Blaise and Draco have come a long way in a year; heavy responsibility has matured them faster and changed them for the better. This family, our family, has shaped them into the men they are today and they've taken on all of that and they are still standing, they could have left, they could have abandoned all of us and our children, but they haven't."

"I always said that a man who could abandon his family is not a real man."

"Growing up without a family, it was difficult." Harry said softly. "I wanted to be included, I wanted to be praised and loved and I wasn't, no matter what I did I was always wrong, always the bad one. I couldn't imagine our family being broken up now, I couldn't stand it."

"They'll get what's coming to them." Max said through gritted teeth. "I was talking to my Dad yesterday, their application to move their trial back five months for the sake of their son's exams was denied on the grounds that it would put undue stress upon the victim, which means you, and affect your own exams, so the courts rejected their application. They're now squabbling over when to actually set the date. Dad said he's never known a case like it, though it gives him time to come and speak to you some more, are you alright with that Harry?"

Harry nodded glumly. He knew it would have been brought up again some when, Richard and his team needed more information from him, memories and accounts of incidents that only he would be able to provide. Harry just wanted this over and done with already. This long, seemingly endless waiting was making him jittery. Throw him head first into something and he was fine, but make him wait and wait for something he knew was going to happen eventually and he got nervous.

"It'll be alright love." Max assured. "You know my Dad; it'll be easier to talk to him about it other than some random stranger. He'll be kind and gentle, it'll be fine. They have enough physical evidence to convict them, but if you were to give accounts of what happened, things that didn't have physical evidence, they'll be incriminated further."

"I know." Harry replied softly, pulling Calix in to hold him tighter, smiling widely when those black eyes focused on his mouth, even though he didn't feel like smiling.

"Let's not talk of this right now." Nasta coaxed softly.

"What else is there to talk about? My life's a disaster!"

Nasta sighed and stood, coming around the other side of the kitchenette table and pulling him into a hug.

"Your life isn't a disaster Harry, you just have a lot of bad things happen to you that weren't your fault and personally, the way you handled Nott was spectacular. Beating the absolute shit out of him like you did showed amazing strength and control. Do you think Blaise or Draco could have done that in your place? Do you think they would have been able to hold back their Drackens and not just outright kill him?"

"What if he had tied my legs down as well?" Harry voiced aloud the fear that had been gnawing at him since yesterday. "What if I hadn't been able to get my leg between our bodies and kick him off?"

"Then you would have used your claws to get your hands free and then you would have pummelled the shit out of him with your hands." Max told him surely.

"It would have been too dangerous, what if he would have seen my claws?"

"He was more focused on getting your belt off wasn't he? He wouldn't have seen, besides who would he tell? Dumbledore, Madam Pomfrey? They both knew you were a Dracken, I think they were surprised Nott wasn't a pile of meat as well."

Harry smiled a bit, reassured that even if Nott had restrained his legs, he would have been able to get himself out of the situation.

"Esmeralda is here." Harry announced, directing Max to his owl in the window.

"Ah, there's my little girl." Max cooed, Nasta and Harry shared a grin. "It's from Caesar."

Max read it and then he couldn't stop grinning, he let out a laugh and swaggered over to the table, sitting on Harry's other side.

"You Harry, are a miracle worker."

"I am?"

"Caesar has delightedly reported that Amelle had two dry heats and then a fertile heat since you spoke to her Harry, which has left her nine days pregnant."

Harry grinned widely as he took the letter from Max to read for himself.

"I have to write to her." Harry declared. "I have to remind her that she needs to have a baby girl."

Harry rushed off, though not so fast as to jar baby Calix, to get parchment, ink and a quill so he could write to Amelle, he'd leave it to Max to write his baby brother back.

* * *

Harry was on a high for the next week as he corresponded with Amelle, who was so excited for her forming baby and she promised him she would do everything in her power to have a baby girl for him, she confided that a baby boy at this point was not entirely welcome after her first son had been killed so ruthlessly. She was getting better with her new counsellor, but it would be a while before she could get over her son's murder, so she was willing herself to have another daughter.

His sons and daughter were coming along so well it was almost unreal as the quintuplets came up to six weeks old. Four of them had had their Dragon Pox vaccinations, but little Leolin, who was still so tiny, who had put on barely two pounds since his birth, who was still having the same amount of milk as a week old baby. Harry tried to feed him more, but the bottle ended up being wasted as Leolin did not finish his feeds and refused to suckle any more after his little belly was full.

Nasta tried to sooth him and tell him that this was normal for Faerie babies, that because Leolin's rate of growth was so significantly smaller and slower than his siblings, that it would take him half a year to get to the point his siblings were at currently.

Farren on the other hand was drinking four ounces of milk every four hours, almost the same as Braiden, who was four months older, taking in six and a quarter ounces of milk and now weighing fourteen pounds ten ounces and measured at twenty-five centimetres. Blaise was very proud of how Braiden was coming on, but Max was the gloater, telling Blaise that his son would be bigger in the next coming months than Braiden, who was four months older, but Blaise just smiled and said Braiden was perfect how he was and that he wouldn't change him. Draco didn't like it though, who pointed out that Calix was, after Leolin, the smallest baby they had at five pounds and he was Max's too, Max laughed it off and said that Calix took after Harry's side of the family, to which Harry scowled heavily.

"What has Max said now?" Nasta sighed as he put his quill down and looked at the pout on Harry's lips.

"Nothing." Harry huffed.

"If he doesn't control his excitement a bit more I'm going to kill him and stuff his bulky body into the wardrobe." Nasta complained.

This had the fortune to remind Harry of his first heat with Draco and Blaise and the then unknown dominant stuffed into the wardrobe, Max had started with him in a wardrobe, now it seemed his life would end in one, which of course Harry found hilarious as he doubled over crying with laughter.

"What?" Nasta asked curiously before understanding dawned on him. "You're thinking about Max in the wardrobe aren't you?"

Harry nodded, still grinning.

"I forgot about that."

Harry came and slipped onto Nasta's lap, this was his last week out of lessons, next Monday he was back to business as usual as Nott's expulsion had been made final, Harry's aches and pains had gone and he was feeling better about everything that had happened, though hearing declarations of physical harm and threats of death and then ingestion from his mates also helped.

They were angry, livid really, they each wanted to cause pain to Nott, but Harry wouldn't let them, he said that it was over and done with, he was healing nicely and he just wanted to forget about it, but every now and then one of his mates would think too heavily and let out a feral growl, or drag him onto their laps or into their arms to sniff and lick at him. Harry conquered this by not giving them enough time to stop and think about anything for too long, with six babies this was easier than breathing, all he had to do was tell them to go hand wash some dirty sleepsuits and bibs or change a baby.

The quintuplets were now getting more and more active and Harry almost screamed when he was doing some catch up homework given to him by Draco from Professor McGonagall and Regan started cooing and gurgling to himself.

"Max! Nasta!" He shouted and his two dominants were just there, Nasta was half dressed with one foot half in a sock, the other bare and Max was bollock naked, soaking wet and soapy from his shower, which admittedly side tracked Harry for a moment.

"What?! What is it?!" Nasta asked him urgently.

"I…oh…oh! Regan was speaking!" He told them excitedly, going back to his little son, though he had to shift himself carefully because of a little problem Max's state had caused him.

Both men sagged as the adrenaline eased out of their systems. Nasta placed a large hand over Regan's head and combed thick fingers through the baby fine black hair. Regan gurgled at the affection shown to him.

"Who's such a clever boy." Max cooed back, using the tip of one finger to caress a soft cheek as the rest of him was soapy.

"He's mine, of course he's clever." Nasta gave the other man a light shove, avoiding the soapy areas.

"They're all clever." Harry settled, giving a light glare to the other two.

"Yes, of course they are, but Regan is talking first." Nasta refused to relent.

Harry shook his head and let it go, they were proud of their children and he was too.

"They're growing up so fast." He complained.

"Don't complain about that Harry, we want them to grow up." Max insisted.

"I know, but still. I'm always so busy, I feel like I'm missing out on so much, if Nott hadn't attacked me, I would have been in lessons today, I would have missed Regan's cooing. How much else am I going to miss because of school?"

"Not that much, I promise you Cariad." Nasta assured him. "You have a maximum of three and a half months left in lessons, then you have your exams and then you're free to do as you please. Braiden will be a little over nine months old and our quintuplets will be five months old, you are not going to miss much."

"But they're growing so fast now." Harry said softly.

"I know, but it's going to be fine. We have the rest of our lives to enjoy them love, they won't blame us because we have such a busy schedule now." Max assured him.

"I…I love all of our children, but sometimes I do wish the quintuplets had waited a year or more to be born." Harry admitted, not looking at his mates as he said it, feeling absolutely disgusted with himself for even thinking it, let alone admitting it out loud.

A gentle touch to his chin had a devastated Harry looking up to Max, who kissed his cheek softly.

"We love you Harry, we love all of our children, but it's okay to think like that, I think all of us have thought of it more than once. They came at a very inconvenient time for us, there's nothing wrong with saying or thinking that we wished they had come later, we all wish they had come later, but they didn't and there's nothing we can do about that but suck it up and carry on, we're in a bad position right now, but it won't last forever."

Harry smiled and threw himself into Max's arms, who hugged him back tightly.

"I love you." Harry said forcefully.

Max chuckled. "Of course you do, everyone loves me, I'm just such a lovable guy."

Nasta bopped him on the head and bent to peck Harry's cheek. "We all love you Harry and we know that you love us back fully, Max is right, this situation won't last forever, soon you'll have so much free time on your hands you'll be begging the children to wake up."

Harry chuckled. "Oh I don't think I'd go that far, after all, there are a lot more…_pleasurable_ things we can do with our free time when the babies are asleep." Harry winked cheekily as he moved away from his two dominants, ignoring his now damp and soapy clothes.

Max gave a feral grin. "Now he's speaking a language I like. Suddenly three months seems like a very, very long time."

Harry grinned back and winked once more. "Wait until you see what I've got."

That wiped away Max's grin. "It's not another skirt is it? Dear Merlin don't let it be another skirt."

Harry laughed softly and went to the bedroom, he went straight to his backpack and opened it, pulling out the shrunken box that he had only just remembered was still inside. He really owed Ginny a million.

He tapped the box with his wand and it expanded to a size that made his eyes as wide as saucers. He had thought it would be a box similar in size and contents as his last one, but this box was bigger, deeper and when he opened it, it did not contain similar products to his last box, oh no. He was very sure his last box had not contained a corset, nor high heeled shoes, or a skimpy little dress made of what looked like rubber.

Harry felt his face heat up until he was sure it was redder than his Gryffindor Quidditch robes. He gingerly shifted the top products so he could see underneath, he had to laugh when he found a skirt similar to his last one, only it was dark blue, it had a matching Velcro collar and high heels. Harry's blush increased.

"Oh Ginny, you naughty girl." He said to himself.

Harry closed the box and shrunk it again; he put it in his trunk and closed it once again, hiding the box from his view and his mate's knowledge. He'd treat them all soon, but not just yet, though he couldn't help but give Max a teasing wink and a lingering once over as he padded naked back into the bathroom.

* * *

Valentine's Day was a Saturday. It saw Harry waking up to be treated to breakfast in bed by Max, who was really treating them all. Harry smiled as he realised Max had woken up an hour early just to prepare breakfast in bed for all of them.

The next surprise was from Draco, who handed them all a wrapped gift in red heart paper and a red bow. It turned out to be matching necklaces made of rare Welsh gold to honour Nasta and the dragon on the pendant had wings very, very similar to their own, each encrusted with tiny little precious gems to match their own scales.

"It's gorgeous Draco!" Harry exclaimed as he fingered his necklace that had been placed around his throat, lightly touching the tiny cut sapphires, diamonds, amethysts and the golden topaz. "Where's yours? You had better have one!"

"I do, it's in the bedside table." Draco assured, to which Harry dived on the bedside cabinet and forced Draco's matching necklace on him.

Blaise's gift was a very large, very expensive customised chocolate selection box. It contained all of Harry's favourites, but not just his favourites, but all of their favourites, even bite sized squares of Nasta's favoured ninety percent cocoa with a touch of mint.

"Oh wow!" Harry exclaimed as he dived right onto a chunk of fudge chocolate before Nasta could stop him.

Nasta didn't even try to stop him, so Harry tried a bite of something else.

"Eat what you want Harry, just don't ruin your lunch."

"Who are you and what have you done with _my_ Nasta?" Harry threatened, narrowing his eyes on the man that couldn't possibly be his Nasta.

Nasta rolled his eyes. "It's Valentine's Day, you can indulge yourself today of all days, but don't ruin any of your main meals with chocolate."

"Deal!" Harry exclaimed as he dove onto the huge selection box and tried a small square of white chocolate dotted with black dots. "Is this real vanilla?" He questioned.

Blaise nodded, watching him eat his gift happily.

"My gift comes later tonight." Nasta informed him, to which Harry gave him a chocolaty kiss.

"Thank you!"

"Where's your gift to us as your loving dominants?" Max pouted.

Harry indicated the five bassinets next to their bed. "My gift you is our adorable children." Harry said seriously, before bursting out laughing at their faces. "Oh I couldn't keep a straight face for that!" He giggled. "My gift also comes later."

"If it's not you wrapped in a bow, naked on this bed, I don't want it." Max pouted.

Harry laughed, but the other four didn't, they looked at him consideringly.

"I think the bow would detract from the naked beauty of him." Draco said seriously.

"I think it depends on where the bow was located." Blaise put in.

"I think if it were covering his gorgeous cock it would detract from the beauty of the scene." Nasta replied thoughtfully. "If it were around his waist however, I think it could add to the enticement of the moment."

Harry huffed, and didn't need to find an excuse to leave the bed and his stupid mates because a small cry came from below them. Braiden was awake.

Harry jumped right over the banister and four gasps let him know he had startled his mates, who appeared over the banister as he picked up Braiden, who squealed at seeing him.

"How's my beautiful boy?" He cooed.

"Don't do that Harry!" Blaise breathed, his heart racing.

"Do what?" Harry replied innocently.

"Jump off the platform." Draco elaborated.

"You lot do it, if you can, I can. I'm not a girl, I'm not a child, I'm not pregnant. I'm fine, I like doing it."

"Reminds me of you playing Quidditch." Max said.

"I'll be doing that again soon, Gryffindor versus Hufflepuff in March. I can't wait! I'm so excited!" Harry jabbered, not letting his mates get a word in to deny his place on the Gryffindor Quidditch team. "Isn't that right Braiden? Mummy gets to do something he loves so very much and you get to come and watch! I'm sure your Daddies will bring you and your brothers and sister with them, after all I'll be very angry if they leave you here alone and I'll be upset if they don't come and watch."

"When have you got training?" Nasta asked him softly.

Harry looked up at him to see the fear in Nasta's eyes, but also the resignation, he knew Harry was going to play no matter what, but he was frightened of what would happen during the match.

"Ginny said they were every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday. I'm training her to be my replacement though, so I only really need to go to one session a week, I've been let off this week though due to my 'injuries' so I'm excluded from the session tonight."

"Who's the new Chaser?" Blaise asked as he came down the stairs.

Harry narrowed his eyes. "Are you asking as my mate and lover, or as the Slytherin Captain and Chaser?"

Blaise chuckled as he came to hug him and Braiden. "As your mate and lover."

"Dean Thomas, he's really good, we had him for a sub last year, with Katie graduating last year though, he's become a main player, we have several substitutes this year though, younger years that show promise, so Ginny and I are running a training programme for them. Hopefully with it in place Gryffindor will be winning well after I've graduated."

"That's dirty and underhanded." Draco huffed.

"Is that why you dropped out as Slytherin's Seeker?" Harry teased.

"No, I dropped out because I would much rather focus on my studies."

"Are you sure it's not because Urquhart made Blaise Captain over you?"

"No." Draco said sullenly. "It was always my plan to give it up in my seventh year."

Harry grinned and kissed Draco. "I know, I was teasing love. Forgive me?"

"Maybe." Draco replied snootily.

Harry chuckled and kissed him again before heading into the living room with Braiden.

"Time for breakfast little man." Harry told the sixth month old baby, who was now able to sit up on his own and hold the weight of his own head.

Which of course meant that Harry had sent Nasta out to buy a highchair. Harry sat Braiden in it and made sure he was strapped in securely before going to the cold cupboard and taking out the sealed bowl of baby porridge Max had made the day before.

A quick heating spell, a taste and temperature test and Harry sat down to feed Braiden the bowl of porridge and pureed fruit.

"He's such a big boy now!" Harry cooed as Braiden allowed the spoon to be pushed into his mouth, gumming it and scraping his four teeth across the weaning spoon.

Blaise ruffled up Braiden's mop of black hair and kissed a cheek before it got covered with food.

"I think we can try him on smooth yoghurts soon." Max put in. "You know, give him his first taste of dairy, it says from six months."

"He'll be eating the same as us soon." Harry lamented.

"Well, I don't quite think he's ready to sink his teeth into steak, but some pureed vegetables might help him on his way." Nasta replied as he sunk into the seat opposite him and pulled out his work folder.

"Do you have much to do today?" Max asked him.

"No. Just a few write up reports and I need to budget the next month and I'll be done."

"What do you need to do for your work?" Harry asked Max.

"Nothing. I have next to nothing to do for my work, I can test myself and my knowledge, but I already know I know it, so it's just waiting for an emergency, then I can go in for a few hours and then I'll do the write up reports when I'm done. That's it, so whatever you have need of me for, I'm free. Unlike Nasta." Max added with a saucy wink.

"I'm free." Blaise denied.

Max shoved him over the arm of the settee. "No he's not, don't listen to him, I'm the only one free."

Harry hummed with a knowing look on his face as he continued to feed Braiden.

"Unfortunately I'm not free. I have six babies to feed, bathe and dress." Harry said. "Apparently Blaise is free though."

Max crawled over the arm of the settee and onto Blaise, who hadn't moved from where he had been pushed earlier.

"Blaise…?" Max whined.

"No, I'm not free anymore." Blaise stated.

"But I want sex."

"Go and ask Draco."

"No, don't ask Draco, he's busy with homework." Draco replied in a drawl.

"Nasta! I'm being bullied by the other mates."

Nasta chuckled even as he didn't break his rhythm of scratches of quill against parchment.

"That's too bad Max; perhaps you should go and see if our quintuplets are ready for a nappy change or a bottle feed."

Max sighed as if put upon, but dutifully got to his feet and went into the bedroom.

"I almost feel sorry for him." Blaise told them from where he was lounging on the settee.

"He's just sexually frustrated; he'll work it out in the shower." Harry replied.

Draco snorted and Blaise laughed along with Nasta.

"As long as he cleans up after himself." Draco replied, scrunching his nose in disgust.

"I'm sure he will, he is house trained after all." Nasta explained, dipping his quill in his ink before going back to his paper work.

"None of the quintuplets are awake and they don't need nappy changes." Max reported, sinking into a chair.

"I'm going to take Braiden for a bath." Harry said as he stood up and put the empty bowl in the sink and unstrapped a messy Braiden, who had porridge all over his face. Harry had tried to get as much of it off with the spoon as he could, but some things could only be taken off with a soft cloth and water.

"Alright love. Do you need a hand?" Blaise offered.

"No, no, I'll be alright."

Harry went into the bedroom and from there into the bathroom, leaving four of his mates in the living room to plot.

* * *

Aneirin came over at five that evening and Harry gave him a huge hug and asked him politely why he was there.

"Your mates want to spoil you Harry, so I'm babysitting while they take you out."

"This is my gift to you Harry." Nasta explained, giving him a kiss.

"My Mum and Dad's will be over tomorrow morning too, they want to see their grandchildren."

"Well they can come anytime, I've told them that."

"They've been busy; Talia has a new fella that Dad doesn't like."

"Dad's never like their Daughter's boyfriends." Aneirin explained with a wry smile.

"Poor Tegan, she's going to have a hell of a time getting a boyfriend."

"Don't even joke about that Harry." Max told him. "She's not having a boyfriend."

"Girlfriend then." Harry said cheekily.

"Girlfriend?" Max squeaked. "No! She's not having one of those either!"

Harry chuckled and allowed Draco to drag him into their bedroom to get ready; nothing excited Draco more than being allowed to dress Harry up how he wanted.

"Has Harry said if any of the quintuplets are Drackens yet?" Aneirin asked.

Nasta shook his head. "If any of them are Drackens, then he's keeping it very close to his chest."

"My Mum didn't tell my Dad's I was a Dracken until I was a year and a half old." Max grinned. "She told them that Caesar was a Dracken after only three months, which in comparison wasn't very long at all."

"That's a bit extreme, submissives usually say after a month or two."

"She wasn't comfortable telling them since my grandparents on all sides were hanging around hoping to hear the news."

"Ah, very understandable that she kept it to herself then." Aneirin conceded as he picked up Farren and gave him a kiss. "Well Farren is getting to be such a big boy."

"I know, he's going to be the size of Braiden soon." Max said proudly, even as he rocked Regan in his arms.

"Perhaps not the same size, but definitely the same weight." Aneirin stated as he cuddled Farren tightly. "Oh it seems like I haven't held them in ages." He complained.

Blaise came out of the bedroom holding Calix, already dressed to kill in a very posh and expensive looking suit, complete with blazer and shiny shoes.

"Well you look very sophisticated Blaise."

"Thank you, Nasta picked the place and the dress code. Harry's not very impressed."

Nasta sighed. "I knew he wouldn't be, but hopefully the night makes up for it."

"I'm sure it will and if it makes you feel better, I love where we're going and Draco's more excited than I have ever seen him. He loves any excuse to dress up rich and act like a snobby bastard."

Max snorted and placed Regan back into his bassinet. Taking Nasta's arm to go and get ready as Draco excitedly came out, Harry sullenly stomping behind him.

All of them were in black trousers, black shoes and black blazers with crisp white shirts, but they each had different coloured ties. Draco's was a soft gunmetal grey, Blaise's was a soft purple, Harry's was deep green, Nasta's was a silky, shimmering dark gold and Max's was a dark, sapphire blue. Harry noticed immediately that the ties matched their eye colours. Draco's tie made his silver eyes darken to grey and Nasta's tie brought out the gold in his eyes until he looked like Leolin, Harry also couldn't help noticing that Nasta's cheeks and chin were clean shaven for the occasion and he went to touch and kiss that smooth face while he had the chance, the hair would be back in a few hours.

"Oh you all look so handsome. Hold on." Aneirin picked up the camera on the side table and got them all to pose together and snapped several pictures of them together. "You all look so grown up."

"Dad I'm almost forty." Nasta dead panned. "Of course I'm grown up."

"But look at you all together, you all look so adult and sophisticated, this moment has to be documented." Aneirin stated.

Harry grinned for the camera before he kissed his babies goodbye.

"Mama!" Braiden cried as Harry turned away from him.

"Don't worry Braiden, I'll be back soon." Harry promised, kissing him again and hugging his little body tightly. "I love you, but you'll be fine with granddad Aneirin. He's going to look after you."

"Of course I will, they'll all be fine." Aneirin swore.

"I don't even know where we are going." Harry complained as he was led out of their rooms and then out of the school and into Hogsmeade, from there Max grabbed Blaise and Draco's elbows and Apparated them away, Harry was left to be escorted by Nasta, he did not get an answer from his mates, only secret smiles.

* * *

The arrived around the corner from a very large, very old, very posh building that was lit up brightly and as they walked closer and Nasta handed over five tickets to a man in a red suit, Harry realised that this was a very posh, very big event as he was led onto a red carpet and cameras and reporters went mad.

"Where the hell have you brought me?!" Harry hissed as he tried to hide himself behind Max, who, as his biggest, broadest mate, made a very good shield, but as he was surrounded on both sides by photographers and reporters, his attempt to hide failed.

"Just grin and bear this part love, this is the only bad part of this night, I promise." Nasta exclaimed. "This part of the night is more for Draco and Blaise anyway. Do it for them."

Harry sucked it up and grinned forcedly as he waved lightly as he moved quickly down the red carpet and into the posh building. He breathed a sigh of relief and happily accepted the flute of champagne from the dishy waiter just inside the door. He went to take a sip before stopping himself and looking questioningly at Nasta.

"I can have a glass right?" He asked.

Nasta took his own glass from the waiter and gave him a kiss. "Yes love, but just the one."

Harry grinned and sipped on his glass as Max, Draco and Blaise took their own. Harry looked around and saw more dishy waiters with serving trays of champagne flutes, some with hors d'oeuvres and posh little snacks that wouldn't fill a fly.

"Can you tell me where we are now?" Harry pouted.

"No." Draco told him with an apologetic kiss to the cheek. "Nasta won't say, but I know exactly where we are, I used to come here every year with my parents."

"My Mum went out with a guy that loved this place, he used to bring her and me until Mum got rid of him after three years." Blaise explained as he sipped his champagne. "I loved coming here."

"I've come here once, when Mum tried to culture me, Caesar and my sisters."

"I take it, it didn't work?" Harry grinned up at Max, who grinned down at him.

"No, Caesar and me were crawling around under the seats, Alayla screamed through the whole thing because Dad wouldn't let her have a dummy, Talia made herself sick on the free ice cream and Juda fell asleep. Needless to say we didn't come again."

"You are going to behave tonight though aren't you?" Draco asked almost panicked.

"Yes, yes. I'll be the perfect gentleman." Max grinned wickedly.

Draco actually looked worried, but Harry gave him a subtle hug and took a little snack that the young, very good looking, waiter offered him.

"Oh those are nice, what are they?" Harry asked the waiter, who was giving him wide, lustful eyes.

"Lobster and king prawn cakes." The waiter told him huskily. "Have another."

Harry picked out another of the 'cakes' and popped it into his mouth.

"Love, you have to try these!" Harry pushed one into Max's mouth, who glared at the waiter as he sucked exaggeratedly on Harry's fingers. "Do you think you could make them for me?"

"I'm sure I could, I'll make them better than here." Max promised, still looking heatedly at the waiter, who was checking out Harry's bum in the tailored trousers.

Blaise possessively pulled Harry away from the waiter and hid him by putting Harry behind him, then turning to put his back to the waiter, unfortunately the place was full of lusty, male waiters that didn't know the meaning of the word 'taken' and thrived on being flirty.

Harry thought it was all good fun as he knew he was going home with his four lovers at the end of the night, so when Draco got some interest from a male waiter, Harry enjoyed teasing him and offered the waiter a free night with his lover, to which Draco had furiously shot down.

"The first night is free, after that it's ten Galleons a go!" Harry giggled as Draco dragged him back towards the other three.

"Is Harry offering himself to waiters for ten Galleons?" Blaise asked incredulously.

"No, he's pimping _me_ out for ten Galleons a go to the waiters." Draco scowled.

"Don't take these waiters seriously." Nasta soothed. "They've been encouraged to flirt with all the guests, I believe they're even told to do it. They don't mean anything by it."

"I don't like it." Max huffed.

"I do." Harry grinned.

Max turned to him with dark eyes gone almost black, but kept blue by the colour of the tie. "You're mine!" Max hissed at him.

"Yes, yes, doesn't mean I can't look." Harry grinned as he eyed up another guest standing near them.

"Come on Max; let's go to the bathroom to calm you down." Nasta sighed.

"I'm not leaving him alone with these sharks!" Max replied angrily.

"I'm sure no one will touch Harry while Blaise and Draco are watching him."

"Of course they won't." Draco replied affronted.

Max was led away by Nasta and Harry beckoned another waiter over, this one looking like a world class male model with his curly blonde hair and bright, baby blue eyes, he smiled a nice, white smile and offered Harry his tray of nibbles, Harry took one and pushed it into his mouth. He moaned and those baby blue eyes softened with laughter, but simultaneously darkened with lust.

"Oh I like those."

"They're ginger and lemongrass poached scallops." The waiter told him with a surprisingly deep voice. It didn't match the cherub look he had going on.

"Blaise, try!" Harry almost ordered as he picked up another nibble and presented it to Blaise, who sucked it from his fingers.

"They are nice." Blaise replied, pulling Harry into a possessive, claiming kiss. The waiter again paid no mind.

"I want to try all of these!" Harry declared. "What are the best ones?" Harry asked the waiter, batting his lashes and chuckling when the waiter stumbled over his tongue.

An older waiter came over and offered them more champagne.

"We shouldn't, Nasta will do his nut." Blaise said, even as Harry exchanged his empty flute for a full one.

"Thank you." Harry said happily, giving his best smile to the waiters.

Another one replaced the two before Harry could even turn to his mates and offered them his tray with a grin. Harry grinned back at the dark skinned, dark haired, gorgeous waiter.

"Well hello, what are you here to tempt me with?" Harry smiled. "Besides your body that is."

"Prosciutto and goat cheese parcels." The waiter told him as if he were describing a lewd sex act.

"I'll try anything once. I've never had goats cheese before." Harry said before he popped the little pastry into his mouth and considered the flavour as he chewed.

"Do you like them?" The waiter asked softly, lustily.

Harry swallowed. "Oh yes. Those two definitely go well together. Do you want to try Draco?"

Harry didn't wait for an answer but held the little, bite sized parcel up to Draco's mouth, who slipped his lips over it and allowed Harry to place it on his tongue. Draco slipped his arms around Harry's back and pulled him against him tight as he chewed and swallowed.

"Those are nice, but I'd rather eat you." Draco's voice had lowered, but not enough to stop the interested looking waiter from overhearing.

"You can do that when we get home." Harry teased. "My supple body is all yours tonight."

"Not to mention tasty." Blaise grinned, bending slightly to nibble along Harry's neck.

Harry made an involuntary sound and he blushed. "Not in public!" He cried wriggling away from Blaise.

"Would you like to try these?" A new waiter asked him hotly.

Harry grinned. "I love that all these hot men are offering me food on a silver plate." He told Blaise and Draco. "What are these?" He asked the waiter.

"Smoked salmon rolls." The light brown haired waiter offered with a sexy grin, complete with dimple in his cheek.

Harry tried one, then had to have another. "Oh I love those."

"What are they love?" Max asked, looking calm and happy once again as he joined them.

"Smoked salmon rolls." Harry replied as he fed one to Nasta. "I really like them."

Max took one and popped it into his mouth.

"I can make some for you when you want them." Max said just before a voice spoke clearly over the crowd, telling them that the show was about to start and for them to take their seats.

Harry went to follow the mass crowd in through the double doors, but Nasta took his hand and led him up the marble staircase instead.

"We have the best seats in the house Harry; we don't have to sit with the peons." Draco told him.

Harry rolled his eyes at Draco's 'superior than thou' act, but didn't comment on it, as long as he knocked it off when they got back to their rooms he was fine with him acting lordly over the rest of the public.

They reached the top of the stairs and two male attendants met them at the top, Nasta handed over the tickets once more and they were happily led to a curtained off box with a table to seat six. Harry and Blaise, as the two shortest, were sat right up by the balcony of the box to look over into the crowd below, Nasta sat next to Harry and Draco sat next to Blaise, Max happily sat on the other side of Draco, sandwiching the blonde in.

Harry excitably looked to the stage below and knew he was here to see a posh, cultural, sophisticated show, but he couldn't help but tease his mates.

"So is this going to be a strip show?" He asked innocently. "It had better be male performers because otherwise I'm leaving."

"It is not a strip show!" Draco told him scandalised. "This is the biggest performance for magical people in the world Harry!"

"So there aren't male performers?" Harry asked pouting.

"There are bound to be a few." Blaise placated.

"Oooo." Harry cooed in interest before looking back at the stage.

"Try to give the boy some culture and all he wants is a strip show." Draco complained.

"I'll give you a private strip show later love." Max winked.

Harry chuckled, feeling warm and bubbly. His chuckle came out as more of a tipsy giggle and Nasta looked at him suspiciously, but before he could say anything, the hall went dark and everything hushed.

It was then that Harry learned that he had been brought to the world's only magical ballet. He was all set to be bored, to endure through this torture only for Draco and Blaise, who were both thoroughly enjoying themselves. He didn't expect to enjoy it himself, but he was surprised to find that he did enjoy it, very much so and he became riveted to the show, unhappily grumbling when the intermission in the middle came about, though he perked up when a happily smiling, flirty waiter came into their box to offer them drinks and ice cream, which Harry took, though he avoided the champagne with Nasta's eyes on him and went for a lemonade instead. The show resumed shortly afterward and when it was over Harry stood with his lovers and clapped hard for the dancers, it was almost nine when they got out of the building, happily dodging and avoiding the waiters, who were seeing everyone out safely, Harry was excitedly talking with Draco and Blaise about the performance and already planning on coming to next year's show.

Max grabbed him and gave him a long kiss, before Apparating home, or at least Harry had thought they were going home, but when he opened his eyes, they were opposite a very posh, fancy looking restaurant decked in tasteful Valentine's decorations that were floating, which let Harry know that they were in a magical place.

"Oh, why didn't you say? I wouldn't have had so much ice cream." Harry whined even as he cupped his flat belly.

"You'll be fine; you don't have to order a huge meal, just something light if you want to." Max assured him as they walked into the fancy restaurant, which not only had a Maître'd to greet them, but a young, curvy, smiley, sparkly hostess in a skin tight red dress with a heart headband holding back her long, dark brown hair.

"Do you have a reservation?" The Maître'd, in his black and white tailed tux, asked them primly.

"Yes, table for five under Maddison-Delericey." Nasta answered clearly.

The Maître'd made a show of running a long, slim finger down the book on the stand and Harry wanted to laugh, but held it in so he wouldn't draw attention to himself from the hushed, soft setting of the large, but very full, restaurant.

"Ah yes, table twenty-three, one of the more private tables, Audrey." The Maître'd addressed the hostess in the skin tight, red dress, who set Harry's teeth on edge as she eyed up Max a lot more intimately than she had any right to, managing to be more intrusive with that one look than any of the waiters in the ballet hall had been.

"If you would please follow me." She had a nice, throaty voice and Harry automatically hated her as she tried to get as close to Max as she could to walk beside him in her daft, pencil thin heels that Harry was pleading with to just snap as she walked, perhaps breaking an ankle as well.

She made sure to brush Max's broad shoulders as she seated him, not noticing the poisonous glare Harry was giving her as her eyes were all for Max.

"That touch made my skin crawl." Max shuddered as the hostess sauntered off on her matching red stilettos.

"Don't worry love; I'll make sure she won't be able to touch you again." Harry promised, forced calmly, as he gnashed his teeth together in her direction.

"You can't go around eating women Harry, this is the second time you've threatened to eat a woman for looking at me." Max said.

"That was more than a look!" Harry hissed venomously.

"Wait, Harry's done this before? When?" Blaise asked, looking amused.

"In the supermarket, I ran into some poor woman when getting, sugar wasn't it love?" Max asked, Harry nodded curtly. "She wouldn't get that I was practically married, went on about me not wearing a ring and then when Harry came down the aisle with Braiden and Leolin she tried brushing him off! Of course Harry threatened to go back and eat her once we had escaped. Personally I thought she looked a little stringy."

Harry giggled and went to Max, who he had made sure he was sat next to, to kiss him.

"This one looks like a bad meal too Harry, she looks fake, I wouldn't want you getting a stomach ache from ingesting silicone and Botox."

That made Harry laugh and Blaise joined in happily.

"Not to mention the fabric, I don't think that dress will come off easily, you'll have to peel her first like an orange." Draco said disgustedly as he watched her totter back on her heels her hands filled with menus.

"Here we are boys, drinks menus, main menus and dessert menus."

"You can bring these back later." Harry told her firmly, roughly handing her back the dessert menus, not giving her the option to say no as he opened the drinks menu.

"Can we have a bottle of red wine?" Harry asked Nasta, who nodded, looking like he knew it was a bad idea, but indulging Harry none the less.

"I think white would be better." Draco told him.

"I'm not fond of whites, I prefer reds." Harry said.

"Why don't you go for a nice rosé?" The hostess recommended, purring practically into Max's ear.

"I don't want a rosé!" Harry cut in fiercely. "I want a bottle of red wine."

"We'll take a bottle of red Bordeaux and a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc then, to keep the peace, but that's it." Nasta stressed. "We'll all take a glass of water as well please."

"Coming right up." The hostess told them sweetly, but the look she gave Harry was anything but friendly.

"Those wines go best with red meat." Max said to break the silence.

"I was planning on venison anyway." Draco answered as he looked through the menu.

"What's venison?" Harry asked curiously, looking through the menu for what Draco had found.

"Deer." Draco answered unconcerned.

"You could eat Bambi?" Harry demanded.

"What's Bambi?" Draco asked back with a frown.

"He's a fawn from a Muggle movie." Nasta answered. "Harry, if Draco wants to eat deer meat, let him."

"But it's a baby."

"Venison is from deer Harry, not from fawns." Max corrected. "Let Draco eat what he wants."

Harry pouted, but Max kissed him and Harry just couldn't stay upset. Instead he looked through the menu for something he wanted.

"What's veal? I don't know what half of this stuff is."

"Veal is calf meat."

"A baby cow?" Harry asked.

"Or a bull." Draco put in dispassionately. "I'm not fond of veal."

"Are they serious selling jellied eel here?" Harry almost gagged.

"They're considered a delicacy."

"Why, because no one want's to eat it?"

"More than likely." Blaise said as he pulled a face.

"Here are your drinks." The hostess announced as she escorted the waiter over to them. Harry was very sure most hostesses showed the patrons to the table and then left to greet other guests, he was sure they didn't hang around a certain table, or a certain man, in this case.

The waiter served them their drinks professionally and Harry thanked him softly, taking a sip of the dark red wine and he smiled.

"That's a nice red wine." He commented. "Try some Max."

Max took Harry's glass and took a sip. "You have excellent taste Harry; I'll take a glass of it please." He addressed the waiter.

"I'll do it." The hostess said hurriedly and snatched the bottle, which toppled on the tray, pouring right over Harry's shoulder and into his lap, staining his bright white shirt red.

The waiter hurriedly set the bottle upright again on his serving tray and stopped the wine from pouring over Harry's person, trying not to topple the bottle of white wine also on the tray, but the damage had already been done.

Harry didn't know what to do as he stared at the stain, hearing diners from other tables laughing lightly at him and to his horror; he felt tears gather in his eyes.

He stood from the table and walked right out of the restaurant and didn't look back, even when he heard his name being called. He sat on a snow covered bench a few feet away from the restaurant and let his tears fall, ignoring the wet stain on his shirt, which made him shiver in the icy February wind.

Someone sat next to him and wrapped an arm around him, Harry turned into the familiar, comforting smell of Draco's cologne and snuggled himself in, sniffling softly.

"Don't cry love. It's alright." Draco soothed, brushing his overlong hair from his face with gentle fingers.

"Draco's right, mio amore. It's not worth your tears."

"I ruined everything." Harry sniffled sadly.

"You didn't, the hostess did, stupid cow that she is, she'll have a piece from the manager once Max and Nasta are through with her."

"What are they doing?" Harry asked, perking up a bit in interest.

"Oh the usual, we're never eating here again, terrible service for such a highly rated establishment, they'll send the restaurant the dry cleaning bill, they'll let everyone they know how terrible a restaurant it really is, the whole third degree."

Harry chuckled lightly and looked at his two mates, who were relieved to see the tears drying and the small smile on Harry's face.

"I'm still hungry though."

"We're going to a better restaurant, I promise." Nasta said as he crunched through the snow towards them, he looked angrier than Harry had ever seen him, except perhaps that time when he and Harry had overheard Dominic's plans for his children.

"First we're getting you another shirt before you freeze to death." Max put in, also looking very angry.

"I'm sorry about ruining the night."

"You didn't Harry, you didn't ask to have a bottle of red wine poured over your head." Nasta assured him, tugging him to his feet from the bench.

"I thought this was a fantastic restaurant, it seems the reviews for it are highly over rated." Max scowled. "It made no mention of clingy, harpy women who have false impressions and a terrible tableside manner. Don't worry love, I set her straight, I'd rather be with you and celibate for the rest of my life than spend a minute with her in that ugly red dress."

"You think you can be celibate for longer than a week?" Harry chuckled. "I think you have a very high opinion of yourself Mister Maddison. Don't forget, we can all hear you in the shower."

That lightened the mood considerably as they all laughed at Max's expense, who bent to scoop up a handful of snow, shaped it and then threw it at Harry, who ducked at the last moment.

"Seeker reflexes remember? You couldn't hit me with several snowballs!" Harry laughed.

Max pouted, but Harry went to him and let himself be hugged tightly, he shivered and Blaise immediately stripped off his jacket and firmly placed it over Harry's shoulders.

"No arguing." He cut in before Harry could say anything. "You've got a damp shirt, you need it more than I do at this moment and my jacket fits you better than anyone else's, you'd trail all of the others in the snow."

Harry pouted, but he couldn't keep it up as a grin broke over his face as they went into the nearest wizard wear store and bought him another white shirt, Harry changed in the dressing room and then they were off to find another restaurant, hopefully one without an indecently dressed, clingy hostess.

* * *

Harry giggled with Blaise as they clung to one another as they walked down the snowy pavement. They were out in Muggle London, at least Harry thought they were out in Muggle London and they were looking for a hotel, because all of them were very, very drunk.

They had found a restaurant and happily eaten their fill, but unwilling to upset Harry again tonight, Nasta had allowed them red and white wine again, but once the red had been emptied and Harry had pouted, he had ordered another one and another one and soon he had forgotten how many they had ordered and shrugged it off, saying that this was a onetime thing only and not to get used to it.

They were all very giggly as they found a hotel to stay the night in, Max booked them in and they all crammed themselves into a lift, though Draco was very sceptical and when it started moving he almost had a panic attack.

Harry couldn't stop laughing and as Nasta let them into the hotel room, with its one king sized bed, after arguing with the receptionist that yes they only wanted the one room, yes for all five of them, no they didn't want two twin rooms and a queen sized room, yes they were all going to sleep in the one bed, and have sex on it, which had happily been supplied by Max, the heavily blushing woman had handed over the one key card and let them get to their room.

Harry face planted the bed and snuggled onto it, being joined by an increasingly horny Blaise who had stopped speaking English after his fourth large glass of wine.

"_Je veux te baiser_." Blaise whispered hotly into his ear.

"Knock it off Blaise!" Nasta grumbled.

"_Va te faire foutre_." Blaise hissed at Nasta.

"What's he saying?" Harry giggled, moaning lightly as Blaise nibbled around his ear murmuring '_Je veux t'enculer._'

"What do you think he's saying? I don't speak French and I know what he's saying to you." Max grinned lopsidedly.

"He has a love of the word 'fuck.'" Draco told him, yawning.

"Why did you have to be a sleepy drunk?" Harry whined.

"He could have been the 'passes out after two glasses' type." Max laughed, crawling onto the bed, shoving Blaise off of him and attacking his mouth.

Blaise hissed deeply, but Draco caught him around the middle and kissed him. Blaise attention was immediately diverted.

Nasta crawled onto the bed and bit around Blaise's throat, helping Draco keep him distracted as Max happily peeled Harry's clothes from his body, Harry giggling all the way.

"You know, most men would be offended at having their love laugh in their face as they undressed them, but I know you Harry and you're just a giggly drunk." Max teased.

"You've said that before." Harry grinned, right before he turned the tables on Max and used all his strength to roll their positions, pinning Max to the mattress. "You also said I was a dominant drunk."

"Hey, if you want to fuck me love, go right ahead, I won't stop you." Max encouraged.

"You'd let me?"

"As long as you're gentle with me, sure. Can you be gentle in your state of drunkenness?"

"Maybe." Harry giggled.

"I think that drunken giggle tells you no." Nasta put in, his voice deepened by lust and want.

"I want to be a top!" Harry stated furiously.

"How about you top Max after I have?" Nasta compromised. "You can play with Draco and Blaise until I'm done."

"I love how I'm being referred to like a piece of meat." Max grinned. "I love being a piece of meat."

"You're my piece of ass!" Harry growled.

"Whatever you say love." Max agreed happily in the face of Harry's aggression.

Nasta plucked Harry up easily and deposited him in front of a heavily snogging Draco and Blaise. Harry immediately joined in the kissing leaving Nasta to grin at Max whose eyes widened and his breath came hotter and heavier.

"Are you going to give me my present?" Max asked softly.

"I think you're my present." Nasta answered, a smirk etching itself on his face as he pushed Max down off of his elbows and flat on the bed.

* * *

**Missing Scene**

* * *

Nasta sucked in a deep breath and lowered himself down onto Harry gently, cuddling into him and holding him as he tried to get his breath back.

Max hauled Blaise up and pressed him beside Harry and Nasta before curling up behind him.

"I'm so tired I could sleep for a week." He stated through a yawn. "All that sex can't be good."

"What are you saying?" Harry demanded. "Who are you and what did you do with Max? The real Max would never complain about sex."

"I didn't mean it like that!" Max said, waving Harry's comment away. "Sex is great, more so when I have your luscious body to sink into, but I'm so tired I can't move."

"Just go to sleep." Nasta encouraged as he pulled the duvet up and over their bodies, rolling between Harry and Draco as he did so and turning to cuddle Draco tightly so he didn't get shoved off the end on the bed in the night.

Harry snuggled up to Nasta's back, Max's huge arm reaching across him to hold Nasta's hip and the warm weight of Blaise behind him. He was happy and he couldn't remember a happier Valentine's Day, even if he had had a bottle of red wine tipped over him, which reminded him, he had to go and find that hussy and set her straight about Max. Max was his, no one else's. No one else, outside of this bed, could have him.

* * *

Harry woke up to a pained moan and he groaned himself, snuggling himself into the warm nest he had made himself in the bed. Which was smaller than he last remembered, unless Max had grown during the night, because all of them were so tightly pressed together he felt like a sardine.

He heard the pained noise again and blinked open his eyes. He hissed at the light coming through the cheap curtains and blinked owlishly at them. Didn't they have black out curtains?

Harry heard the sound of retching and that made him sit bolt upright despite the dizzying pain in his head and the violent lurch of his belly. He clambered over Max's huge body and found no bed on the other side; instead he went crashing to the floor with its thin, floral print carpet and ugly green rug. Where the hell were they?

He crawled to the bathroom in misery to see that Blaise was being violently sick in into the toilet. Harry crawled to him and went up onto his knees behind him, tugging the already vomit flecked hair from Blaise's face and supporting his shivering body with his own. Blaise was cold to the touch, he had gone into shock.

Harry reached over and dragged the towel off of the rack, so very thankful to find it warm, it had been heated. He wrapped it around Blaise, who showed no sign of response or knowledge of what Harry did, but after a moment or two of dry heaving, his body sagged into the warm towel and into Harry's arms.

"Are you alright love?" Harry asked softly, frightened by this unresponsive Blaise.

Blaise nodded slowly, but didn't try to answer him verbally. Harry sat naked on the cold floor and cradled Blaise in the warm towel, hoping that Max or Nasta woke up soon and would know what to do because he felt sick himself, but he couldn't ease his own roiling stomach and look after Blaise too.

Thankfully he didn't have to wait long as Nasta's inbuilt trouble sensor woke him up and he came into the bathroom to help them. He shoved Harry's head down the toilet and rubbed vigorously at Blaise's arms and chest to warm him up. Harry was sick only a few minutes later.

Nasta cleaned Blaise up a bit before taking him back to bed and coming back to assist him by rubbing his back and wrapping him in the warm towel as he shivered on the cold floor.

"I'm never drinking again!" Harry sobbed miserably between rounds of dry heaving.

"Make sure you stick to that Harry, every time you want a drink, remember this morning." Nasta encouraged, he was thankfully not feeling sick, but he had a headache to end all headaches.

"I think I'm done." Harry said pathetically.

Nasta smiled softly behind Harry's head and shook his own head gently. He scooped Harry into his arms and carried him back to bed, letting him snuggle into the warmth. He had no idea what he was going to do with his mates, but until they got a headache reliever and a stomach settling elixir, they were going to be pretty useless to anyone and everyone.

Max woke with a groan and used both hands to press against his skull like he was trying to hold it together.

"What the fuck did we _do_ last night?" He moaned.

"I only remember pieces." Nasta admitted sourly.

"I remember next to nothing." Max whined.

"I remember a lot." Draco told them gruffly from the other side of a bed. "Bits are missing though. I remember Max got hit on by a woman in a red dress that tipped a bottle of wine over Harry."

"Some bimbo tipped wine over Harry?" Max asked incredulously. "I hope I snapped her fucking neck!"

"You gave her a piece of your mind while we left to another restaurant after finding Harry a new shirt. After that it gets fuzzy, I'm sure we enjoyed the meal we had at the other restaurant, but I can't seem to remember what I had to eat, or what anyone else had to eat, or how we got here, or even where here is."

"Were in some rundown Muggle hotel in London." Blaise told them dryly, his voice soft and pained, his throat raw. "Draco almost pissed himself in the lift and we had an orgy right here in this bed until the early hours."

"That was fun." Harry croaked, peeking his dishevelled head out from under the duvet.

"How are you two feeling?" Nasta asked, curling a piece of hair around Blaise's ear.

"Tired." Blaise moaned.

"Achy and sleepy." Harry answered.

"Let's get home. I'm sure my Dad will have an earful to give us." Nasta sighed.

Harry's eyes widened and he dived out of the bed as he tried to get himself dressed, almost knocking himself out on the bedside table as he dry heaved blindly.

"Calm down, calm down love." Nasta chuckled as he scooped Harry up and held him. "My Father isn't that frightening, though Max's Father is, he'll be there too."

"No, it's not that. My babies! I have to get back for my babies! Right now!" Harry demanded.

Nasta chuckled and let Harry down to scamper around the floor to get dressed as he calmly pulled his own clothes on and encouraged the other two to do so before he dressed Blaise carefully as he looked deathly pale.

He wasn't looking forward to the lectures he was about to get from his Father and his extended family, but he'd endure it, he had enjoyed his Valentine's Day and night, what he could remember of it anyhow, and he wasn't going to be bullied into feeling bad over a stupid decision to not keep an eye on what and how much he and his mates were drinking. It was over and done with and they were all paying for it in some way, there was no doubt over that. Though Blaise seemed to be suffering more than the rest of them, so Nasta ignored his whining and soft, croaky demands to be put down as he carried him through the hotel and out into the fresh air while Max checked them out of their room. He had enjoyed himself, but hell he could not wait to get back to their rooms.

* * *

A/N: Valentine's Day the Dracken way, they can't even go out to dinner without something cropping up, though with five very hit men out and about, you can't blame one for trying their luck, it might get them a broken neck, but they tried.

Some of you readers need to understand that real life involves more for me than just writing for you, I have a full time night shift job and with Christmas coming up I'm busier than ever. I'm not completely well or healthy and I've had to move back in with my Mam, which is all very stressful, so I'm sorry and all that you can't wait for more than five weeks for an update, but that's life and I'm not going to run myself or my health into the ground for an internet story that I make no money off of and do purely for my own entertainment and enjoyment. So learn some patience and back off.

Thank you to **Zathina** for being the **8,400****th**** reviewer**.

**MoonFaith**: I doubt that Harry would have the control to use the magic like that. It healed himself because it was to do with himself, it happened instinctively and focused only around himself, if Ashleigh was as powerful as Harry and lost control of her magic, then maybe she would have a chance at reversing the damage that was done to her insides, but she's not. I have no plans to reverse the effects of the damage the poachers did to her sorry and no she doesn't have any heats any more. As for the feeling after a dry heat, no. His Dracken realises it's not a fertile heat and that the problem lies within him or herself and not the mates, so there's no ill feelings after a dry heat.

**heartshaped-sunglasses**: That's not much of a prediction sorry; I've been saying for months that the next pregnancy will be identical twins.

**gobert**: That's completely fine, of course, I'm just glad you leave reviews, I don't mind where you leave them, on FF, AFF or AO3, it makes no matter, so wherever you want to leave them is fine with me, I read them all anyway.

**I Bring An Arsenal**: Harry hadn't at that point revealed to anyone that Braiden was a Dracken, he wasn't going to let Amelle be the very first to know just to rub her face in it, plus he was trying to be good and ignore her and not get dragged into the baby slagging match, because Eleonora is still Max's niece, no matter who her Mother is.

**flower-bloom**: If a 15 year old submissive has sex with someone who will also become a Dracken, then no, they will not be barren, but it's a huge risk to take, what if the other person is lying, or the parents had been lying? Plus all Drackens under the age of sixteen are coached to be celibate until after they know for sure if they're dominant or submissive.

If a dominant and submissive were mated, the dominant could leave, as Blaise proved in a previous chapter. The submissive is more likely to kill their dominant or themselves, though if they have children with said dominant they will endure their lot in life for their children, though if the dominant becomes violent or at all threatening towards the children, they'll be killed, no questions asked.

If the submissive was abused by their dominant they could go to their family and the dominants family first, if it carried on the submissive can choose to tell the Counsel, who will execute the dominant for mistreatment of a submissive, or the submissive can kill the dominant themselves.

**A Person**: I'm really not sure. I don't think so. Everything is fixed, all broken bones have been healed perfectly, all scars and blemishes have been smoothed over (except the cursed scar) so I don't think it would show up, even on a deep scan because there's no damage there to find.

**Dark Princess2012**: You have no idea what you're talking about.

**Roselilia**: Thank you so much for your review, I loved it! As for the not eating on heat, his body doesn't need to eat, he stores up enough energy from gorging himself the month before his heat and he does take his mate's blood during the sex, they feed on each other's blood, so his stomach doesn't shrink like it did when he missed a main meal. It also does have psychological roots, when Harry misses a meal; it takes him back to his time with the Dursleys and the abuse he suffered, which makes him unwilling and unable to eat his next meal as his stomach has not only shrunk but is tying itself in knots over his thoughts. Does that make sense?

**Zathina**: Harry's body is preparing to go into heat, so it's sending messages to his Dracken instincts, which is making his Dracken think of his mates and more babies, he thought of Draco's baby specifically because that is the only baby 'missing' if you will from his family and his Dracken wants more than anything to complete the family his instincts make him feel like if he doesn't give Draco a reason to stay, i.e. a baby, then Draco will leave.

**Florence**: I can't find what you mean. Blaise was not a virgin before Harry, that was explained way back in chapters 5 and 7.

**Ravenmaster7**: Ah, this is my mistake, it has cropped up before, I didn't do well in explaining. Faerie is the species, Fae are the submissive Faeries and Valkyries are the dominant Faeries. They're not separate creatures, but two halves of one species. Sorry for the confusion.

**Sillysnarrylovinggirl**: I'm not sure if it's a Welsh thing as a whole or just me, but that's how I speak, so I don't pick it up as a mistake and I don't see it as a mistake. I have always said some when and any when, I just do.

I didn't realise I left 'ly' off of some words, if you would be willing to tell me where they are, I'll fix those as that is a pet peeve of mine.

As for the Muggle way. Nasta was brought up more in the Muggle world than the magical one, as for Madam Pomfrey using a thermometer on the baby, I already mentioned in previous chapters that magic couldn't be used excessively around babies under five as it altered their magical cores and could overload them, causing them to become squibs, so they would use a thermometer over a temperature charm for the babies, as for Max using one for Nasta, it was because the thermometer was there to hand and his wand wasn't.

Thank you all for having some patience and for reading and reviewing,

StarLight Massacre. X


	64. Hufflepuff Heights

_Last Time_

_He wasn't looking forward to the lectures he was about to get from his Father and his extended family, but he'd endure it, he had enjoyed his Valentine's Day and night, what he could remember of it anyhow, and he wasn't going to be bullied into feeling bad over a stupid decision to not keep an eye on what and how much he and his mates were drinking. It was over and done with and they were all paying for it in some way, there was no doubt over that. Though Blaise seemed to be suffering more than the rest of them, so Nasta ignored his whining and soft, croaky demands to be put down as he carried him through the hotel and out into the fresh air while Max checked them out of their room. He had enjoyed himself, but hell he could not wait to get back to their rooms._

Chapter Sixty-Four – Hufflepuff Heights

The smell of alcohol left nowhere for them to hide and as they arrived back home, the only one grinning and giving them a secret thumbs-up was Richard. Behind Myron's back obviously, because the very large man looked ready to explode.

It was Aneirin however who was staring at him like he had never seen him before, so deep was his shock, so disbelieving and disappointed. Nasta wanted to curl up and hide himself away from a gaze that he hardly ever saw directed at him, but instead he stood tall as he cradled Blaise, who had vomited once more, this time in Hogsmeade, as the Apparation disagreed with his tender belly.

"What is the meaning of this?" Myron spoke in an angry growl.

"Do you know how worried we've been?" Ashleigh told them tearfully. "You were expected back last night."

"We were too drunk to Apparate." Draco replied helpfully. "Not without splinching at any rate." He added as he fell onto the settee and cradled his own head.

Blaise dry heaved into his own throat and Nasta moved him into a more comfortable position so his belly wasn't scrunched up. Blaise moaned softly and sobbed in misery as he clung to Nasta's shoulders.

Harry tentatively let go of Max's waist, took two steps forward and then plummeted to the floor. Max grabbed his hips and set him back on his feet, Harry blinked slowly as if he didn't quite grasp what had happened, he made a soft, confused noise and peered blearily around at everyone, who were starting to blur into pairs.

"He's going to pass out." Myron informed dryly, just as Harry's eyes rolled into his head.

Max caught the soft, floppy body before he hit the floor and cradled him, sniffing and licking at Harry's bone pale face. All he could smell was alcohol and stale sex.

"He needs a stomach settling potion." Max said softly as he moved to the kitchenette and got down his potion chest.

He pulled out five headache relievers and five stomach settling elixirs and handed the two potions to every one of his mates, keeping four, two for him and two for Harry. He saw to Harry first as Nasta coaxed an uncooperative Blaise into drinking them, but he was at a loss for what to do with the unconscious seventeen year old.

"You should be made to suffer the consequences of your binge like Muggles. How much did you drink?!" Aneirin shook his head sadly. "I suppose it wouldn't interest you to know that Braiden cried almost all night for his 'mama' I kept telling him that Harry would be home soon, but as midnight came and went, then one O'clock and two and I knew then that you wouldn't be home. What was I to tell that tiny six month old boy? That his parents, who had promised to come back, hadn't?"

"Really Dad, you can't possibly make me feel any worse than I already do, so stop with the guilt trip." Nasta sighed softly.

"What possessed you to drink so much? I have spent my life teaching you about the dangers and detriments of alcohol and then you go out and not only let your submissive and subordinates get flat drunk, but you join them!"

"We were celebrating our very first Valentine's Day together as a whole, as a real family Dad, forgive me for not ruining that celebration by exercising restraint on what myself and my lovers drank."

"Well you made the papers this morning, perhaps that would interest you." Myron said silkily soft, his black eyes glaring at them all as he took the folded newspaper from his back pocket and handed it over forcefully.

Nasta shook it out to the front page with Max over his shoulder and the glaring headline 'Prestigious Garnet Swan Restaurant make enemies of the Saviour and the hottest, most talked about relationship of the year' made him sigh as he saw the picture of a tearful Harry with a wine stained shirt on the front cover. He wasn't going to enjoy this article, he just knew it.

"Illustrious and world famous wizarding restaurant, The Garnet Swan, last night became the centre of an embarrassing and reputation destroying scene as five prominent young wizards enjoyed an evening at the Magical Musical Theatre for the yearly performance of the world's only all magical ballet troupe before heading to The Garnet Swan for dinner reservations that have to be pre-booked up to eight months in advance for Valentine's Day slots. Other patrons were excited to see Saviour, Harry James Potter, seventeen, enter the establishment, accompanied by his four lovers, Nasta Tabrien Delericey, thirty-eight, Maximilius Diadesen Maddison, thirty-two, Blaise Mariano Zabini, eighteen and Draco Malfoy, seventeen.

'I have never met the young boy in person and to see him sitting just two tables away from me and my Husband was just a complete thrill' says Florence Hightly. 'They were all happy and laughing, talking about the ballet they had just seen and young Harry asked if his lovers would like some wine, which was then ordered. There was a tension between them however, as the young hostess wouldn't leave their table, flirting quite shamelessly with one of Harry's lovers. It's not surprising he got a bit upset with the lady.'

Other diners then went on to describe a scene 'like something out of a written drama' some patrons said, as the hostess, who has been named as Audrey Freeman, twenty-six, touched and flirted with the obviously uninterested man, who tried many times, unsuccessfully, to brush the woman off, then recommended a rosé wine, 'a favourite of hers' a colleague mentioned, to the young men, after they had clearly said that they wanted both red and white, not rosé. Freeman then went to fetch the wine herself, instead of allowing the waiters to do their job and serve the young men.

'Their mood was drastically lowered, darker' Kirk Williams, sixty-three, told us. 'They were no longer the smiling, happy lovers they had been when they had arrived and young Mr Potter was most upset and down heartened.'

The next scene, that shocked other diners and has left The Garnet Swan's reputation in tatters, was when Miss Audrey Freeman came back with the wine server and then proceeded to pour the bottle of expensive red wine over Mr Potter's head which saw the young seventeen year old leaving the restaurant in tears, pictured above, his night now ruined and his lovers furious on his behalf.

'It was just awful, disgraceful for such an expensive and highly rated establishment' Rose Beverly, fifty-nine, said in an interview. 'That young lady was rude, disrespectful, shameless and cruel to that poor boy, to one we owe so much! That boy did not deserve such treatment for merely dining with his loved ones, The Garnet Swan is a very expensive establishment, we as patrons, expect a certain level of service for our Galleons, this is unacceptable and I and my loved ones will be dining at The Gilted Crown from now on!'

Harry Potter and his loved ones could not be found for comment, assumedly they went back to their quarters at Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry, which three of the five are still attending for their last year of school. The management team of The Garnet Swan confidently assured us that Miss Freeman had been dismissed from service and they have apologised sincerely to their guests and have sent along their apologies to Mr Harry Potter and his lovers for the poor level of service they received and have also offered to replace the shirt that one of their staff members ruined and have also expressed their wish to offer the young fivesome a free dining experience to take advantage of whenever they wish, their school schedule allowing, but all of that does not make up for the fact that the superior, world class restaurant has been left in a frankly embarrassing position and their untouched reputation has been left in shreds."

Max breathed in deeply as he finished reading aloud the article.

"At least they didn't follow us and take pictures of what we did in that small restaurant and that cheap hotel." Draco said, feeling much better now that his belly had stopped rolling and his headache had been eased away by the potions.

Myron breathed deeply. "That's not the point!" He snapped.

"What _is_ the point?" Harry asked from Max's arms; where his glassy green eyes cracked open just a touch.

"Take these Harry, you'll feel much better." Max encouraged, overseeing Harry drinking the two potions.

Harry struggled in Max's arms and the large man set him on his feet. Harry walked right into his bedroom and he immediately stripped into a pair of soft, warm pyjamas before going to his babies. He scooped a sleeping Braiden into his arms and climbed the staircase to his quintuplets.

None of them were awake, but he stroked their soft little cheeks, gave them all a kiss, before carrying Braiden back down the stairs and into the living room, cooing softly to his baby.

"Braiden was…" Aneirin started.

"Don't!" Nasta hissed, his eyes pinned on his Father.

"Braiden was what?" Harry demanded, waking up a lot more than he had been previously. "He wasn't sick was he?!"

"No, he missed you." Nasta said softly.

"Aww." Harry cooed, rubbing his nose against Braiden's. "Did you miss me baby? I missed you too."

"I fed the little quins, Braiden didn't wake up." Ashleigh told him.

"Leolin should have had two bottles." Harry said worriedly.

"I fed him the first bottle." Aneirin told him.

Harry smiled. "Thank you."

Aneirin blew out a breath, he just couldn't stay angry with Harry, his son however, him he could be angry with, he knew better than this, he had taught his son better, fortunately for Nasta, Braiden made a soft sound and opened his beautiful eyes as Harry sat down on the settee.

He grinned, so very happily when he caught sight of his Mummy and lifted sleep heavy arms to get a hug, which Harry lovingly gave him, ignoring the baby drooling in his hair and over his neck.

"Hello Braiden love." Harry greeted softly, blocking out the room around him.

"Mama!"

"Good morning sweetie. I missed you so much, but your Daddies thought it a bad idea to Apparate while so intoxicated, truthfully I agree with them, but it's alright, I'm here with you now."

Harry just cuddled his little six month old baby and soaked up all the love and trust such a tiny person could have for their Mother. He pressed his lips to Braiden's temple and kept his lips there as he hugged Braiden to himself.

"I love seeing you like this." Max told him softly.

"Like what?" Harry answered back just as softly, most of his attention still on the baby in his arms.

"Just like that, in your own little world with one of the kids. It's amazing."

Harry smiled, but shook his head at Max.

"Has he had breakfast?" Harry asked the older adults in the room.

"No, not yet. Is he on solids yet?" Ashleigh asked.

Harry nodded. "Yes, he only has a bottle five times a day now and he has rice cereal twice a day. He's getting such a big boy."

"May I hold him?" Ashleigh asked.

Harry gave Braiden a kiss and handed him over with no fuss as he went to fix Braiden some breakfast.

"How is Leolin doing?" Myron asked, sitting down next to Draco when offered to by Max.

It made Harry feel warm that Myron was asking after Leolin, and not just Calix and Farren. His only blood grandchildren.

"I'm worried about him." Harry admitted.

"Only because you are comparing him to the other babies Harry, he's going to seem different and even strange compared to them." Nasta soothed.

"Didn't you tell him about Faerie babies Nasta? I gave you books right from the Faerie courts." Aneirin said tonelessly, still lividly angry with his son, but willing to put it off to a later date, perhaps when Harry and Braiden weren't in the room.

"Of course I've told him, he's even read a few of them himself, but it doesn't seem to be sinking through his Dracken instincts. He keeps trying to feed Leolin increasing amounts of milk to join the other four, but he doesn't want to know."

"I just…he's not growing. Surely he should at least be growing?" Harry bit his lip and frowned with stress and concern.

"He has grown Harry; his back is now completely healed, he's gained a few pounds and he's lost his curled up newborn look." Draco reminded.

"But he's still so small, he's tiny."

"Only compared to his siblings." Max told him, assisting Harry with Braiden's breakfast, handing him the things he needed to make the baby rice cereal.

"Is it okay for him to be so small though?" Harry asked, looking at Aneirin, a tiny bowl of rice cereal in his hands and a little weaning spoon at the ready for Braiden.

"It's completely normal Harry, I'm surprised he's put on any weight, most Faerie babies don't until they're at least a few months old, there are books on this Harry and one baby in one particular book still looked like he was a newborn at seven months, Leolin's coming on brilliantly and I'm sure it's down to your expert care."

That put a smile on Harry's face as he went to feed Braiden, who Max had taken off of his Mother and sat on his lap. Harry knelt on the floor in front of him and fed Braiden on Max's lap, neither of them caring about the odd blobs of cereal landing on them, just glad that Braiden hadn't yet learned to put his hand in the food and throw it, he was content to just sit and allow Harry to push the spoon into his mouth.

Nasta went to get the awakening quintuplets after laying Blaise down on the settee with orders not to move and for Draco to watch him and another day began, perhaps not how they would always start their day, but they easily fell into their familiar routine.

* * *

Monday morning, the sixteenth of February, saw Harry back in lessons, which he had grumbled about, thoroughly enjoying his week off from lessons, but he was sent on his way regardless, being accompanied by Blaise and Draco until they broke apart, Harry to Charms, Draco and Blaise to Arithmancy.

Theodore Nott had been expelled, had had his wand snapped in half and was forbidden from buying a new one. There had been an article on the front page about the scummy little Slytherin who had attacked the Saviour. Draco hadn't let him read it.

Astoria Greengrass had been cautioned and warned not to go near him, any of his lovers or children and had been firmly told that any more trouble and she would also be expelled and have her wand snapped. She glared at Harry as he sat with Draco and Blaise for lunch, but Harry happily ignored the little girl, talking more with Pansy Parkinson, who wasn't exactly a bosom buddy, but Harry found he could enjoy her company in small, evened doses.

After lunch Harry went back to Transfiguration to finish off the interrupted double period with Draco, while Blaise rushed off to Ancient Runes. Harry and Draco also met up with Hermione, who also had Transfiguration.

When the final bell rang Harry packed up his equipment and scowled at his filthy hands. Herbology really was dirty work and he spoke softly with Neville as they both went to the hose in the corner to wash their hands.

"Where are Draco and Blaise?" Neville asked, really so much more confident now than his younger years.

"In Defence, poor babies." Harry grinned.

"What's wrong with Defence? I thought it had picked up standard now that we have a permanent Professor who knows what he is on about now that the curse is lifted from the position."

"Ah, but who is that permanent teacher Nev? None of them have forgiven Professor Drios for that stunner to the back when I was pregnant."

Neville made an 'O' of understanding and nodded. "I suppose that must be difficult for them to deal with, stunners really can be dangerous and with how powerful Professor Drios is, I am surprised you came out with the baby still."

"I'm not!" Seamus Finnegan piped up as they made their way across the grounds to the castle. "No matter how powerful Professor Drios is, our Harry is even more powerful!"

"Cheers Seamus." Harry grinned. "Hey, do you guys want to come over later, or I could come to Gryffindor Tower, but it is more convenient to move you lot than six babies, I want to introduce you and the girls, I've already invited Hermione, who's going to ask Ginny and Luna."

"You sure your guys won't mind?" Dean Thomas asked.

"Why would they?"

"Alright then, I've been dying to meet your kids." Seamus said with a grin.

"They've really come on now." Harry said with an answering grin.

"Not planning on anymore are you?" Neville asked as Harry went misty eyed.

"Loads more." Harry chuckled. "Draco wants a blood child too."

"Hold up, you have six kids and none of them are Malfoy's? Maybe he's infertile."

"No, he's very fertile; we just never seem to have sex at the right time." Harry grinned as his friends all pulled faces.

"Too much information Harry." Dean scowled.

"I had to listen to you and Seamus for two years, talking about women and breasts and other icky things that I don't want to even name." Harry pouted.

That set them all off laughing as Seamus wrapped an arm around Harry's shoulders.

"That must have been what turned him off in the first place." Neville pointed out.

"You know what, it probably was." Harry grinned at his friends. "I'm blaming my harem of men solely on you two." Harry indicated Seamus and Dean.

"How can you put the same amount of blame on me?" Dean asked. "I waited a full year after Seamus did to have sex for the first time. He was the one who started off the conversations about women by telling us about that summer between third and fourth year when he had that woman, oh what was her name, Sally? Or was it Sandy?"

"Don't look at me, I don't remember her name." Seamus grumbled.

"Anyway, Seamus started it all off, so therefore he should be blamed more."

"Blamed more for what?" Hermione asked as she joined them on the fourth floor.

"Nothing Hermione." They all said, sharing a grin with one another at what Hermione would say about their topic of conversation.

"You're not planning on rule breaking are you?" She asked, eyeing them all suspiciously.

"Who us?" Harry asked innocently. "Never. Where's Ginny?"

"She had Divination, she and Luna will meet us outside your rooms." Hermione answered still looking at them through narrowed eyes suspiciously, a frown down turning her mouth.

"I can't wait to show off my babies!" Harry said excitedly. "Oh, don't mind Nasta or Max, I have no idea what they've done all day, so Nas might be working or they could be asleep now that I'm not there to help with the kids."

"They won't be having, you know what, will they?" Dean asked with a grimace.

"What sex? Don't be stupid, with six kids it's hard enough to find the time to cuddle, let alone have sex." Harry waved away as they reached the seventh floor and found Ginny and Luna stood awkwardly outside the portrait of the empty classroom.

"This is your guardian portrait? Who's supposed to be inside the picture?" Neville asked.

"No one." Harry winked and took out his wand and touched the keyhole in the classroom door. The portrait swung open and Harry bounced inside to see Max napping on the settee topless and Nasta was nowhere in sight.

"Here we are, home sweet home."

Hermione, Ginny and Luna all giggled at Max, whose gorgeously muscled upper body really was a sight to behold in all its naked glory, the wide expanse of his shoulder's barely fit on the settee and his thick thighs left no room for the both of them to fit on the settee, one leg was bent over the side, foot resting on the floor.

"He's so big." Ginny giggled.

"Yeah he is." Harry winked with a cheeky grin.

"Mama!" Braiden called out, fighting to sit up in the travel cot as soon as he heard Harry's voice. He managed to sit himself up by rolling onto his knees first and held his arms up to Harry. "Maa maa!" He stressed.

Harry picked him up and gave him a tight hug and a kiss.

"This is Braiden." He introduced.

"Ah, I remember this one." Dean said as he gingerly took a little hand and shook it gently.

"Harry, is that you?" Nasta called out, coming into the living room dressed in the dragonhide trousers Draco had bought him for his birthday and a tight green tee-shirt, which brought out the green in his eyes.

"Yeah, I bought some friends to see the kids, they've already met Max." Harry grinned, indicating the biggest kid of the family.

Nasta snorted. "He thinks he had it hard because I went to work for two hours this morning. One of the Welsh Greens got out of hand and tried to destroy her enclosure, and everyone in it."

"Pregnant?" Harry guessed with a secret grin.

"Pregnant." Nasta agreed with a smirk.

"You aren't hurt are you?" Harry asked.

"No. But Max thinks he's hard done by for being left on his own for two hours."

Harry chuckled and went to get the quintuplets, who would be wanting a feed soon anyway, leaving Nasta with his friends.

"It's nice to meet you." Ginny grinned widely, looking suggestively to his hips and thighs, which she had a fascination with ever since Harry had told her Nasta's special move during sex and exactly what it felt like to be in the receiving end of it. Nasta just nodded in reply, sinking back into his silent, aloof persona.

Once Harry had safely moved all five of the quintuplets into the living room he showed them off to his friends as Nasta went into the kitchenette to make up their bottles.

"Doesn't say much does he?" Seamus whispered to Harry.

"Who Nasta? You should have been there right in the very beginning; I had trouble getting his name from him."

"I think he's just shy." Hermione defended.

Harry snorted and almost keeled over with laughter at that. If it was one thing Nasta wasn't, it was shy.

"He's not shy, he just likes the quiet." Harry said grinning. "A lot of people misunderstand that about him, some people over the years even thought he was retarded or mute, he's not, he just doesn't like talking, he prefers observing everything. Though he has gotten better, especially with us."

"Where are Draco and Blaise?" Neville asked, almost nervously, though it didn't show on his face.

"Don't worry about them Nev, they won't say a word to you anymore, they've really grown up, not to mention they don't have the time to go bullying, besides they know what I think of them behaving that way and they wouldn't do it. As for where they are currently, they go to every single study session held by the Professors, then they'll go to the library for a bit before they come home, they want to do the very best they can in their exams so they won't have to resit them in the summer."

"They spend all day, every day studying?" Dean asked in horror.

Harry nodded. "They want good jobs to support our family. Nasta and Max have good jobs and I was left a lot of money by my parents and my godfather, but we can never have too much, especially not as we plan on having a lot of children."

Harry cuddled Braiden in his lap, letting his son gum and bite at a teething ring with little plastic animals on it as his friends, most particularly Hermione and Ginny, fawned over the quintuplets.

"I know you had a little girl, where is she?" Ginny asked.

Harry looked at her strangely. "You can't tell?" He demanded as he looked to his little girl, who he could see immediately was a girl and not a boy like the others.

"It is hard to tell Harry, especially as they're all wearing dresses." Seamus pointed out.

"They're nightdresses and it makes it easier to change them in the night instead of fighting with poppers, buttons and foot holes. Why aren't they dressed?" Harry asked Nasta, who shrugged as he handed over the bottles to cool naturally.

"Ask Max." Was the short, soft reply as he went back to the kitchenette and got out his paperwork.

Harry rolled his eyes and pointed out Tegan to the girls, who carefully picked her up and cuddled her.

"She looks very like that baby." Neville said, pointing to Regan.

"They're the closest to twins out of all of them." Harry nodded. "I think they're more fraternal twins than part of the other quins, they just happened to be born at the same time as the other three, but they have been mistaken for identical twins by the nurses who gave them their Dragon Pox vaccine."

"These two are Nasta's yes? They look like him." Hermione said.

"Leolin is Nasta's too." Harry pointed out the tiny baby, in his padded carrycot closest to Harry; the other four had been placed down on the quilt in the middle of the floor.

"Why is he so small?" Dean asked. "Is he alright?"

"He's a Faerie." Luna said softly as she went onto her hands and knees, lifting one hand to touch a small cheek.

"Come off it, Harry's as human as the rest of us!" Seamus scoffed.

Harry shared a look with Hermione and had to control his grin.

"Actually Luna is right. Leolin's a Faerie; it runs in Nasta's bloodline."

"Holy fuck, really?" Dean burst out.

"Language." Nasta snapped from the kitchenette table.

"So that thing about his skin?" Dean whispered after sending a look to Nasta.

"His underdeveloped wings." Harry said. "He's fine now though, completely fine."

Braiden took that moment to sneeze and Harry sighed, picking up a soft cloth from the table and wiping his nose for him and the snot that had covered his face down to his chin.

"That's disgusting!" Seamus shivered.

"That's a baby." Harry replied with a grin. "People just think they're these little humans that just sleep all the time, that they can put down and pick up when they want to and they can use them as dress up dolls, they don't realise exactly how much work it involves. They all eat, puke and shit more times than anyone you've ever known, their cries can pierce your eardrums, they can't wipe themselves, can't feed, change or bathe themselves, they can't wipe their own noses, when the baby is finally asleep you have all the washing to do, all the cleaning because you can't do it when the baby is awake, you can forget about any thoughts of a social life, sleep is a thing of the past and sex is a distant dream that we only get on special occasions when Nasta's Dad or Max's parents take the kids for the night. I don't think I've slept properly for a year because even when pregnant the baby won't let you sleep undisturbed."

"Then you went and had five more." Neville grinned. "That alone says it's all worth it."

"It's most definitely worth it." Harry smiled. "I wouldn't give up this last year and a half for anything, and I mean anything, in the world."

"Love you too." Max said sleepily as he stretched his body as much as he could on the settee, watched by three giggly girls and three grudgingly impressed boys as Max's muscles flexed enticingly under his smooth skin, that was getting steadily paler with the absence of the strong summer sunlight.

"We have company." Harry informed softly.

"I know, I've been listening to you all for the last few minutes."

Max hefted himself up with a groan and stretched again, this time his back muscles flexing as his spine cracked forcing him to let out a soft moan.

"Why aren't any of the children dressed?" Harry asked. "You were supposed to have dressed them and washed their nightdresses for tonight."

Max groaned and rubbed his face. "Nasta left me on my own."

"Only for two hours." Harry raised an unimpressed eyebrow.

"Braiden wouldn't settle without you, Tegan decided to throw a fit when I tried to undress her so I thought it best to just leave her and then Calix decided to play up, then Leolin wanted attention, it's hard to look after all six of them on your own!" Max defended.

Harry chuckled and kissed Max, who sighed unhappily.

"If you give me their nightdresses now I'll wash them and dry them in front of the fire." He said defeated and Harry chuckled again, having known that as soon as he had kissed Max, that the large man would offer to do the washing.

"Oh, I want to pick their outfits." Ginny said. "Can I please?"

"Their clothes are in the large chest of draws Gin." Harry told her. "One draw per baby, Braiden's is at the top, then Farren's, Tegan's, then Regan's, Calix and Leolin's is on the bottom. Don't forget bodysuits and socks!"

"I'm so glad we got the magically expandable draws, otherwise we would need a whole cabinet for each baby." Max chuckled as he picked up Regan and pulled his nightdress off quickly and carefully as Harry did the same with Braiden.

Each baby was then nearly naked except for their nappies as Ginny came back with her arms full of clothes.

"You have some adorable outfits." She gushed. "Your bed is amazing by the way."

"You had better not have gone up there Gin!" Harry warned, not liking that someone, anyone, would go so close to _his_ bed.

"No, I saw it from the lower level, but it looks awesome."

Harry nodded at that and set to dressing his babies for the day, even if they'd have to be changed back into sleepwear in a few hours, Max taking the dirty nightdresses, bodysuits and socks to be hand washed.

His friends stayed for another hour, they talked about anything and everything, exams popped up and then Quidditch and Harry assured the Gryffindors that he would be playing in the match against Hufflepuff in March, in a little over two weeks' time. He was greatly looking forward to it. He also assured them that he would do his best to play Ravenclaw in May as well and then the final in June, which would likely be Gryffindor versus Slytherin, as it usually was. Harry had missed the first Gryffindor versus Slytherin match which had been in November, when he had still been pregnant with the quintuplets; Blaise had had fun destroying the red and gold lions though. It had been a narrow victory for the Slytherins, who had won two hundred and ten to one hundred and eighty. Blaise's first match as Captain since Urquhart had graduated.

Harry sighed as he said goodbye to his friends and went to sit on Nasta's lap as Max hung the rung out clothes on the grate by the fire. Nasta's arm slipped around his waist and held on as he finished his calculation before dropping his quill and giving him a kiss.

"Were you uncomfortable with them here?" Harry asked sadly.

Nasta shook his head. "No. I just have no idea what to say to school children."

Harry laughed. "Me, Blaise and Draco are still in school too."

"But you're more mature because of the Dracken inheritance. Not to mention the six children." Max pointed out as he walked around the table to make them some tea. "They were a bit immature, especially the younger girls. A guy can't even sleep without giggling going on."

"You were half naked." Harry grinned.

"Only because Regan spit up on my shirt." Max pouted as he handed out the tea cups.

Harry took a sip of the familiar sweet warmth of his honey tea and sighed in happiness.

"I'll tell you, this is the life. I don't care how hard or stressful it gets, I meant it when I said I wouldn't change these last nineteen months for anything."

Nasta nibbled his neck and squeezed his waist, but that's all they had time for as Braiden called out for his 'mama' wanting some more attention.

Harry sighed and groaned as he got up to go and pick up a squalling Braiden to play with him and the three stuffed animals they kept at the bottom of his travel cot that Braiden enjoyed. He hadn't been lying when he said that the only time they got to have sex anymore was when the in-laws babysat.

* * *

The next few weeks turned into a nightmare as even more homework was piled on them as they came into March. Braiden turned seven months old; the quintuplets turned three months old and Harry started avoiding all meat. This sent him into a blind panic when he finally realised what he was doing and why and it took his mates several minutes to calm him down, thankful that they were in their private rooms and not in public.

"What the hell is the matter Harry?" Blaise asked as Nasta finally managed to secure his teeth around the back of Harry's neck, making his body go boneless as instinct took over and his Dracken released calming hormones into his blood as Nasta's teeth sunk into the flesh at the back of his neck.

"I just realised, I don't want meat."

"So, don't eat it." Draco replied with a frown. "No one's forcing you to eat it."

"No, I don't want any meat; I don't even want it near me, that's the sign of the fifth week of my heat cycle."

That brought his mates up short.

"Are you sure?" Blaise asked softly.

Harry nodded. "I've been eating cereals, bread and rice all week and now I've realised that I don't want any meat. I can't be pregnant again, I can't! What if it's another set of quintuplets?!"

"Calm down Harry, we'll deal with it when we have to." Nasta encouraged, helping him to slow his breathing. "There are still three more weeks of your cycle, then the heat period, do you know exactly what day your diet changed to include more cereals and grains and no meat?"

"I…I think it was last Tuesday." Harry frowned. "I don't know for sure, is it important?"

"We know you have eight week cycles." Nasta told him. "You're in your fifth week there abouts, knowing what day you went into your fifth week can help us pinpoint what day your heat period will hit, which will allow us to make preparations for the children to be away at that time."

Harry nodded at the logic and he focused on breathing deeply and evenly, there was no guarantee that this would be a fertile heat, next to no Dracken had a fertile heat right after a dry spell, what were the chances that he'd be one of the few who did? So it was best to just calm himself down and not stress over it. His Dracken wouldn't care if he wanted more babies or not, he would either have a dry heat or a fertile one, he'd have to deal with that when it came to it and until then, he'd carry on as normally as possible.

* * *

Sunday, March the eighth saw Harry waking up two hours early with pre-match nerves. He showered, dried and dressed himself in his Quidditch uniform before even the first baby stirred from sleep. He left the scarlet robe off for now.

He moved the sleeping babies one by one into the living room and tried not to think that he might have another one soon. Or another several, but he staved that last thought off viciously.

Harry fed the babies as they woke and eased them back to sleep, which was easier to do with the quintuplets than Braiden, who refused to sleep and instead stayed awake with Harry to play with.

Harry kept himself focused on Braiden so that the nerves would ease off, they wouldn't go completely until he was in the air, but until then he could at least keep himself occupied with the extra time with Braiden.

Braiden excited Harry when they were playing on the floor together by getting onto his hands and knees, but he didn't do anything other than bounce on his hands and knees making 'ah, ah, ahhh' noises, liking the way his noises sounded as he bounced on his arms, before falling flat onto the padded duvet and giggling to himself.

Harry let out the breath he hadn't known he had been holding and smiled softly and indulgently at his seven month old son who was rolling and squirming on the duvet in front of him.

Farren woke up and Harry changed him with an ease that came from changing about fifty nappies a day. Harry held Farren on his lap as he played with Braiden, who, at the moment, enjoyed throwing things. Not that they went very far, but sometimes they landed on Braiden's leg or a foot, and sometimes, if a mate was sitting close by him, their legs.

Draco woke up first and he came to kiss him good morning, kissing Farren's head and Braiden's mouth as the little boy giggled on his belly.

"Do you want a cup of tea Harry?"

"Please Dray, if you don't mind. I'm choking on nerves."

"You'll be completely fine, but for the sake of our sanity, please, no diving, no speeding, no stunts of any kind and no death defying tricks."

"So I'll just sit there in one spot yes?" Harry asked with a grin.

"That'll be for the best I think." Draco nodded as he boiled the Muggle kettle for tea; he was getting so much more domesticated as the months passed.

Harry chuckled. "You just want Slytherin to win."

"I don't care about that any more Harry, there are more important things now, like your health, so be careful."

Harry nodded. "I will, but I can't control the bludgers or the beaters."

Draco's eyes flashed with both anger and worry, but he turned to fix the tea before Harry could call him on it. He let it go; all of his mates would be worried until the end of the match. He didn't _always_ get hurt in Quidditch matches, but everyone knew that Quidditch was a very dangerous game to play, so injuries were an almost certainty, for Seekers especially.

"Oh now who is this sexy man?" Max grinned, looking at Harry in his tight Quidditch leggings and vest.

"Come off it Max." Harry grinned.

"No I mean it, your arse looks fucking stunning in those skin tight leggings, sat there with the heels of your little feet pushing it up like an offering that I can't resist, why don't you wear them more often?"

"They're my Quidditch ones." Harry laughed.

"Then I'll buy you a pair for everyday use." Max nodded happily and sat behind Harry to pull him onto his lap.

"Ah ba!" Braiden frowned at Max as Harry was taken further away from him. "Mama, mama, maa maa!"

"Someone's being a fussy boy." Blaise said as he scooped Braiden up and kissed a chubby cheek.

"Mama! Mama! Mama!" Braiden chanted as he struggled in Blaise's arms before he gave up and burst out crying; screaming his heart out and Harry was up and had Braiden in his arms, pacing the living room trying to shush him.

"What happened?" Nasta asked urgently, coming out of the bedroom, razor in hand, half shaved, his chin was bleeding down his neck.

"Braiden's having a bit of separation anxiety. He doesn't want to be away from Harry." Blaise explained sadly as he watched Harry pace with their son, he went wide eyed when he looked over to Nasta and saw the blood.

"You're bleeding Nas." Harry pointed out concernedly, even as he bumped Braiden to try and calm him.

"I heard Braiden scream and I lost focus for a moment and sliced my chin as I turned my head, it's nothing."

Draco went to the older man with a napkin and dabbed the cut gently, peering at it closely.

"It doesn't seem too bad, just a nick." He said concernedly even as he continued dabbing at the bleeding cut. "It's not stopping, Max do you have anything for this?"

Max had gone immediately to his potions case as soon as he had seen the blood and carefully threw a jar of paste at Draco, who unscrewed it, dipped his fingers into it and dabbed it on Nasta's cut.

Nasta sucked in a breath and forced himself not to push Draco away as the paste stung and burnt.

"It's nothing." He complained. "It would have healed on its own anyway."

Draco gave him a stern look and Nasta sighed, but he pulled Draco into a hug and kissed him regardless. He smiled at the love he felt from these four men, the care they showed him just for a small shaving cut.

"Breakfast will be up in ten minutes guys!" Max called. "Harry, Braiden's porridge is ready if he's calm enough to eat it now."

Harry nodded from where he was cradling a snuffling Braiden in his arms. Nasta went to finish shaving, this time without any more cuts and Max set out cups of tea and Blaise's coffee, the only one he'd be able to have in Nasta's presence, he'd have to sneak the other cups he wanted.

Harry fed Braiden first, who was over his fit and was happily giggling and eating his spoons of porridge that Harry coaxed him to eat. When he was finished, Blaise tried to take Braiden away from Harry again, they waited with bated breath for the screaming to start again, but Braiden happily babbled to himself and tried to snatch Blaise's hair and they all let out a breath and Harry turned to eat his own cooling breakfast.

At nine all six babies were bundled up in padded snow suits, hats, mittens, scarves, thick socks and wellies. Harry went for some last minute preparations with the team, leaving his four mates to fend for themselves against the female population of Hogwarts all clamouring to see the cute babies in their snow suits and the very gorgeous men holding them, of course seeing Draco Malfoy, the supposed Pureblood epitome of coolness, holding a three month old baby girl in a blinding white snowsuit with little cute teddies on it might have been the clincher.

Harry, now dressed in the scarlet robes to match his socks, was warming up and running through tactics with Ginny, who he was positive he was going to pass the Captaincy badge to after he graduated, she thoroughly deserved it.

"Are you alright Harry?" Demelza asked. "You look pale."

"I feel a bit sick honestly." He said, rubbing his belly. "Give me a moment."

"I feel sick too, it's normal right?" Pauley Hendix, their new permanent keeper, said worriedly.

"Pre-match nerves are normal." Ginny assured them all. "But Harry has been playing for seven years and he wasn't this bad on his first match back in his first year. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine; I just…give me a minute."

He went into the shower stalls and to the lone sink to splash some very cold water on his face. He didn't know what was wrong, but he felt off. He had thought that these were just nerves, but he didn't think they were now; it was a different sort of feeling. He didn't remember ever feeling like this during his last breeding cycle, but maybe it was because he'd had a dry spell and now he was going back into his cycle, he'd have to ask Nasta, but until then he'd have to suck it up.

"It's time to go out, are you feeling better?"

"A bit." Harry replied rubbing his belly.

"It's not that illness you had last year is it?" Dean asked.

"It might be. I'll see Pomfrey soon, I'm sure the guys won't let me do anything less once they hear."

"Are you fit enough to play?"

"Sure. I'll be fine. I'm just a bit queasy, it's not like I'm throwing up." Harry assured as he gathered his team around, smiled at them all before leading them out to the pitch.

The Hufflepuffs, in their canary yellow robes, were already in place, they were late, but Harry walked slowly and confidently, using the smirk that Draco was infamous for to intimidate his opponents.

Harry stood opposite the Hufflepuff Captain and Chaser, Zacharias Smith. Harry would not lose to this boy, he wouldn't.

Harry was pleased to note that they hadn't changed their Seeker, Summerby, who Harry was certain he could outfly, not that he was over confident, accidents and miracles happened, but he knew Summerby's strengths and weaknesses and unless he had gotten in some serious practise since he had last played, this match would go in Gryffindor's favour.

"See something you like Potter?" Smith smirked cockily. "Afraid you've been so long out of the game, off having so many kids, that you won't be able to beat us?"

Harry couldn't help it. He laughed and the smiles and smirks on the Hufflepuff teams faces slid away.

"I could beat you and your team in labour with decuplets, don't flatter yourself or your team Smith. You're not going to win here."

"We'll see about that!" Smith huffed, sounding like a wounded hippo as they were forced to shake hands.

Harry acted sportingly and offered his hand jovially, getting an approving nod from Madam Hooch, who scowled as Smith tried to break Harry's fingers. Harry didn't mind, he was wearing his spined Quidditch gloves, Smith couldn't crush the steel spines enough to even get to his fingers.

"Mount your brooms." Madam Hooch instructed, her whistle to her lips.

Harry straddled his broom and smirked wickedly at the Hufflepuff's across from him. He was still the only person in Hogwarts with a Firebolt; he'd be in the air before they could kick off from the floor.

Madam Hooch released the snitch and the bludgers, Harry didn't take his eyes from the team in front of him, even as Summerby's eyes tracked it restlessly.

"Take a long look Summerby, it's the only time you'll see it today." Harry smiled sweetly.

Ginny snorted and Harry chuckled. Madam Hooch threw the Quaffle into the air hard, blew her whistle hard and Harry was gone.

The wind through his hair, the height, the smell of the sharp air from this high up, it awakened him and he longed to fly with his wings instead.

Harry found his mates very quickly, his eyes just automatically slid to the four men with their laps full of babies. The nappy bag slung over Nasta's shoulder was clearly visible from where he was and Harry saluted them with a wide grin, knowing they could easily see him, before he darted off looking for the snitch, he had told Smith that the Hufflepuff's wouldn't win and he meant it.

It took him five minutes to realise Hufflepuff's tactic and he snorted in disgust as he avoided another bludger. They were trying to incapacitate him; blocking him off, hitting every bludger they could at him to get him out of the game.

Harry let out a feral growl and rolled on his broom to avoid another bludger to the head, they were not relenting, not giving him any time to search for the snitch, he realised as Summerby darted this way and that to find the snitch as Harry played ballerina in the air.

He was thankful to have such amazing Chasers as Ginny, Dean and Demelza worked so well together they were sixty points up in fifteen minutes, but it wasn't enough, if Summerby found the snitch soon, they would lose. He shot off; outstripping the bludger easily, but another one came flying at his head to replace it, he growled and dropped down several feet.

He weaved and then dived down to the ground below; he signalled time out to Madam Hooch, who blew her whistle. Harry dodged the last bludger and landed under the Gryffindor bleachers.

"We need to free you up Harry." Ginny said as she landed.

Harry nodded. "I'm making myself feel sicker with all those rolls and loops, I can't keep that up. I'm going to stay at game level and try to lead the bludgers into their own players, Jimmy, keep the bludgers away from Ginny, Dean and Demelza, Richie, try and keep them away from me."

The two beaters nodded at him.

"Pauley, you're doing great, no scores at all, that's impressive."

"They're focusing more on you Cap." Pauley grinned cheekily at him. "I've barely had a touch of the Quaffle yet."

"What are the Chasers doing?" Harry frowned.

"Trying to block you off and cut you up so you'll crash." Ginny replied. "Pauley's right, they're focusing everything on you."

"New tactic then. Dean, Demelza, Ginny, you three keep doing your best, try and get over a hundred and fifty points, Pauley, use your head, your instincts and your manoeuvrability, do not concede any goals if it can at all be helped. We'll beat them by default if I can't shake the bludgers loose long enough to find the snitch. It's not a solid plan and we're relying a lot on chance here guys, I will of course still try to get the snitch and avoid the bludgers long enough to catch it, but I don't want to end up in the hospital wing this match, the lovers would skin me alive and I won't be able to play against Ravenclaw, so we're giving our all this match. We have two months before Ravenclaw, which leaved ample room for rest and recovery, so everything we have guys. Let's run these little canaries into the ground."

"So you can have your decuplets in peace." Ginny giggled.

Harry grinned back and winked.

"You're not having decuplets are you?" Jimmy asked nervously.

"Of course not, would I be playing at all if there was even a hint of pregnancy? Not a chance in hell and that's before the lovers had a say in it."

"What are decuplets?" Pauley asked.

"Ten babies at once." Harry said. "Thank god for that. I think I'd push my lovers off the Astronomy Tower one by one."

"If it was me in your place it would have to be higher than the Astronomy Tower and the area below would have to have a pit of iron spikes and just to be sure, fully grown Blast Ended Skrewts crawling around to devour the remains." Ginny said forcefully.

"You know what to do then Gin, keep your legs shut." Harry winked and laughed as Ginny went red and tried to hit him.

"You cheeky snot, like you're able to coach anyone on keeping their legs shut!"

"Ah, but I'm practically married, I'm allowed to spread my legs."

"Maybe you two could have this conversation away from young ears." Dean broke in, indicating the horrified faces of the little fourth year Hendix and the equally pale faces of the fifth years.

"Ah, yes, sorry about that. Ginny and I get out of hand sometimes." Harry cleared his throat embarrassedly and took a deep breath to focus himself once more.

"Are you ready to remount?" Madam Hooch crunched over snow to reach them.

"Yes, I think we are." Harry replied, nodding to the woman, before turning back to his team. "We have a good chance at this, if they've changed their tactics, we will change accordingly, but if they keep to the same game plan, we'll beat them on default points, a win is a win, no matter in what way."

They restarted the game and his Chasers had taken his plan to heart, scoring goals past the poor Keeper in abandon, but the attacks on Harry had upped their ante too and he had no time to look for the snitch, but he was getting a lot of exercise, it was no wonder his leg muscles were as toned as they were, well that and riding his mates like pogo sticks. Harry giggled to himself before a bludger almost taking off his face sobered him.

'Head in the game Harry! Focus!' He thought to himself sternly.

"Another ten points to Gryffindor! These girls and guy are really going for it! They now lead Hufflepuff a hundred and twenty to absolutely zero! One must ask what Captain Zacharias Smith is thinking during this match, or if he's thinking at all!"

Harry grinned at that, but they weren't out of the woods yet, if Summerby, who was zooming around like a blue assed fly, caught the snitch, they would lose, they needed thirty more points just to break even and get a draw.

Richie came up beside him and smashed the bludger aimed at him back into the Hufflepuff beater, giving Harry a few crucial moments to scan the pitch for a glint of gold. Nothing.

Harry was forced to move as a Hufflepuff Chaser tried to unseat him, illegally mind, but the whistle of Madam Hooch made Harry grin. She had seen it. Play stopped for a penalty, taken by their star Chaser Ginny, but she took her sweet time and Harry knew why as his eyes restlessly tracked the air for the snitch. He wasn't allowed to move, that didn't mean he couldn't look.

Ginny scored bringing them up to one hundred and fifty and Harry high fived Ginny as she passed, he hadn't seen the snitch, but it was a good move on her part to dawdle, just long enough to give him time, but not long enough to give Hufflepuff a concession penalty for time wasting.

Harry zoomed off when play resumed and he stayed away from all yellow clad players and made sure to stay at odd angles from the beaters, if the Hufflepuff's had clocked their tactic, they weren't responding to it and if they hadn't, well that was just peachy.

Demelza got Gryffindor's one hundred and sixtieth point and Harry grinned. He nodded to Pauley, who now knew he had to maintain the gap. The young fourth year looked so determined that Harry had to smile.

Harry kept away from the beaters, avoided the bludgers like a pro and it was as he was laughing at Gryffindor's one hundred and eightieth goal that he saw it, a shimmer of gold, gone in an instant and Harry focused immediately, his smile gone, the seriousness and need to catch the snitch blocking everything else out, the crowd, the commentator, the other players, even his own players, who were still scoring goals, there was nothing but him and that small golden ball as he speared after it with complete and utter concentration. A buzz of noise to his left saw him dipping down a few inches to avoid the bludger sent at him at the very last second, he zoomed wide around Smith, who had tried to cut him off from the path of the snitch, he ignored when Summerby joined him, he put on a spurt of speed and had to drop away again as a bludger almost took off his hand. He had meant it when he had said he was not going to the hospital wing this match.

Avoiding another Hufflepuff player, who must have gotten in their own Seeker's way of the snitch as well, Harry shot upwards when the snitch suddenly went up, circled around the highest Ravenclaw bleachers, Harry following just behind it, avoiding yet another bludger sent his way, Harry mentally grinned when the snitch suddenly went down and Harry happily followed, dives were his speciality and he thrived on going straight down like a bullet. His hand closed around the snitch a foot from the ground, giving him plenty of time to pull out of the dive and scream his celebration with the Gryffindors, who had won three hundred and seventy to absolutely nothing!

Zacharias looked so sour Harry had to laugh. Harry would never have allowed that little snot to beat him and his team, especially with such an underhanded game play. Even despite their best efforts, Harry had still caught the snitch and he was unharmed to boot! He was very happy.

* * *

Harry met up with his red cheeked lovers and Blaise swung him around and kissed him, right there in the grounds of the castle with the entire student body floating about.

Harry laughed and kissed his mates happily before descending on his babies, kissing them and rubbing noses with them, listening to Braiden's screeches of joy and seeing the gummy grins aimed at him by his quins.

"After party in the common room Harry!" Ginny shouted as she rushed to him.

"I've had all the celebration I can take Gin."

"Are you still feeling sick?"

"What?" Nasta demanded immediately.

Harry glared at Ginny who grinned evilly back.

"Didn't you know about Harry's illness? He said something about decuplets."

"Decuplets? Ten babies? But...Harry you're not pregnant are you?" Draco frowned.

"Of course not, you wouldn't have been able to pay me to get on that broom if I had been pregnant. It's something I said to Smith before the match."

"What did you say?" Blaise asked.

"He said something about me being afraid to face Hufflepuff because I'd been out of the game so long having so many babies that I knew I wouldn't be able to beat them and I told him that I could beat their shitty team while in labour with decuplets."

Draco snorted and Max laughed.

"That's my lover." The taller man grinned, ruffling Harry's already windswept mess of hair.

"Though if any of you ever make me pregnant with decuplets I'm going to take a leaf out of Ginny's book and march you one by one off the highest tower I can find onto a field of iron pikes and just to make sure you're all thoroughly dead, I'll be sure to have a Manticore or two prowling around, okay?"

Nasta snorted softly in amusement. "Alright Harry, but just so you know, no male submissive on record has ever had more than five in one go."

"That's not true." Ginny frowned. "There was a male carrier in the papers just last month who had seven. He almost died and three of the seven babies didn't make it, but he carried all seven to term."

Harry looked to Nasta to see what he would say, because he couldn't come out and tell Ginny, in such a public setting no less, that Harry was not a male carrier but they were all illegal creatures.

Thankfully he didn't have to say anything as Hermione, Neville and Seamus converged on them, all grinning from ear to ear, and of course Dean wandered over in his scarlet robes, his grin a million watts.

"That was bloody fantastic!" Seamus exclaimed.

"Are you coming to the after party?" Neville asked Harry.

Harry shook his head. "I wasn't feeling too well before the match and I'm not feeling any better after it, so I think I'm going to go lie down for a bit and maybe have some ginger or peppermint tea."

"Oh, well if you feel better later, we'll be celebrating this victory well into the night!" Seamus told him.

Harry grinned and savoured the euphoria while he could, the look on his mates' pinched faces told him that he'd be paying a visit to the medi-witch and explaining why he hadn't told them about his sickness before he had played his match against Hufflepuff. He wasn't going to look forward to that talk, perhaps he should have gone to the after party after all.

* * *

A/N: I have nothing against Hufflepuff; I just hate that little shit Smith. I hated him in the books and I hate him worse in fanfiction. So yeah, I had to do that, there was no stopping it and yes I know there is no Quidditch final at Hogwarts and that it's on a points' basis, but I wanted to do it this way instead.

**MoonlightCleona**: I hope this chapter answered your question. Yes Aneirin gave them the books as soon as he had finished reading them himself, and since he's on a break from work he had a lot of spare time in which to read them before passing them to Nasta.

**Agnieszka-luv-HP**: I'm not ashamed, but if you had the brother I did…plus I'm used to being on my own, doing what I want to when I want to, having a whole house to myself and now I'm back to having all of my stuff in just one room, sharing with three other adults, there is a bit of disappointment that I couldn't make it on my own, but this is better than the stress of trying to live with next to no money and no food. So it's all good in the end.

**Kyuubichild717**: Harry's gift will come into play a bit later on, he'll remember he never gave it to them and will make it up to them. The outfits will come into play soon as well and I'll make a Scaled Bits of what everyone thought of Nott's attack on Harry.

**K**: Crying does not mean girlie, men can cry just as much and just as easily as women, especially after being publically humiliated and having people laugh at you, so I didn't like that comment. As for Blaise playing Quidditch, I wanted him to be on the team because there are a lot of missing players to fill in, and not really a lot of Slytherin's to pick from, so I just chose Blaise. Not everything in this fic follows canon so it's all fine.

I'm aiming to update again before Christmas, but if I don't manage it, because things do pop up unfortunately, Merry Christmas to all of those who celebrate it and I hope that no matter who you are, where you are or what you believe in, that you are safe and happy this time of the year, because it is cold, it is dangerous and things do happen, so take care and thank you for reading and reviewing,

StarLight Massacre. X


	65. Choleric

_Last Time_

_Harry grinned and savoured the euphoria while he could, the look on his mates' pinched faces told him that he'd be paying a visit to the medi-witch and explaining why he hadn't told them about his sickness before he had played his match against Hufflepuff. He wasn't going to look forward to that talk, perhaps he should have gone to the after party after all._

Chapter Sixty-Five - Choleric

Harry sat on the hospital bed and sighed unhappily as he was poked and prodded by Madam Pomfrey's wand. So much for not ending up in the hospital wing after the match.

He'd had the whole, why didn't you tell us you were sick talk, but as he had pointed out he hadn't really realised he was sick until he was in the locker room, he had thought it was just pre-match nerves, so thankfully he had been let off from the whole not telling his mates every detail of his body motions issue.

"From what I can tell it's hormonal." Madam Pomfrey told him and Harry let out a relieved breath that it wasn't anything more serious. "Are you going into your breeding cycle Harry?"

"I'm in the fifth week of it." Harry agreed. "Only three weeks more before I go onto heat."

"Alright then, your body is producing high levels of different hormones, which is making you feel nauseous, I suggest some light food, some ginger tea and some rest and you should feel better as soon as your hormone levels even out."

"Okay, thank you Madam Pomfrey." Harry said happily as he scooted off of the bed and took hold of his baby Calix, who looked so adorable in his little padded snow suit.

"It's my pleasure Harry, don't forget, if you're pregnant again, come to me and I'll help you once more."

Harry nodded and smiled, thanked her once again before taking Blaise's hand and walking back to his rooms to rest up a bit, there was nothing really that could be done for hormonal issues, he'd have to wait it out as his body once again filled with hormones to make him fertile, though he hoped it took longer than three weeks, he was still praying for a dry heat.

Once they got back Harry collapsed onto the settee and bent down to untie his Quidditch boots, Max beat him to it and treated him to a foot massage as well.

"Oh you are so well trained." Harry teased as he lay back and let Max work his magic, allowing Blaise to take Calix from him to take off the snow suit now that they were back indoors.

Max chuckled. "I just like touching you, if you ever need a naked bum massage, please don't hesitate to ask."

Harry laughed and bumped Max's chin with his bare toes, which were caught in Max's mouth and sucked. Harry moaned.

"Oh don't do that, I'm sick, do you know how horrible it is to be hard and sick?"

Max licked over the sole of his foot and Harry giggled as it tickled him and made him squirm, but Max held his ankle and licked over the sensitive side of his foot to the top and Harry went from giggling to moaning again.

"Nas! Make him stop! I'm hormonally ill!"

"Max." Nasta warned from where he was taking the babies out of their snow suits with Blaise.

Max looked at him evilly and nibbled on his foot and Harry gasped. Draco wrapped arms around Max's shoulders and dragged him away from Harry, or tried to, because Max still had hold of Harry's ankle, so Harry ended up being dragged off the settee and onto the floor with a bump.

"Nasta!" Harry cried out.

"You salacious beast, leave the boy alone." Nasta came and clipped Max upside the head, picked Harry up and settled him back down on the settee and tucked him up with a blanket.

"Harry should have a bath before he settles down." Draco said as he looked to the still red cheeks and the visible grime and made Harry feel like the blonde could see the cooling, gelling sweat on his clothed back.

"Can you run him a bath please Draco?" Nasta asked as he tried to undress a squalling Tegan, who really did hate being out of her clothes. "Oh please baby girl, just stay still and silent for a minute!" He pleaded with his daughter, who thrashed all the more.

Regan on the other hand was screaming and crying for Blaise, who was trying to re-dress the boy in warm clothing, but Regan was happy to be in just his bodysuit, no matter the weather, and he thrashed and squirmed every time Blaise tried to get the little jumper or trousers on him.

Harry just about pissed himself laughing as he watched his mates try to dress the two from the settee.

"Why don't you try getting his head through first Blaise." He coached. "Nas, take her legs out first or you'll be there all day."

"If you think you can do it better come and do it! Otherwise shut up." Blaise hissed frustrated as he tried to get Regan's legs into his little trousers.

Harry chuckled and stood up, he pushed Blaise away and dressed a screaming Regan quickly, leaving his son to wriggle and writhe as he got used to the clothing covering him once more.

"There, that is how you dress him."

Harry moved over and pushed Nasta away from Tegan, whose cries had picked up pitch and pace. He put her arms back into the snowsuit and she sniffled, thinking she had won the battle, until Harry took out her legs and she started back up her screaming, but Harry sat her up and the suit slipped off easily, Harry merely pulling each of the sleeves in turn until her arms just fell out of the suit.

He dressed her as quickly as he could and presented Nasta with his dressed, sniffling daughter.

"That is how you handle the twin terrors. Next time listen to me because I know what I'm talking about."

"Your bath is ready Harry." Draco called.

Harry happily went into the bathroom and locked the door behind him with Draco still in the room, who looked at him strangely.

"I've missed bathing with you." He smiled. "Join me?"

Draco grinned. "You know I won't say no to such an offer."

Harry grinned and went to Draco, they kissed and Harry happily allowed Draco to undress him from his tight, cold, dirty Quidditch uniform.

Draco helped him into the bath and Harry groaned at the feel of the warm water lapping at his cold body.

"I didn't realise how cold I was." He said softly.

Draco stripped himself, which admittedly made Harry feel hotter than the water had and he slipped into the water himself. Harry immediately went to him and wrapped arms around his waist.

"I love this bath."

"It's more like a swimming pool." Draco smiled as he wrapped Harry up and softly rubbed his back with his hands.

"I still love it. I love it even more with a naked you in it." Harry grinned.

Draco held Harry close and let the warm water relax and sooth them both. He lowered his hands to the water before pulling them back out and trickling the water over Harry's narrow shoulders and down his back.

Harry moaned lightly, resting his head on Draco's chest as Draco continued to trail water over his back and shoulders, getting rid of the surface grime and sweat.

Harry giggled when Draco's hands smoothed water over his sides, making him squirm as he was tickled.

Draco chuckled at him before reaching for the body wash he had put in reach when he had run the bath. He lathered a good handful of it up in his hands before pampering Harry by washing his aching back.

"Do you still feel sick?"

"No, I feel loved, comforted and cared for. I love you."

Draco smirked as he nosed around Harry's hairline, kissing his forehead as he continued to wash Harry's back, shoulders and upper arms.

Draco went on to wash Harry's front, making Harry whine at the loss of contact and support, before sitting him up on the side of the bath to do his lower back, abdomen, hips, legs and feet, Harry practically purring under his hands.

"You're like a contented cat." He laughed as he pulled Harry carefully back into the bath to wash the soap from him, dipping his head under and getting some shampoo onto his hands, scrubbing his scalp to clean his hair. "You need a haircut too."

Harry shook his head. "Don't. I like my hair."

"You look as bad as you did in fourth year."

"What was wrong with me in fourth year?" Harry asked with a glare.

"Your hair was very long in fourth year." Draco replied diplomatically as he massaged his scalp, distracting Harry from the conversation.

"Oh that's sooo good." Harry moaned.

Draco slowly lowered Harry's head into the water and washed off the shampoo before grabbing the conditioner.

"Must you use that as well?" Harry whined. "My hair's already clean."

"Do you want another head massage?" Draco smirked as Harry immediately brightened.

Draco used his nimble fingers to smooth the conditioner into Harry's hair, raising goosebumps up on Harry's arms and neck as he massaged his scalp once more. He grabbed the wide toothed comb and pulled it through Harry's hair, getting rid of the few knots and tangles before he ducked Harry's head back under the water and scrubbing out the conditioner.

"Are you feeling better?"

"Much."

Harry took pleasure in returning the favour, even though Draco told him he didn't have to, even as he moaned under Harry's fingers washing his back.

"Are you two done yet?" Max demanded as he banged on the bathroom door just as Harry finished doing Draco's hair. "I've needed to piss for an hour and a half! What have you been doing in there for two hours?!"

Harry giggled as he let Draco pull him out of the water and wrap him in a towel.

"Don't give me any shit about having sex either; I can smell you haven't been naughty!"

"We've been bathing!" Harry chuckled.

"For two hours?!" Max demanded. "Oh hurry up! My bladder is going to burst!"

Draco dried himself off, rubbed Harry dry, before unlocking the bathroom door and almost being bowled over by Max as he rushed in to relieve himself with a happy groan.

Harry laughed all the way to the wardrobe and he let Draco dress him warmly, but tastefully. They walked arm in arm into the living room to find Blaise in a very interesting game with Braiden. It looked like Blaise was mimicking Braiden, who was thoroughly enjoying the game as he was back on his hands and knees bouncing and making noises, Blaise copying him while Nasta laughed openly from the settee.

Harry went to his quins and picked up Leolin, holding him close and trying to ignore his panic as he knew his baby weighed far too little and he brushed off the insane urge to force feed Leolin until he gained some weight. It was a ridiculous thought and it would damage his son, but it took a while for him to clear his head of such thoughts.

He sat next to Nasta as Draco sat by the coffee table, dragged his book satchel over and took out his homework, chuckling as Blaise encouraged Braiden to move and speak by copying him, encouraging him to make new, more complex sounds.

Max came back into the living room looking almost orgasmically happy and it made Harry laugh all over again.

"He was dancing almost as bad as Sanex at the meeting a few years ago when he got paralytic on whiskey shots."

"I wasn't that bad. Sanex's dancing would have put shame to a scarecrow caught in a hurricane."

Harry laughed harder. "What?" He exclaimed still laughing.

"Oh yeah, it was hilarious."

Max then did a boneless move with his body that looked like he was falling and trying to catch himself whilst simultaneously hopping on one foot and waving his limbs around.

Nasta started laughing at that and held his stomach with both hands.

"Please tell me Sanex doesn't dance like that." Draco pleaded.

"He really does." Nasta said happily as he picked up Leolin from Harry's arms and cwtched him tightly.

Blaise fell onto his belly and laughed at the stricken look on Draco's face, Braiden copied him and giggled and shrieked.

"I wish I had a camcorder."

"Oh please, there would be a few funny home videos on it, a few videos of the babies; the rest would be homemade porn." Max scoffed.

"You object to that why?" Harry asked seriously and Max stopped himself short and frowned.

"You don't want to shoot a sex video do you?" Nasta asked.

"What's a video? Who's going to shoot who?" Draco asked confusedly, his blonde eyebrows pulled into a thin line over his nose.

"A video is like a moving photograph, only it can last as long as you film it for." Harry explained. "So instead of the video looping around like the photograph, it carries on until you stop it. Or until it runs out of tape, but they hardly ever run out of tape anyway, I mean, who films something for longer than four hours?"

"We would if we filmed a heat period."

Harry grinned wolfishly.

"We are not filming the heat cycle; imagine if Sanex or Caesar found it? Those two get into everything." Nasta told them.

"We could ward it." Harry suggested.

"We are not filming us having sex." Nasta said stubbornly.

Harry pouted, but he sighed. "We don't have a camcorder anyway."

"We can pretend we're on camera though." Max grinned. "I'm up for anything; if you want to pretend we're porn stars, filming a movie together we can do that."

"Have I told you recently that I love you very much?" Harry grinned back.

"When did you get so kinky?" Blaise asked from the floor, where Braiden was chewing on the sleeve of his robe, biting at the cuff button with his four front teeth.

"What are you talking about? I've always been kinky." Harry laughed to himself as he thought about the box that he had stowed away in the bedside cabinet. "Or do you not remember the skirt? Do I need to remind you?"

"You have more?" Draco asked, his voice striving for nonchalance, but it held a breathless quality to it.

Harry winked. "Much, much more."

"I catalogued the entire contents of that box, they were mainly toys." Max told him, as if he didn't already know.

"I also looked in the box; the only clothing in it was the skirt and the matching panties." Blaise informed him.

Harry grinned a secret grin. "Well if you don't believe me, maybe I should show you? We're not doing anything for the rest of the day."

His mates swallowed and Harry stood up and stretched, moving to the bedroom and dodging out of reach of Max as he went to grab him. Harry ran to the bedroom and warded the door behind him. He laughed loudly so that they would hear him as he got the box out and rummaged through it, wondering what he should wear for them, true the first box had been nearly all toys, but this box was all fetish wear and indecently short and skimpy clothes.

He pulled out the blue skirt and the matching blue heels that were just his size, he'd have to practise with them a bit first, he hadn't exactly made it a point to learn how to walk in heels before.

He stripped himself and pulled on the dark blue skirt, happy to note that it came with a matching pair of blue panties, just like his beloved red skirt had. He wanted to wear the collar, but it was only March and it wasn't all that warm, he'd wait until it was warmer before wearing it, which left him the option of finding a blue tee-shirt or jumper, or wearing the white corset, which he was very sure he could change to match the skirt.

Harry fingered his wand and licked his lips, ignoring the pleading from the living room as he touched the skirt with a short jab and then the white corset, which dyed itself dark blue in seconds.

It had a tie cord back, but thankfully it also had a zip up front so he was able to get into it himself and adjust it himself. He picked up the heels and went into the bathroom to look in the mirror and he barely recognised himself as he stared into the reflective glass.

"Holy fuck." He breathed as he fingered the skirt and corset.

He had to laugh, he really did, the dark shade of the blue really suited him, offsetting the darkness of his hair, he had thought that maybe the colour would clash with his eyes, but it didn't, it made them seem darker, but didn't clash at all.

Harry slipped carefully into the heels, the last thing he wanted was a broken ankle, but thankfully the heel on them was quite short and chunky, easy and quite comfortable to walk in really as he practised walking in a line. It made him walk funny though, it gave his hips a natural sway that if he hadn't been wearing heels, he'd have to consciously do to achieve.

He felt a small amount of nerves, but nowhere near the level of when he had first slipped into his red skirt, he knew his mates better now, had been with them for longer and he knew how they would react.

He laughed manically as he walked slowly back into the bedroom. He'd be fine as long as he walked slowly.

"That does not sound good." Someone next door said, he thought it might have been Draco, but he couldn't tell through the wall.

"Please come out Harry, we can talk about this, we're rational adults." Max pleaded.

"You want me to come out?" Harry said blandly.

"Yes, we can talk about this, you don't have to dress up, we believe you. Please come out."

"Okay." Harry grinned as he unwarded the room and opened the door, the triumphant smile on Max's handsome face faded; his eyes glued to Harry's body, travelling down to rest and remain on his high heel clad feet. A shiver went through his large body and a hand almost subconsciously drifted to press against the front of his jeans.

Harry looked to his other mates, Blaise lying on the floor, his mouth parted and his eyes wide. Draco had snapped his best quill, ink staining his hand black as he stared unblinkingly at the corset and Nasta looked to be controlling the urge to devour him with his mouth, his strong tongue peeking out to wet his lips before his teeth bit into his bottom lip, tugging at it. Nasta had always had a mouth and teeth fetish.

Harry walked to Max, who was standing the closest to him, having been the one to hammer on the door and plead with him through it. He made sure the skirt brushed his hand and pressed the corset into his chest so he could feel the bones going through it.

Max swallowed heavily and painfully as his hands rose to grip Harry's waist tightly through the corset, almost like he just couldn't help himself and he breathed out on a shudder, squeezing and rubbing the corset through his fingers.

One hand rose lightning fast to grip the back of his neck, fingers gripping his hair and Max pulled him into a dominating, lusty kiss that had Harry gasping and arching into as his mouth and tongue were taken over, he didn't even have a chance to reciprocate as Max tried to suffocate him with his tongue, yanking on his hair until he cried out, not entirely from pain either as he held tightly to Max's broad shoulders, reaching them easier with the added inches from the heels and dug his nails into Max's jumper.

More hands on him, caressing his bare legs and Harry looked down into the lust blown indigo eyes of Blaise, who had crawled to him over the floor and was now poking a tongue out and that tongue was licking his legs, trailing up and up until it reached the edge of the lacy panties he had on under his skirt. Harry made a small, helpless sound as that tongue moved around to the front of his panties and the hard line of himself that was tucked under the skirt.

Harry's mouth was seized in another of Max's kisses and Harry couldn't not close his eyes as his body was savaged by pleasure. A rock hard body pressed against his back and a mouth nipped at his neck and he opened his eyes to see Draco standing beside him, he could feel Nasta behind him.

"You're so naughty." Nasta hissed into his ear and it let Harry know that Nasta was not as composed as perhaps he could have been. His feral side had come out to play.

"What are you going to do about it?" Harry challenged and with a snarl, Nasta spun him around and looked at him through heavy eyes that were dark brown with just a hint of dark gold.

"You are my submissive. Mine!" Nasta said firmly.

Harry nodded. "Yes I am."

Nasta blinked, seemingly thrown off by his acceptance as if perhaps he had been expecting Harry to deny it. He recovered quickly though and Harry saw a flash of teeth, just before he was arching in pleasure as Nasta bit into his neck, suckling at his skin to create a bruise.

"Oh! Oh, Nasta!" Harry moaned softly, his body quaking as he gripped his hands into Nasta's hair tightly and pulled.

Blaise caressed his one leg, still licking at the front of him, Max clenched large hands around his waist, tongue flicking over the back of his neck and Draco nibbled an ear as Nasta plundered his mouth.

He couldn't breathe, couldn't see or hear anything past his mates, he could smell them, smell their arousal as they pressed and nudged themselves against him and then it was over. They all stopped and breathed out heavily, disappointedly and Harry found out why when he focused on his surroundings. All he could hear was a baby crying.

He dropped his head to his chest and almost cried himself. He had been so close! Draco went and picked up Calix and checked him, frowning.

"It's nowhere near time for his bottle and he's not wet." Draco told them, patting Calix's dry nappy and then all thoughts of sex and naughtiness flew out of the window as Harry took Calix from Draco and checked him himself, sniffing at his skin and licking at his tears, trying to find something that would have made Calix cry.

Harry peeled the nappy from Calix and he sighed heavily at the redness on his bottom. He had a rash again.

"Max, please go and get his cream. The rash is back."

"Of all the times for it to come back." Max sighed as he went to get the Sudocrem cream.

Harry threw the nappy away and laid Calix on his belly, over his legs, making sure his knees supported his head and neck and that there was no pressure on Calix's bottom as he refrained from touching the redness, even though he wanted to. It would do no good.

Max brought the cream over and sat next to him, twisting open the tub and dipping his fingers inside, before spreading the cream over Calix's bum gently. Calix cooed softly and it made Harry smile.

"I wish he didn't have such sensitive skin."

"You'd think it would be Leolin who would be more prone to nappy rash, not Calix."

"Calix is a soft baby though." Draco said. "His skin is almost as fair as mine and my Mother told me I suffered terribly with nappy rash too."

Calix was happy as soon as the ache was eased away by the local anaesthetic in the cream and he enjoyed very much being fussed over by all five of them and showed it by moving his arms around and screeching happily, making them all laugh and pay attention to him.

"Mama." Braiden called out from his travel cot, where Blaise had put him before crawling to Harry in his skirt.

Nasta went and took Braiden from the cot and brought him over to Harry, who hugged his oldest child tightly.

"I love you Braiden." Harry told him softly, kissing his little mouth.

Braiden giggled and Harry sat him next to him, holding him upright with one arm around his back, his other hand hovering over Calix on his legs.

"Who's such a big boy, sitting up like an adult?" Max cooed to Braiden, who patted his own legs with a wide grin and a huffy giggle. "I think it's you! I think it's you!" Max wormed a finger into Braiden's collar and tickled the juncture between his neck and shoulder, making Braiden squirm and laugh, cocking his head to one side to trap Max's finger, drool running down his chin.

Harry could help but laugh at them both and dutifully got out a soft cloth to wipe Braiden's chin and mouth, careful not to disturb Calix, whose bottom was getting some much needed air as the cream was slowly absorbed into his skin, fighting the rash and any infections.

"Do you want to go and get changed Harry?" Nasta asked him.

Harry chuckled deeply. "No I don't, you can't get off that easily."

As all four of his mates groaned, Harry practically cackled, Braiden joining in on his Mummy's laughter.

* * *

Harry had teased his mates all day, going about his usual daily routine, only today he was wearing a skirt, a corset and a pair of blue high heels, which were awkward to walk in, especially when he forgot he was wearing them and twisted an ankle on them.

Their eyes followed him, they groaned when he bent over, were riveted when he sat on the floor with his legs spread to play with a baby between his knees and transfixed when he went onto his knees at the coffee table to do some homework.

He could see they were achingly hard by the way they stretched their jeans or trouser fronts, by the almost subconscious way they adjusted and readjusted themselves throughout the day, how they pressed the heels of their palms to their bulges. It gave him a sexual thrill to know that he was the cause of their discomfort. That he was the cause of them being so hard and uncomfortable, it was a sadistic pleasure and Harry enjoyed it very much.

He ate in his skirt and corset, played and fed and changed his children in it, helped Max clean up the kitchen, cuddled with Draco and Blaise in it, did his homework in it and put his children to bed in it and when ten O'clock at night rolled around and the last feed had been done, the last nappy had been changed and all six babies were down for the night, Harry very happily allowed his mates to grope him, Draco's hand went right into the lacy panties and squeezed tight around him, sending Harry to his knees.

"Oh Draco, you're being naughty." Max grinned, pulling Draco away from Harry and falling back onto the settee, pulling Draco over his knees on his back. "I think you need a taste of your own medicine." Max said as he pushed his own hand down Draco's trousers and squeezed him vice tight.

Draco's back curved around Max's knees and he moaned loudly, his eyes fluttering under the onslaught.

"Or perhaps it's a taste of your own punishment you need?" Max laughed and flipped Draco onto his stomach, tearing his trousers away and slapping a pale bum cheek hard and the noise Draco made widened Harry's eyes and dried his mouth in moments.

"Oh you like that do you Draco?" Max purred deeply, hitting Draco hard and causing Draco to make that noise once more, his hips twitching in Max's lap.

Harry sat and watched his teeth biting into his lip, breathing heavily as Max spanked Draco, who was getting increasingly aroused as his bum went from smooth, pale white to a harsh pink, until it finally went red, an achievement for Draco's fair complexion.

"That's enough." Nasta heaved, his eyes dilated and his fists clenched, but he was serious. "Draco won't be able to sit right for a week if you carry on. Enough Max."

"Or what?" Max growled deeply.

Nasta reacted to the challenge instinctively, knocking Max flying, Draco falling harmlessly to the floor. Harry was pulled behind Blaise and it was then that he realised that Max and Nasta were really fighting, not play fighting or foreplay fighting, but actually going at one another.

"Stop it! Stop it!" He shouted at them, trying to move to get in between them, but Blaise held him tightly, shielding him with his own body and then Draco was there, helping Blaise hold him in place, helping to shield him as Nasta threw Max across the room and stalked after him.

"Please stop." Harry begged.

"They won't until dominance is established once again mio amore." Blaise told him, petting his hair to try and sooth him.

"Why are they fighting?"

"Max challenged Nasta's authority." Draco explained.

"I was looking forward to tonight." Harry whispered.

"All of us were, but Max spoilt it by challenging Nasta, probably because he was so into spanking Draco he took leave of his sense." Blaise explained and Draco flushed a light pink.

"Since when does Max have sense when something remotely sexual is near him?" Draco said back with a sniff.

Max fought back viciously, but once again Nasta was solid and strong and he beat Max back every time the larger man tried to pin him or incapacitate him. Harry begged them to stop, but neither could hear him as they immersed themselves in the fight for dominance that took precedent over everything else.

Harry gave up trying to stop them from fighting each other as the fight took a very violent turn and blood was spilt, he buried his head in Blaise's chest and sobbed, hoping it was over soon. If he could have interjected, he would have and beaten the sense back into the both of them, but he couldn't, no subordinate dominant or submissive or any other person, Dracken or otherwise, could interfere with a dominance battle, definitely not for the top place either.

It took what felt like hours before with a sickening crack, Nasta pinned Max's arm awkwardly behind his back and sunk teeth into his already bleeding neck where fangs had scraped but not taken hold.

The fight was over for Max and Nasta, but Harry turned from Blaise, his eyes spitting fire as he hit the both of them upside the head.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?!" He screamed. "Look at what you've done!"

Harry indicated the damage they had done to themselves and the blood spattered, completely wrecked room. Harry kicked the remains of Braiden's travel cot and felt his Dracken take over in a burst of blood and rage.

"My baby was sleeping in this cot not an hour ago! Look what you've done, we _live_ here! This is _not _a fighting arena!" He shouted, his voice coming in deeper with the edge of a snarl as he fought off the desire to bite and tear into them both. "I told you a year ago that if you wanted to fight like barbarians to do it outside! Away from me and my babies! How dare you do this with our children in the next fucking room!"

Harry breathed deeply and snatched his arm away when Draco tried to hold him. He was shaking with adrenaline and suppressed rage and he couldn't think right, couldn't stand to be here any longer.

"I'm going to bed. This room had better be perfect when I wake up, everything broken replaced and not so much as a fucking smudge! I don't want any of you near me tonight." He said deadly softly before turning and storming into the bedroom and resisted the urge to slam the door shut. He was angry at them, but that was no reason to startle his babies awake and making them frightened and upset.

Harry breathed heavily and deeply, before warding the room to stop his mates from getting in. He knew logically that Draco and Blaise had had nothing to do with the fight and that really Max and Nasta couldn't have helped it once the challenged was inadvertently issued, but he couldn't get the image of the mangled cot from his mind, Braiden's cot, the cot that he had been in an hour before the fight had started. He swallowed the urge to go back out into the living room and bite his way through their soft, tender stomachs. He couldn't be near them right now, but he needed to be with his babies, so they could stay out in the wrecked room and fix it and he would calm himself down and spend the night reaffirming that his children were alive and well. Hopefully by tomorrow everything would be sorted and they could move on.

Harry unzipped the corset and let it fall to the floor, he slipped off the skirt and panties together and kicked off the heels, he stomped naked to the small dresser under the stairs that led up to their bed and pulled out a pair of his own pyjamas for the first time. He usual slept naked, but that was when he had four other men in bed with him to keep him warm, or failing that he just wore one of Max's shirts, but he didn't want anything to do with them tonight, so he pulled out a pair of his own pyjamas and dressed angrily, moving over to the solid wooden cot beside the purple, almost square, settee and touched Braiden's sleeping head, smoothing the thick, black hair from his little face and caressing the tiny fist.

To think that Braiden might have been caught up in the middle of that fight, that any of his babies could have been put in harm's way.

Harry was halfway to the living room door before he realised it and he stopped himself, breathed deeply and used every ounce of will power he had left to retract his claws and fangs, the wings would not budge.

He breathed in deeply and forced himself away from the door, away from Braiden and up the stairs, climbing them all the way to the top and looked into the bassinets, where his five tiny babies lay sleeping. Harry touched and kissed them and stood across from the bed, leaning on the balcony and glaring at the door that was ten feet below him. His hands formed fists and his nail beds itched to release his claws once more, but sucking in a huge breath, Harry held it for as long as he could before exhaling. He turned his back on the banister, on the door, on his mates and climbed into the huge bed, being mindful of his bulky wings which were tucked up to his spine, but would not retract, not matter how much he tried to get them to disappear under his skin. He burrowed under the duvet and rested his head on one of the six pillows at the top. Draco was the awkward one who had to have two pillows to rest his head on before he could sleep, the rest of them were fine with one.

Harry determinedly pushed away that thought, forced all thoughts of his mates away, he stubbornly closed his eyes so he wouldn't see Max's book on the bedside table in front of him, Blaise's spare tie strewn over the top of it where he had discarded it days before. He didn't want to think about them, didn't want to tempt himself into hurting them. He loved them, he did, but at this very moment he hated them, he could have killed them and he didn't want to. He just hoped that come tomorrow he was calmer, otherwise he didn't know what would happen or what he would do.

* * *

A/N: Well, this is the last update before Christmas, so I can happily say Merry Christmas to whomever celebrates it! I'll be back in a few weeks, perhaps just after New Year.

I hope you've all enjoyed reading this story and that you're all safe and happy, whether you celebrate Christmas or not.

Thanks to **Qwinn** for being the **8,500****th**** reviewer**!

**Arianna Nevaz Roo**: There's no point in asking how many chapters it will be lovelie. I have no idea myself. I'm writing them one at a time, but I'm not stopping any time soon.

**Lorna**: Yeah, that was a mistake on my part, rushing through the editing and read through most likely. Cheers for pointing it out.

**Rob**: I'm sure in the books they had to kick off from the ground. It was in the films where they were already in the air. I'm not sure now though, I'll go and check, but I did think they were supposed to be on the ground as when Harry gets the Firebolt, he kicks off the fastest and is in the air before anyone else at the sound of Madam Hooch's whistle, which is why I thought that in the books they stand off standing, straddling their brooms, in formation instead of in the air.

Merry Christmas to all of you lovelies, I'll be back in the new year. Love you all loads,

StarLight Massacre. X


	66. Accidents Happen

_Last Time_

_Harry determinedly pushed away that thought, forced all thoughts of his mates away, he stubbornly closed his eyes so he wouldn't see Max's book on the bedside table in front of him, Blaise's spare tie strewn over the top of it where he had discarded it days before. He didn't want to think about them, didn't want to tempt himself into hurting them. He loved them, he did, but at this very moment he hated them, he could have killed them and he didn't want to. He just hoped that come tomorrow he was calmer, otherwise he didn't know what would happen or what he would do._

Chapter Sixty-Six – Accidents Happen

Blaise yawned once again, before standing straight and stretching his back. He was very tired, but with Harry being so very unhappy and angry, plus the bedroom being solidly warded, he wasn't likely to get much sleep tonight, even though he hadn't done anything besides trying to keep Harry safe during the fight.

He sighed again and looked to Max and Nasta, who were very sad and upset with themselves, even though their instincts had demanded they fight and there was really nothing they could have done to prevent the fight, but they all knew they could have fought outside of the school in the grounds and not inside it with the school children, or in their living quarters, where their submissive and six young babies were.

They were cleaning the nearly destroyed living room, which was taking a lot of work, Braiden's cot was going to have to be fully replaced as it was beyond repair, one settee was going to have to be replaced and the shattered glass coffee table, they didn't know if the carpet should be ripped up and replaced, though they would likely decide to replace it because it would take a long time to get the numerous blood stains out of it and just in case any glass fragments were embedded in it from the smashed coffee table, Harry really would never forgive them if a baby got cut on a shard of glass as a result of the fight.

"We'll have to take a Portkey to Australia to get everything we need." Nasta said softly. "Nowhere in Britain will be open at this time of night."

"Apparation will be quicker." Max replied.

"Too dangerous, it's very long distance and we're all tired." Nasta answered.

The two were treading around one another very carefully. They would have been fine if Harry hadn't have reacted so very terribly to their fight. If only the cot hadn't have been damaged everything would have been fine and he'd be in bed with Harry right now sleeping.

"We had best leave now then if we have any hope of getting this done by morning." Draco said distantly. He blamed Max and Nasta for ruining their evening and causing Harry upset. Blaise didn't, not really. He had been a Dracken for longer, had grown up knowing about the instincts and the random fights that could happen for the most random of reasons. He knew that it couldn't have been helped once Max had issued the challenge to Nasta, he had had to answer or lose his place as top dominant, his Dracken couldn't not fight once the challenge had been issued, but they really could have gone about it better.

Blaise looked around at the ruined room, which was looking slightly better than it had a few hours ago and wondered that even if they worked their fingers to the bone if they would finish it by Harry's morning deadline. There was just so much to do.

"Come on Blaise." Max called to him and Blaise left the room and readied himself to face the Headmaster to get a Portkey to Australia and to explain exactly why they needed a Portkey to Australia at one in the morning in the first place. This was not going to be a fun visit.

* * *

Harry woke up confused and unrested. It took all of two moments to realise what had woken him as he rolled over in the dark to scoop up Farren, his chunky baby.

He was confused for a moment as to why his bed was empty except for himself and then it all came flooding back to him and he swallowed a snarl. The anger had not abated in the slightest during his short time sleeping.

He padded down the stairs and unwarded the door automatically; he went into the living room to find it half cleaned and his mates missing. It was for the best really, he didn't really want to see them, let alone talk to them or hear any begging or apologies, he was still too angry.

Harry made up seven bottles and carried them and Farren back into the bedroom and rewarded the room before his mates came back. He wanted to be alone with his babies.

He sat on the purple settee and fed Farren, who suckled strongly and quickly. It made Harry smile and think about something other than his anger at his lovers.

Doing the night feed on his own drained him, he thanked god that Braiden didn't wake up and was happy to continue sleeping through the night, even if it did mean he wasted a bottle, but even then doing all five quins was taxing and it was another hour and a half before he was curling back up in bed and drifting off to sleep once more, praying that a baby didn't need a change before six in the morning when they would all wake back up for another feed, Leolin would wake up in just two hours for another feed, but he never ate much and Harry would probably forget he had even been awake at four, but if he was forced to stay awake any longer by another baby needing his attention, he would feel so much worse for it in the morning.

* * *

Draco rubbed his itchy eyes tiredly. They couldn't find anything even remotely resembling the furniture they had once had and Max was stressing about it, thinking that if everything wasn't exactly the same that Harry wouldn't forgive them.

They had found a carpet that was near enough the same colour, but it was softer, thicker, which Draco really didn't think would upset Harry at all. He had picked out a wooden table with rounded edges, it looked good and was practical as Braiden was sure to be mobile sooner rather than later, and the fact that it wasn't glass topped was sure to win Harry over after the last one had been destroyed.

They had bought two new settees as, even though they had only destroyed the one, Draco could not abide living anywhere that had mismatched furniture, so the remaining settee _would_ be thrown out as well, even though there was nothing really wrong with it despite all of the times they had had sex upon it.

It was the cot that was causing the most arguments, because they couldn't find an adequate replacement that they thought Harry would like. Nasta wanted the most practical, Max wanted the most expensive, he himself wanted the best looking cot out of all the shops they had been to and none of them could compromise.

"Stop it!" Blaise cut into their heated debate. "Harry wouldn't want the best looking cot or the most expensive. It is Braiden's cot, Braiden is _my_ son and I say we get a good looking cot, that is hard wearing, that's completely safe and practical and not overly expensive, Harry already needlessly worries about money as it is without replacing our good value, hard wearing cot with something so obviously outlandish and tacky he'll start stressing over it. That's not what he needs, I say that one."

Blaise left no room for argument as he walked halfway down the aisle, picked up a box next to the display model of the travel cot he liked and took it to the cash register.

"What if Harry doesn't like it?" Max fretted.

"It is nearly five in the goddamned morning Max! If we don't hurry up and get back it won't bloody matter which one he likes because he'll still tear us apart for not cleaning the living room! We still have to lay the carpet, get all the furniture in the right place and assemble this bloody cot before he gets up."

Blaise paid for the cot, took the blasted free giveaway the woman pushed on him, ignoring the arguments about that as well and stormed out of the shop, he moved down a deserted alley and turned to face the other three as they joined him. Nasta pulled out the Portkey and held it out to them and when they were all touching it, he whispered the password that activated it and sent them spiralling back to Hogsmeade.

They made it back to their rooms and they were all just so tired, but their job wasn't done yet as Draco levitated all of the furniture and held it in the air as Max and Nasta ripped up their old carpet while Blaise tried to assemble the new cot in the tiny floor space of the kitchenette, which frustrated him to no end.

With the carpet cut to size and shape and laid down, Draco let the furniture down with a sigh and moved his neck and shoulders around to get rid of the tension, holding a spell for that long when tired was a challenge, but they had no time for rest as Max got rid of the old carpet and the odd settee and Nasta took the new suite out of his pocket and enlarged it, Draco enlarged the coffee table from his own pocket and then went to help Blaise who was cursing at the travel cot in the kitchenette.

At ten to six they had finished and Nasta urged Blaise and Draco to catch an hour on the new settees as they had lessons that day. Max came back into the room after disposing of the carpet and odd settee and slumped onto the rug in front of the fire. He lay down and Nasta lay down with him, cuddling together to keep warm as the two spare blankets they had that weren't locked in the bedroom with Harry, were covering Blaise and Draco on the settees. All of them fell asleep quickly after their exhausting, emotional night.

* * *

Harry groaned as a baby crying woke him up, he rolled over, found his feet and then scooped up one of the quins, he couldn't tell which one through his gluey, squinty eyes, but he rocked them gently and soothingly, holding them to his chest as he slipped down the stairs on his bum. It wasn't wise to walk down the stairs when he could barely open his eyes, let alone tell which baby he was carrying through them.

The baby stopped crying when placed on his chest and only grizzled a bit as a bottle wasn't immediately placed into a pouted mouth, but Harry continued rocking and shushing gently regardless as he unwarded the room, walked out and ignored the lumps around the room that indicated his four sleeping mates were back.

He did however stop to scrunch his toes into the new carpet, which was a surprise, he hadn't thought the carpet had been damaged, but the feel of this carpet under his feet and between his toes had him thankful that it had been damaged; Braiden would love the feel of this carpet under his hands.

Harry boiled the kettle after putting a silencing bubble around it. He was angry with them yes, but he wasn't sadistic enough to wake them when they had gone through so much effort to please him. The carpet was lovely and if he could find the time today to roll around on it naked he would do so.

Harry made up five bottles and carried them and the baby he was now awake enough to see was Calix, back into the bedroom, he did not ward the bedroom door again. He fed Calix, burped him and pulled off his nightdress and his nappy, letting his skin breathe and air out, which Calix was very happy about if his cooing and wet gurgling's were any indication as he wiggled his limbs about on the bedspread and Harry went on to feed the next baby that woke up.

From there it was the regular routine of bathing his quintuplets, drying and dressing them for the day, having a lightning speed shower himself where he barely got his hair wet before declaring himself clean, bathing a hysterically screaming Braiden while still wet himself before drying them both off, dressing a calming Braiden for the day, dressing himself in his uniform before carrying them all out to the living room in their carrycots as Harry couldn't be bothered to go up and down the stairs ten times to retrieve the bassinets for them to lay in.

He carried Braiden on his hip and settled him down into his highchair, strapped him in and warmed up the baby cereal Max had made the day before and patiently fed Braiden his breakfast, wiping his mouth and chin often, still thankful that Braiden didn't want to put his hands in his breakfast yet.

He couldn't help but smile as he watched his seven month old son eat food from a spoon. The pride he felt, the smugness and the excitable happiness he felt as he watched Braiden gum the cereal off of the tiny weaning spoon, sometimes biting it with his minimal teeth, made him swell in ways that weren't visible to the eye, soon Braiden would be crawling and then walking and Harry could hardly contain his tears at the thought.

He swiped at his eyes confused and irritated, wondering what the fuck was wrong with him and if it was just overflow emotions from last night or if it was because of the hormones pouring into his blood from his approaching heat cycle. He didn't like it whatever the cause.

Harry cleaned up Braiden and set him on the carpet with a few of his toys. There was a new toy that Harry had never seen before and he frowned at it, casting all the detection spells he knew at it, but he could find nothing malicious about it and conceded that perhaps his mates had bought it to sweeten him up a bit more, they knew the best gift they could give him was something for the babies, or chocolate, but he was likely to throw the chocolate in their faces right now, so a gift for Braiden seemed more reasonable.

Harry broke open the plastic and gave the large, coloured plastic block to Braiden along with the several chunky plastic pieces that were all in different shapes, the object of the toy was to get Braiden recognising the different shapes and putting them into the corresponding hole in the block.

Harry left Braiden bashing the block onto the new carpet, determined to either break it or crack it open like an egg.

He made himself a cup of honey tea and made breakfast for five. It didn't mean he had forgiven them though. He just appreciated the new toy and the new carpet, he was still angry for what they had done, but he'd have to call Blaise and Draco for lessons soon and they were going to be running around as it was without making their own breakfasts, plus he was less angry at Draco and Blaise the longer he had to think about what had happened.

Harry stole a quick glance at Braiden and chuckled softly as his son had progressed to chewing and biting at the plastic shapes, turning it around in his hands, before bringing it back to his mouth to bite at it some more. He checked on the quins, Leolin was sleeping soundly, no surprise there; Farren was sat in his carrycot, very content to just lie there and not do anything, again no surprise. Calix was sucking on his little toes having pulled off a sock, Tegan was dozing in and out of sleep, fighting every blink to keep her hazel eyes open and Regan was playing with the soft toys tied to the handle of the carrycot.

Harry smiled at his six babies softly as took another swallow of tea, finishing up the traditional English breakfast and plating everything. He ate his fill, cleaned his plate and then regretfully moved to wake his sleeping mates. He had left it until the last possible minute that he could call them and he still felt guilty.

He hunched on his heels and shook Blaise's shoulder lightly, smiling as those sleepy indigo eyes opened to peer at him. Blaise sat up quickly and tried to fight the tiredness he felt to get his brain working. Harry took note of the new settees and realised they matched the other furniture in the room and complimented the new carpet. He liked them.

"Harry?" Blaise croaked, before yawning.

"Your breakfast is on the table, plus a strong coffee, you need to eat now or you'll be late."

Blaise groaned, but nodded and dutifully stood up and stretched and Harry moved over to wake Draco, who swatted at him the first and second time Harry shook him.

"Wake up Draco." Harry encouraged softly.

The blonde's silver eyes cracked open and his mouth scowled, but when his brain caught up to him, the scowl melted and his eyes softened.

"Does this mean you're not angry anymore?" Was the first thing he asked.

Harry sighed. "I'm not angry with you or Blaise." He conceded, just looking at Draco's hopeful, insecure face had robbed him of any anger he felt towards his first two mates. "Now get up or you won't have time to eat and shower today."

The threat of not being able to have a shower had Draco up quicker than anything else anyone could have said and he made his way over to the kitchenette table to eat.

"Oh I've missed a good English breakfast, nothing against Max's cooking or Nasta's healthy freakishness, but this will always be my favourite breakfast and no one can quite make it like you Harry." Draco told him.

Harry snorted at the shameless flattery, but smiled none the less as he sat beside the semi-circle of carrycots holding the quins and beside Braiden, who was now bashing the little blocks into the carpet.

"Where did this toy come from?" He asked.

"It came free with the new cot we bought, something about purchases over a certain amount getting a free toy, Draco tried to throw it back at the poor woman saying that we didn't need their charity, but I just took the toy and walked out." Blaise explained.

Draco huffed. "If we had wanted a toy like that for our children we could have bought one for him ourselves!"

"It's alright, I'm sure we have something like it back at Max's, but Braiden seems happy enough." Harry said as he put one of the shaped bits of plastic in Braiden's hand. "Square." He emphasised as he let Braiden feel and look at the shape.

"Ahhh." Braiden told him.

Harry grinned and nodded. "That's right Braiden. Square. Can you find where the square goes?"

Harry held the big block out to Braiden, with the square shaped hole facing him. Braiden happily hit the block of plastic with the weapon he now had in his hands, but he did not try to push the piece in his hand into the block. He laughed very happily at the noise the two plastic pieces made when hit together though.

"Have you had a shower Harry?" Blaise asked as he put his plate into the sink of soapy water.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I had one after I bathed the quintuplets."

"Has Braiden gotten any better at having a bath overnight?" Draco asked.

"Nope. Screamed and thrashed until the floor was soaking."

"Nothing new there then." Blaise snorted as he came and kissed Braiden's mouth, who screeched and held his arms up to his Daddy and opened and closed his mouth cutely for another kiss. Blaise chuckled and happily kissed Braiden's mouth again before distracting him with the triangle shaped piece of plastic before escaping to share a shower with Draco, lest they both be late for lessons.

Braiden looked from one hand to the other, each holding a different shape and Harry could practically see his baby's brain trying to work everything out. Harry held Braiden's wrist and brought his baby's attention to the shape.

"Square." He said slowly and clearly, before moving to hold Braiden's other wrist and bringing his attention with it. "Triangle."

"Ahhh. Ah ba." Braiden repeated, looking first to his one hand and then his other.

"That's right Braiden! Square and triangle. The square goes in this hole Braiden." Harry encouraged, leading his baby's hand to push the square into the square hole. The plastic block did a loud, jaunty musical tune that frightened Harry half to death as the square shape was pushed through it and made Braiden squeal and wriggle his whole body in delight as he then tried to push the triangle through the square hole to make the same noise.

"What 'appened?" Max groggily asked, sitting up from the rug and disturbing Nasta.

"Braiden's new toy." Harry replied shortly. "Your breakfast is on the table if you care to eat it."

Max rolled to his knees and stretched with a groan, Nasta stretched on the floor before getting right to his feet.

"No Braiden, this is a triangle." Harry ignored his older mates as he searched the block for the triangle hole and showing it to Braiden. "Triangle."

"Ah ba." Braiden repeated, hitting the block with the triangle piece. Harry took his wrist and slowly turned Braiden's hand until the triangle piece was in line with the hole and let Braiden slam it in. It made a different musical twinkle that had Braiden bouncing in joy.

Harry chuckled and found another shape for Braiden to grasp. "Circle."

Braiden blinked at him adorably. "Gee ah."

"That's right Braiden. Circle."

Braiden clapped his hands together and then patted Harry's hand as he gummed on the circle shape. Harry found the circle hole and held it to Braiden, who tried to do it himself by carefully moving his hand before hitting the block.

Harry cheered when Braiden eventually got the circle piece in himself, letting Braiden know how proud Mummy was even as his baby danced to the tune the circle hole made.

Braiden snatched another piece from the floor himself and held it out to Harry, babbling to himself, but looking to Harry for an answer.

"Rectangle." Harry said slowly and clearly. "It's a rectangle Braiden."

"Ah ba ba." Braiden told him seriously.

Harry clapped and Braiden grinned and clapped his own hands. "Well done Braiden. Rectangle."

Harry found the rectangle hole and let Braiden figure it out himself, twisting and turning his hand, trying to get the rectangle piece into the hole. When his baby finally managed it Harry was so happy and proud that he forgot for a crucial moment that he was very angry with the two at the table.

"He did it himself!" He told them proudly. "Did you see?"

"We're watching Harry." Nasta told him with a smile as he ate the unhealthy, greasy breakfast with not a murmur of complaint. They were both trying so hard.

"He's getting to be such a big boy." Max agreed.

Harry nodded and turned back to Braiden, who had snatched the last shape from the floor and was passing it from hand to hand, feeling it, before bringing it up to his mouth and gumming on it. He held it out to Harry, babbling, likely asking to be told what it was.

"This is a star Braiden. Star."

"Ah."

"Clever boy! It is a star."

Harry turned the block to its last hole and watched patiently as Braiden figured out the shape and popped it through the hole. Harry clapped with Braiden as they listened to the fifth and final tune the block had and Harry picked Braiden up and kissed and hugged him when it ended.

"You are Mummy's clever boy!" Harry said softly.

"He…he likes the new toy then?" Max asked hesitantly.

Harry's spine stiffened as he remembered then exactly why Braiden had a new toy and why Max was hesitant. He gave a glare to the both of them and nodded once before turning back to Braiden, sitting him back on the floor and twisting the bottom of the toy and pulling out the piece that kept the shapes in the toy, tipping the five pieces of plastic out, replacing the bottom and handing the block back to Braiden.

Draco came out, still knotting his Slytherin tie and looked up once the tension of the room reached his awareness. Harry was playing happily with Braiden, but Max and Nasta looked so upset that Harry must have said or done something to remind them that they weren't forgiven, not even with all the work they had done last night.

"Harry, it's almost nine." Draco hedged cautiously.

"I know, can you get my book bag please? It should be in the bedroom."

"Of course." Draco went back into the bedroom and came out with Harry's satchel, before sitting on the settee to tie his shoe laces.

Blaise rushed out of the bedroom doing up his buttons, he went to the small closet they used to keep coats, jackets and shoes and dug out his own school shoes, slipped them on his feet and threw himself down next to Draco to tie his laces.

Draco got all of their jumpers and robes out for them and handed Harry his shoes. Harry reluctantly got them on and pulled on his jumper and tie. He kissed Braiden goodbye and every single quintuplet whether they were sleeping or not before handing Braiden's play over to the two mates he didn't want to.

"If a single hair on their heads is out of place when I get back you don't want to know what I'll do to you!" Harry threatened in a hiss as he shouldered his book satchel and left, leaving two very upset older dominants and a seven month old, who peered around at the sudden silence of the room and started crying hysterically when he couldn't see his Mother.

* * *

Distance did make the heart grow fonder, Harry realised as through the course of the day he found himself missing Max and Nasta, found himself wondering what they were doing at that precise moment, wondering if they missed him at all.

He didn't tell Draco or Blaise, instead he confided to Hermione during his first lesson, Charms, and asked her opinion after he had told her everything and how he had felt last night and this morning about all that had happened and what his mates had done overnight.

"Well you have every right to be angry with them Harry, but you need to let it go. No one was hurt, none of your children were hurt and I doubt very much that they would have even thought of fighting in the room if any baby had been present. Don't let your instincts rule you, you know they love those babies dearly, you know they wouldn't have fought in the same room as them." Hermione told him as they both ducked Neville's flying backpack, which had somehow turned from black to pale blue.

Harry swallowed. "I think that's the only reason I could leave this morning. Deep down I know that they would never hurt any of the babies, but just the thought of that destroyed cot, seeing how damaged it was. I had nightmares last night of seeing Braiden just as crushed inside the cot, which isn't helping at all."

"Push your other side back Harry. You know in yourself that they didn't mean to upset you, that they would never have hurt any of your babies. It's all in the mind of your…_Dracken_." Hermione whispered after first looking around at their laughing, chatting classmates.

Harry nodded and breathed in deeper and easier. He could forgive his mates, but he would never forget the incident and he would ensure to extract promises off of all of them, not just Max and Nasta, that this never happened again. No matter how old their children got to be.

Feeling lighter and less troubled, Harry finally joined the fun of the lesson and chuckled and outright laughed as his fellow classmates botched up the charm so terribly that he couldn't help but laugh at the consequences. He hoped that when he finally saw Max and Nasta again that the anger he had felt before didn't come surging back, he loved them dearly; he didn't want to hate them as well.

* * *

Harry didn't go back to the rooms for lunch; instead he stayed with his friends and caught up more with them, hoping that it would stop the anger from resurfacing when he finally did go back to his rooms at the end of the day. He was feeling much better and was in a much better mood, so he hoped it worked.

Herbology was his last lesson of the day and as it drew to a close Harry still wasn't sure about returning to his rooms. He said goodbye to his friends as they headed to the Great Hall for dinner, he himself got all the way to the portrait guarding the rooms before changing his mind and he wandered off instead. He thought about going to Gryffindor Tower, but his feet instead led him to the stone gargoyle in front of Dumbledore's office.

Harry smiled as he realised he was still seeking advice and he said several passwords before gaining entrance to the Headmaster's office and a familiar voice called for him to enter after he had knocked on the smooth, solid oak door.

Grinning, Harry peeked around the door and entered the room as he was bid.

"Harry my boy, a pleasure to see you. I was halfway down the staircase on my way to dinner, when I had the strangest feeling that I was needed back at my office. What can I help you with?"

"I didn't mean to interrupt your dinner sir."

"That is quite alright Harry, I'm sure we can get dinner up here in no time at all."

Harry sat down and basked in the familiar presence that had always steered him right, even if it was just in a vague direction so he could make all of the main decisions himself. He would be glad for any advice given to him.

"Now, what can I help you with my boy?" Dumbledore asked after they had both been served by a house-elf.

"I…I don't really know where to begin sir. Everything was fine one minute and then Max issued a challenge to Nasta."

"Oh dear."

Harry nodded. "I know that Nasta had to answer the challenge or lose his place as top dominant, but our rooms were nearly ruined."

"I have heard all about this and I was wondering if I would be seeing you soon about it."

Harry looked at the Headmaster confusedly.

"Your loved ones came seeking an international Portkey at one in the morning, naturally I asked them where and why they wanted such a thing at such a time and the whole story came out."

"Why would they need an international Portkey?"

"I was led to believe that you told them to fix everything that had been broken by morning, they had to travel to a country that was still in daylight hours as everywhere in Britain and Europe was shut for the night and I myself have never heard of an all-night furniture store."

"I didn't even think." Harry sighed and rubbed his head.

"Well, I know all about what happened from their point of view, why don't you tell me your point of view and your feelings on the matter and we'll go from there."

"I don't know what happened, one moment we were all happy, the next Nasta rushed at Max and started hitting him. Maybe it's because I'm a submissive, but I didn't know Max was challenging Nasta's authority until Draco and Blaise told me. I thought we were all happy, why did they have to start fighting?"

"It was an instinctual thing that left little room for thought. They didn't mean to upset you Harry, I'm sure."

Harry nodded. "I know that. I think I would have been okay, or more okay with it, if Braiden's cot hadn't been destroyed."

"Now this they did not tell me." Dumbledore told him, his eyes taking on a glacial glint.

Harry rubbed his face with his hand before moving it to tug at his hair. "Braiden was in that cot just an hour before, peacefully sleeping. The state it was in, it was irreparable, it had to be completely replaced after they had finished fighting. I keep thinking about it, I had nightmares about Braiden still being in the cot when the fight started. Hermione told me that they wouldn't have even started fighting if the babies had been in the room, but it was pure instinct. I've fought with my babies around me when instinct has taken over, I know they're older, but what if it had been Blaise and Draco?"

"There is a big difference here Harry. When you fought with instinct, it was because your lovers and child had been insulted which enraged your Dracken so much that the insult could not be allowed to stand for a moment longer. Maximilius and Nasta however, were fighting for dominance, they are both ruled by instinct, but they are not the same. Nasta had a few seconds to think before he decided to answer Max's challenge instead of conceding dominance to him, moments which, if your children had been in the room, could have been used to order, or drag, Max out of the room. However because your children were not in the room, he let instinct take over, fully knowing that Draco and Blaise would protect you."

"So he really wouldn't have allowed Braiden to be hurt?" Harry said in a soft voice.

"No. I do not believe that any one of you would ever allow any child to get hurt in such a way."

Harry nodded and he felt so much better, Hermione and now Dumbledore reassuring him had him feeling more relaxed and calm.

"Do you feel better?"

"Yes sir, but I'm worried that as soon as I see them again, then the anger will come back." Harry admitted.

"Can you think of the incident without anger?"

Harry thought back to what had happened, thought back to what he had seen and what his mates had done.

"There is anger there, but it's not such a terrible anger anymore."

"If you can control it when thinking back to the incident, then you can control it when seeing them again." Dumbledore told him sagely and Harry smiled.

"Thank you Professor. I'm sorry I interrupted your evening."

"Nonsense Harry, you know I enjoy your company."

"I'll be sure to come around and visit you again sir, I may even beat you at chess."

Dumbledore laughed happily. "You are a good strategist, you just lack the patience my boy."

"Funny, Draco said the same thing."

Harry grinned and waved goodbye to the Headmaster and made his way back to the other side of the school and his private rooms. He calmed himself and tried not to work himself up. Everything would be fine.

He reached his rooms all too quickly and he tapped the portrait with his wand and entered, he did not expect to see Aneirin cuddling Leolin in his arms, talking softly to Myron, who had Farren on his lap.

"A bit of a random visit." Harry said with a grin, though he greeted them with a hug nonetheless, laughing as Richard pulled him onto his lap to tickle him.

"Nasta called me in mid-afternoon, I wasn't free immediately so he called Myron, Ashleigh and Richard, I came as soon as I was able to."

"What happened?" Harry asked, looking around and counting heads. One baby was missing. "Where is Braiden?"

"Sleeping sweetheart." Ashleigh assured him. "He's fine, but he's at a stage where he really doesn't want to be apart from you. He's suffering separation anxiety and as soon as you left this morning he started crying and he wouldn't stop. He finally cried himself to sleep a while ago."

Harry bit his lip and looked down at the carpet, upset and guilt creeping into him.

"It's not your fault." Myron told him with his deep, strong voice. Handing Farren over to Aneirin and taking Harry into his own arms, squeezing him until Harry expelled all the air in his lungs and had to laugh breathless as he sucked the air back in.

Harry allowed himself to cuddle into Myron's solid bulk and sighed happily.

"Braiden needs to get used to being without you constantly around him. It sounds cruel, but it's not. You're his Mother and you are the most familiar to him, from your arms, to your voice, to your heartbeat. All of the children want you, but the longer you leave it, the worse it'll be later on."

"I don't like him crying, I hate it."

"All of us do, but it is for the best. You need to do your school work, you need to go to lessons, you need to go about your daily activities without having to carry Braiden, or any of the other babies, around with you all day."

"I'd give it all up if it would stop him being so distressed. I'd drop out and stay here with him all day if it would help."

"It wouldn't." Myron told him disapprovingly. "You need to finish your education Harry, no arguments. You need to graduate, Braiden needs to learn that you're not going to always be around and to get some independence."

"Independence? Myron, he's seven months old!" Harry complained.

"Even babies can have their independence, their own little space and time to themselves. I'm betting Braiden cries for you the moment he wakes up, doesn't he?"

Harry bit his lip at the truth of that and nodded.

"I'm not telling you to ignore him, or leave him crying, but when he cries for you, have one of the others go and get him, let him get used to his Fathers as well. It's hell to go through, especially with the first baby, but you'll all come through it fine."

"Are you sure?" Harry asked with a teasing smile. "Are you sure you didn't mess up the first time?"

Myron smirked and fist bumped Harry's chin lightly.

"When Max was Braiden's age, maybe a little younger, he always knew who he liked the best." Myron sighed.

"Yeah, me!" Richard grinned. "Myron hated it. His perfect biological son, our only child at that time, cried endlessly for me."

"It was only because you were the stay at home Dad." Ashleigh complained, rolling her blue eyes.

"Even when he was so young I was rolling around the floor with him." Richard said happily. "I couldn't leave him alone for a moment, every minute of the day that he was awake and not eating, which wasn't really a lot looking back at it, I was playing with him."

"Did you happen to knock his head a few times too?" Draco asked.

"Only the once, or maybe twice." Richard shrugged unapologetically.

"How old were you?" Blaise asked with a grin.

"I was only sixteen when Max was born. I was young and even more foolish than I am now."

"At least you finally admit it." Myron grumbled.

Richard laughed. "Myron was twenty-one, he was always away working so Max barely had any time to see his biological Father, so it was a good thing he had me."

"Didn't you have school work?" Draco asked confused.

"Of course, but I rushed through it, writing down anything just to hand in something so I wouldn't get detention. I knew I knew the material being taught, I knew even then what I wanted to be when I graduated, I knew what subjects I needed to excel in and I knew that when the exams rolled in I'd be fine, why did I need to write endless essays which wasted my time when I could be helping to ease Ashleigh's stress with childcare? She was still in school too, only she did care about homework, so I threw mine out of the figurative window and offered myself up as Max's primary carer."

"Only when it suited him." Myron told Harry lowly. "He wouldn't even think to offer himself up for the night feeds."

"You had to have some time to bond with Maxie." Richard insisted.

Harry chuckled and tried to picture a sixteen year old Richard, a sixteen year old Ashleigh and a twenty-one year old Myron with a newborn Max. It was difficult, but the resulting image made him laugh.

"It would have been less stressful if we had taken the offered help from family." Ashleigh said as she rocked Tegan in her arms.

Myron groaned and reclined back against the settee.

"I know, I was stupid, I was jealous and I was stubborn."

"Not much has changed." Richard grinned. Myron just gave him a look.

"So you're pushing us to take as much help as you can give us, and you refused any sort of help at all?" Harry said.

"Myron was very stubborn." Ashleigh put in. "He wouldn't accept any money from family to help us out, because he saw it as himself failing to provide for us, he wouldn't accept any offers from family members to babysit for a few hours so we could get some rest, or to have a few hours to ourselves, he saw it as a weakness."

"I know I was being ridiculous and we could have done without it, but that really was what I thought at the time. I was a complete bastard I know."

"We know, we still loved you then and we still love you now, even if we did want to jam your head repeatedly in a window frame for being so uptight and stubborn. We got through it fine and now we can coach these gorgeous additions to our family to not be so pigheaded and stupid and to accept help when it's offered. Though Harry has a very level head on his shoulders, so we have no worries of him being ruled over by one of his dominants, least of all our Max." Richard jibed.

Harry scoffed. "Max is far too laid back to rule over anyone; I'm surprised that you were so shocked that he didn't turn out to be top dominant."

"He's a big man, a big, strong, powerful man." Myron boasted.

Harry scoffed again and smiled. "He never uses his size or strength though. Nasta wrestles dragons as a day job; he's fitter, stronger and faster."

"We didn't know you had picked Nasta as your last dominant though." Richard pointed out. "From what we knew, you were this absolutely stunning male submissive, with a heart of gold, a kind and sweet personality, who had taken Blaise Zabini and Draco Malfoy, two baby doms, as your first dominants and only needed a grounding mate. We had no idea you'd have such a fuck up with your bondings where you would end up with four dominants."

"Language." Myron chastised almost automatically.

Harry chuckled at the scowl on Richard's face at the unfairness of being chastised when Myron himself had used foul language just a few minutes before.

"I wasn't expecting that hiccup either, but I'm so glad it happened. I couldn't imagine my life without any of them now, or any of the babies."

"Does that mean we're forgiven?" Blaise asked, which made Harry wonder if Max and Nasta were hiding in the bedroom so they wouldn't upset him.

"You and Draco were forgiven this morning."

"But Max and Nasta aren't." Myron sighed holding him tighter and rubbing his belly with his hand.

Harry made a frustrated sound and rubbed at his forehead.

"I don't know! I love them still, of course I do, but I hate them as well. How do you love someone so much and hate them at the same time?! Why couldn't they have just gone outside to have their stupid little power struggle?"

"I don't know what you're feeling Harry." Ashleigh said softly. "Richard was never suicidal enough to challenge Myron, not even once, he submitted immediately and willingly and they haven't had any dominance fights at all through our relationship, but surely you can forgive them?"

"Did they tell you the whole story? Did they tell you absolutely everything or did they omit to mention a few things to you?"

"Like what?" Aneirin asked with a frown.

"Like the fact that their actions led to our entire room being trashed."

"Yes, they mentioned that, a bit hard not to mention the obvious when we can see that most of the stuff in this room is brand new, including the carpet." Richard pointed out.

"Did they also happen to mention that Braiden's cot was demolished? That the cot that my baby was sleeping in not an hour before their fight was so damaged it had to be completely replaced?" Harry hissed.

Myron breathed out sharply behind him and his arms tensed around his waist.

"No wonder you haven't forgiven them." Richard waved off happily as he finally understood.

"They didn't say it was anything to do with a baby being involved." Aneirin said.

"Funny how they keep forgetting to mention that." Harry growled, folding his arms over his chest. "Where are they?"

"When you didn't come back, they went looking for you, I think they meant to apologise." Draco told him, not even looking up from his homework, his quill scratching away endlessly.

Harry scoffed and snuggled into Myron more. "I don't want them to apologise!" He snapped.

"How long do you think you'll stay angry with them?" Ashleigh asked hesitantly.

Harry glared at her. "How long would you be angry if your child had been put in such danger from your own mates?!"

"Only you know when the time will be right to forgive them Harry." Aneirin told him. "What they did has ripped up your fierce protectiveness of your children and I would bet that currently you're feeling very unforgiving towards them."

Harry nodded sharply.

"But you also have not tried to attack them, kill them, or hide yourself or your children away from them."

Harry hesitated and licked his lips, allowing himself to relax on Myron's lap.

"I know deep down that they would never purposely hurt any of our children, but I've realised that we all have instincts and accidents happen. How do I protect my babies from accidents I don't know are going to happen?"

"You don't." Myron told him rubbing the back of his neck soothingly. "Accidents are always going to happen, your children will get hurt, they'll get cut and bruised, they'll fall down the stairs, they'll catch their heads on the edge of doors, if they're anything like Max then they'll fall out of a third storey window and cause you such panic and fear that you think you're suffering multiple heart attacks at once, but you can't do anything about it Harry. Accidents happen and there's not a single thing you can do to prevent them."

"Max fell out of a third storey window?" Harry asked quietly.

"He was six." Richard said with a shiver. "Caesar was four and they were playing ball upstairs in a spare room. Max had thrown the ball too hard at Caesar and it had knocked him to the floor, he was crying so we rushed up to see what was wrong, just in time to see him throw a ball as hard as he could at an unprepared, off guard Max, who staggered backwards, tripped over his own foot and fell backwards out of the large, picturesque window, the window we foolishly left open to air out the top floor of the house."

"Myron dived out after him." Ashleigh said in a haunted voice. "I thought for sure he was dead."

Myron shifted underneath Harry. "There was no need to worry. Max was hovering an inch off the ground with his little face screwed up in concentration. I couldn't let him go for days, much to his disgust and exasperation as all he wanted to do was play with his toys, it's hard to play with your toys when you're being clutched on your Father's lap all day every day."

"We even made him sleep in our bed." Ashleigh laughed. "He was so put out."

"I was too! Do you know how hard it was to go even four days without sex?" Richard pouted. "I still say he was young enough to not remember it."

"I say he was old enough that it would have permanently scared him." Myron countered dryly.

"So there's nothing I can do?" Harry said sadly.

"You can explain the dangers to your children, but you can't wrap them in cotton wool. Accidents happen Harry and it's a part of life that they do happen. There's no stopping it."

Harry sighed and nodded. "That doesn't mean I can't make them suffer." He said petulantly.

"By all means make them suffer." Myron encouraged. "They should have known better than to fight in front of their submissive, just a room away from their children, they'll never get any more like that."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked.

"If your Dracken is angry at a mate, and I mean really angry, not just ticked off or from a petty argument, then you won't go onto a breeding cycle."

"Oh. Well it's too late for that. I'm going onto a heat period in two weeks."

"What?!"

Harry looked around startled. "What?" He answered back.

"You're going onto a heat period again, so soon after the quintuplets?" Myron asked him, shocked.

Harry nodded.

"Fuck Harry, I knew you were fertile, I didn't realise completely what that would mean." Richard told him. "You could be pregnant again in two weeks."

"I know." Harry groused. "I've done little else other than worry and stress over it since I realised I had started my breeding cycle."

"How long have you known?" Ashleigh asked him, trying to hide her excitement.

"Really I've known since I started my cycle, but I've properly, consciously known since my fifth week."

"How long are your cycles?" Aneirin asked him curiously.

"Eight weeks."

"Ha!" Richard exclaimed with a grin and Harry looked to him strangely.

"I knew you were randy buggers. Ashleigh's heat was every three and a half months, every fourteen weeks. Every _eight_ weeks! Ha! It's no wonder you were walking funny when we first met you."

"I was three months pregnant!" Harry countered.

"That or your cute little bottom was abused once too often."

"Richard!" Myron snapped. "Stop being so crude and vulgar!"

"You know he can't help himself love." Ashleigh giggled.

Myron snorted. "He should help himself. What a disgusting thing to say to Harry, our seventeen year old son!"

Harry was shocked. So shocked to be called a son. Not a son-in-law, but a son. Myron held him closer and Harry let himself go boneless, a huge grin on his face. He felt so happy and so loved and the best part was that he didn't think Myron realised exactly what he had said in his anger at Richard's words, it somehow made it all the more meaningful and Harry snuggled into Myron's bulk tighter, feeling so accepted and loved by the people around him.

"Of course we don't mind babysitting, whoever you choose to look after the six." Aneirin told him, smirking at the smile on his face. He hadn't missed Myron's admission either.

"Can't you all look after them?" Harry asked. "I mean, you're all grandparents together."

"It's usually always the submissive's family who look after the children during heat periods." Ashleigh said with a smile. "But I'm glad you chose us."

"Ashleigh!" Richard said shocked.

Harry mouthed for a bit, stiffening automatically. "Well I wouldn't exactly want those despicable people looking after my own children now, would I?"

Ashleigh's eyes widened and she covered her mouth with her hand. "I am so sorry Harry! I didn't mean it, I didn't think. I forgot all about it."

Harry smiled wryly. "I'm glad someone could forget about it." He said softly, wistfully.

He slipped from Myron's lap, took Tegan out of Ashleigh's arms and went into the bedroom, just as he closed the bedroom door he heard Myron's sharp reprimanding snap of 'Ashleigh' before he closed the door firmly and went to sit with Braiden, who had dried tear tracks on his face.

Harry held his own tears back by the skin of his teeth as he climbed the stairs to put Tegan into her bassinet before coming back down to get a warm, wet cloth to wash Braiden's cheeks gently, passing over his little chin and his mouth to wipe away the drool. He went oh so gently over his eyes to remove the last of the tears from his face. He had cried all he was going to over the Dursleys. He had had it with them, he would see them in court, see them sentenced and then he was going to forget all about them, they would not rule his life, they would not ruin his life. Not anymore, they had done too much to him already and he had come through it and moved on. He had his own life now, he had four lovers to keep up with and six babies who depended on him entirely, he had no room left to think about the Dursleys anymore. The court case was coming up, it wouldn't be long now and he would be free of them forever.

* * *

A/N: My January writing courses are all completed. I'm fine for another year. Some of you readers really need to get some patience though. Four weeks and two days since my last update. I'm sick of hearing how I don't update quick enough or how it's been 'ages' since my last update, some of you need to calm down and remember that I'm just a person that has a full time night job. That's 36 and a half hours a week, not including eating, sleeping and bathing, which leaves me very little time to myself, all of my spare time is spent writing these days, I don't have time to do anything I want to anymore and I begrudge being told that even though I'm sacrificing every spare moment for this story, for some of you it's not enough, so find some consideration or you'll find me just getting fed up and updates will be several months apart while I do the things I want to do and write occasionally. All I ask is that you treat me like a person, just because you don't know me or have never met me doesn't mean I don't have thoughts, feelings and other life commitments that require time and attention, just think before you type something and ask yourself, would you really want to be spoken to like that and if you wouldn't, delete it.

Huge thanks to **Kirikaze-chan** for being the **8,600****th**** reviewer**.

**MoonlightCleona**: Oh yes, most definitely and soon enough as well. Henley will come back in more, Arsenio will be making appearances, but he won't be a main character.

**neverliveindoubt**: A Dracken will not be in any danger of getting any diseases or birth defects. The gene wipes it all away. A witch or wizard can potentially get the diseases, but not a Dracken, but as a witch or wizard has a longer life anyway, they'd have to be much older than 40 to have a chance of giving such serious defects to their children.

**logic-jay**: If he killed them he would have to replace only the one because he only needed three to begin with and it was an accident that he ended up with four. If he lost them naturally, then no, he wouldn't have to replace them, but the Counsel would try to force him to replace any lost mates regardless.

**Kirikaze-chan**: I would be honoured if you translated it into Spanish for me, I already have someone translating it into French, so I see no reason not to allow it into Spanish either as long as I am credited as the original author obviously.

**MsSavannahjb**: Snape is currently at his home, under the care of Narcissa and Lucius. He refused to go to Malfoy Manor so they're keeping an eye on him. He'll be back soon though. No in this fic he will not be paired with anyone.

**emerald-flame-66**: It's nothing to do with not being settled or having less control. Dominants can challenge each other for dominancy at any moment. Sometimes it can be an accident, a slip of the tongue, a show of weakness, or the desire to be top dominant.

**BlackFaithMasquerade**: If Harry had had sex with a human, willingly or not, while pregnant it would have caused a miscarriage; Harry's body would have rejected the baby and his reproductive system would have shut down permanently. The same would have happened if he had sex willingly or not before he knew he was a Dracken, because he was born a Dracken, no matter if he had come into his inheritance or not. The heat cycle starts as soon as the submissive bonds to a dominant and a Dracken always gets pregnant on their first heat with the number of required dominants. There are heats where Harry may not get pregnant.

**Zathina**: A Dracken can fight for dominancy at any time; just because they had an established order doesn't mean it can't change at a moment's notice. The Dracken's all want the pride of being top dominant, it's a high honour, but only one of them can be top dominant. Fights can break out over anything and some dominants never stop challenging their top dominant until they're either defeated or dead.

**IceNecromancer**: Oh yes, it would be entirely possible for any of them to win the top place from Nasta.

**Florence**: Harry has no say in the order of dominancy. If Max won the position of top dominant fairly, then Harry would have to submit. The order of dominancy can shift every day if the dominants hate each other.

**Shyanne**: Yep, you got the terminology correct. If there's anything more you don't understand, just say.

**Sam**: Harry was 16 in the story when he first mated. The legal age of sexual consent in Britain is 16. He is doing nothing wrong, it's fine.

**Anon**: If you want to read what I got from the original author it's still up under the title Dragon Kind, by Jayde Alyxandre. I essentially got just the first chapter, everything else is mine, from the behaviour, description, the traits and mannerisms, the mating rituals and the meetings were my idea, the births are my idea, nearly everything is mine, just the idea of the Drackens came from the original author.

**Jade**: If a submissive dies and leaves their dominants, those dominants having been mated, have no obligation to mate again to another submissive, like Aneirin never mated again after Lowri died, after Snape never mated again after Regulus died. It's only submissives; if they lose their dominant(s) that are forced to mate again, the dominants are left alone.

If Harry died and left his mates, Blaise would not take on a submissive role, he is not submissive, he's a dominant, no matter what happens or what he does, he will always be a dominant. They would likely not pursue another submissive, they would stay together and raise their children together, just the four of them.

I'm off from work now for a week because it's my birthday this Saturday, I can't wait. I'm hoping to update again either Friday, or actually on my birthday, depends how the chapter comes out, but I want to catch up on some TV programmes I've been missing these past few months and catch up with the ton of books I got for Christmas as well, of course those of you on Facebook will find out first exactly when I'll be updating and hopefully I can get you some sneak peeks of the next chapter too.

StarLight Massacre. X


	67. Break Up

_Last Time_

_Harry held his own tears back by the skin of his teeth as he climbed the stairs to put Tegan into her bassinet before coming back down to get a warm, wet cloth to wash Braiden's cheeks gently, passing over his little chin and his mouth to wipe away the drool. He went oh so gently over his eyes to remove the last of the tears from his face. He had cried all he was going to over the Dursleys. He had had it with them, he would see them in court, see them sentenced and then he was going to forget all about them, they would not rule his life, they would not ruin his life. Not anymore, they had done too much to him already and he had come through it and moved on. He had his own life now, he had four lovers to keep up with and six babies who depended on him entirely, he had no room left to think about the Dursleys anymore. The court case was coming up, it wouldn't be long now and he would be free of them forever._

Chapter Sixty-Seven – Break Up

Harry couldn't help himself as he carefully took Braiden out of his cot and carried him up to the bed. He lay down and laid Braiden on his chest, shifting his son's arms and legs and his head, making sure his little ear wasn't crushed in the process and just lay there stroking the thick, black hair that Braiden had grown in just seven months.

He tried not to let everything get on top of him. The upcoming Dursley case, the exams, his anger at Max and Nasta, his impending heat and the possibility of falling pregnant once again. It was all becoming too much, he couldn't handle the strain, he had been so good, accepting his inheritance with nary a whimper. Sure he had panicked a bit in the beginning, he had been terrified of Blaise when he had first encountered him in the forest, he had been horrified by the mate meetings, which had seemed a lot like an auction house to him at the time, but he had gotten over all of that. He had thought that now he was mated everything would be fine, but it wasn't. He had hoped that everything would be smooth once he had all of his mates, but it was so hard. All of the children, being constantly pregnant. It was a constant uphill struggle, it was hard work and he couldn't stand it for much longer. He could potentially be pregnant again in two weeks' time; he had only just started uncovering his body again after the quintuplets had ruined any and all body shape he had once had.

The scar he had been left with was getting fainter with the copious amount of salves and lotions he applied, but the stretch marks stubbornly refused to leave, even with the pelvic floor exercises he was doing and the daily massages he gave himself with vitamin E oil. It all seemed so hopeless.

Breathing in deeply to calm himself, Harry inhaled Braiden's light, clean scent and reminded himself that there was next to nothing he could do about his situation. Shy of leaving his mates and his children, there was nothing he could do and he refused point blank, no matter what his mates did or could ever do to him, he would never leave his children, present, future or otherwise.

That made Harry wonder about his heat, he screamed, begged and pleaded for his mates to give him children, if he were to run away, would they find him when he called to them on a heat period? That would be some plan, run away with all his worldly possessions, leave them a note explaining everything and then two months later he leads them right to himself regardless, plus they woke up after the heats before him too, so he'd likely either wake up back where he had run from in the first place, or to his angry, accusing mates.

Braiden rolled on him and Harry startled and had to dash to save him from rolling right off of his body, unfortunately it jarred the little boy awake and he blinked his beautiful indigo eyes, looking around himself groggily, until he spotted his Mummy and then he grinned and fisted his eyes to help wake himself up.

"Mama."

"Hello Braiden love. How are you feeling?"

"Ba ba."

"Yes, I think you would be a bit uncomfortable, it smells like you need a nappy change."

Harry sat up with a groan and carried Braiden down to the changing table. He smiled as Braiden wriggled and giggled as Harry wiped his bum and thighs clean, before putting him in a fresh nappy and redressing him.

"Oh I love you so much. You are such a gorgeous little boy, simply the best baby in the world."

Braiden giggled and Harry grinned back.

"Ta ah."

"That's a new word Braiden, you're so clever."

Braiden looked at him, a finger in his mouth as he looked around, he used his drool covered finger to point at a toy that was partially hidden under the purple settee, Harry would never have seen it if Braiden hadn't have pointed at it.

"Huh, what do we have here?" Harry crouched down and pulled out the brightly coloured plastic keys on a thick plastic ring.

Harry used a simple, wandless cleaning charm on the teething ring before he jingled them at Braiden who screeched and grabbed them, putting them straight into his mouth.

"You know, I haven't seen these in months. They must have been under that settee for two or more months."

Braiden selected the light green key and put it right into his mouth and gummed on it. Harry chuckled and settled Braiden down on the floor and went to check on his quintuplets, the ones that were in the bedroom with him anyway.

Regan was fast asleep, so was Calix, but Tegan was awake and blinking languidly around herself.

"Hello baby girl." Harry cooed, picking her up, checking her nappy to find her dry and smiled as he realised she was awake purely because she wanted to be, not because she needed something. He checked on Calix once more to make sure he wasn't wet and after happily realising that he wasn't, sat down with Tegan sat on his lap, slightly reclined as though she was getting better at holding her head up, she wasn't as strong as Farren, who could support the weight of his own head comfortably, or Regan, who could support his own head for increasing amounts of time.

Braiden stopped his mouth inspection of the keys and looked at Tegan suspiciously as she was brought near him. He shook the ring of keys at her and Harry felt her startle. Harry chuckled and gripped Braiden's wrist gently and maneuvered his hand to put the keys back into his mouth before Tegan could start crying. Harry scooted over to the little toy box they had to keep everything reasonably clean and got out a soft, foam ball for Tegan, who clenched her hands into the ball tightly and huffed to herself as it squished in her hands.

"This is a ball Tegan love. A ball." Harry encouraged.

"Ba!" Braiden replied enthusiastically and Harry grinned.

"Well done Braiden, a ball."

Harry chuckled at Braiden's happy look as he went back to his keys and Harry wondered where the shape sorter toy was, Braiden had loved it, but as he looked around the lower part of the bedroom, it seemed obvious that it must still be out in the living room.

He sighed; he didn't want to go back out there. He had possibly overreacted to Ashleigh forgetting about his previous abuse, after all he encouraged everyone around him to forget that it had ever happened often enough, but truthfully, deep down, he hadn't actually expected any of them to forget that he had come from such an unstable and detrimental household. Especially not the woman who claimed to love him, who was for all intents and purposes, his Mother-in-law. Well, one of them anyway, he had three to choose from, but Marianna Lychorinda was nearly always so very busy with whatever she did, Blaise was close lipped about what she was always so busy with, and Narcissa Malfoy had been very silent over the last few months as she took care of a heavily grieving Snape, his only Mother-in-law around was Ashleigh, who apparently saw him as a way to get babies, and nothing else.

Someone knocked gently on the door and opened it. Blaise came into the room and inched his way closer.

"You can come over Blaise, I'm not angry with you." Harry said softly.

"Myron sent Ashleigh home; he couldn't believe what she said to you."

Harry shrugged and tickled Braiden's tummy, making the little boy scream in delight and made Harry smile.

"It doesn't matter anymore, she made her views incredibly clear, I won't make the mistake of letting myself become emotionally attached the next time."

"I was afraid you'd say something like that."

Blaise came and sat behind him, wrapping arms around him and Tegan and resting his chin on Harry's shoulder, his mouth turned into Harry's neck so he could breathe across the pale skin.

"Does she see me as a real person Blaise? Honestly?" Harry asked insecurely.

"Honestly mio amore? I don't know." Blaise whispered. "I don't know her well enough to gauge her or her actions, you can't ask Max, he's biased, she's his Mother after all, Caesar and the girls will be the same, you need to find someone who's known her for a long time, who isn't biased in their opinion against her, only then can you understand who she really is."

"And where do I find someone like that? I can't exactly ask her for her address book and owl any friends she might have!"

Blaise sighed. "I don't know what to tell you Harry, you'll just have to trust your heart."

Harry looked down at Braiden and Tegan and his eyes blurred.

"My heart says that she sees me as a way to get babies back into her life, and nothing else." Harry confided softly, tears falling down his cheeks. "I'm not a real person to her Blaise. I'm not real."

Blaise could say nothing to that, so he held Harry tightly and let him cry, cursing the hormones that were filling Harry's body and making his moods unpredictable. He'd be sending a very angry message to Ashleigh when he had a spare minute; he hated it when Harry cried. He looked at Harry's tear streaked face, the anguish and pain written across it and his heart almost stopped and his fists clenched as he cradled Harry. He wondered if Draco had any howler parchment handy.

* * *

Harry refused to come out of the bedroom when there were 'outsiders' in the living room so Draco stubbornly and coolly said goodbye to Myron, Richard and Aneirin. Only once they were gone did Harry tentatively step into the living room, one arm wrapped around Braiden, the other supporting Tegan.

He sat on the plush carpet and placed Braiden near him, holding Tegan still and placed the baby monitor next to him in case Regan or Calix woke up. Leolin was in his carrycot. Draco was rocking Farren slowly.

"Max and Nasta should be done with their school wide search soon." Draco told him hesitantly.

Harry nodded. He didn't even care about them anymore, or about what they had done. His talk with Dumbledore had helped hammer home that no one had been hurt and reassured him what he had already known. Max and Nasta would never have fought with the babies in the same room, they just wouldn't have. He now had something new to agonise over, Ashleigh and exactly how she saw him.

Why did his life have to go from one bad thing to another? Every time something good happened, it was ruined sometime later by something terrible happening. It felt endless.

"I…I think I need a cuddle." Harry admitted, staring at the carpet.

Blaise took Tegan from him and Draco smoothly, elegantly hunched down and pulled Harry between his legs and into a tight, comforting hug, he kissed the jet black hair before resting his cheek on the top of Harry's head.

Blaise mirrored Draco and held him from behind; resting his head on Harry's back this time, right between his shoulder blades, his slender fingers stroking soft patterns onto the parts of Harry he could reach.

They didn't speak; they just held one another, listening to Braiden jingle his plastic keys as background noise. However hearing him babbling aloud, talking to himself, brought a smile to Harry's face.

That was how Max and Nasta found them as they walked through the door.

"We couldn't find him anywhere; I don't know where he'd…be." Max seemingly told Draco and Blaise, but he finished after a pause when the three of them broke apart, showing Harry in the middle of the group hug.

Nasta let out a relieved sigh that moved his entire chest; he came to hunch down beside him and cupped his face between both hands. He rested their foreheads together and closed his eyes.

"You're alright?" He asked softly.

Harry nodded.

"No cuts, no bruises, no injuries?"

"Why don't you sniff and find out?" Harry asked just as softly.

"I didn't think you'd want me anywhere near you."

"I'm over that now; I've got something else to worry about."

Nasta pulled him into a strong hug after hearing that and held him as if he was going to disappear. Large hands pressing into his body, a stubbled face rubbing against his own smooth cheek as Nasta tried to crush him, but simultaneously tried not to crush him in his arms.

"I've missed you." Nasta whispered into his ear.

Harry smiled into Nasta's shoulder.

"Come on! You've had your turn!" Max whined, pulling them both apart before picking Harry up and crushing him into his own hug. "I've missed only cooking for four. It's not the same without you love."

Harry chuckled and wrapped arms and legs around Max. The big man pulled back just enough to see his face and Harry enjoyed seeing the look of love in those eyes, those gorgeous blue eyes that were glistening with unshed tears.

"So we're good now, yes?" He asked uncertainly, he needed the verbal clarification.

Harry smiled at that and pulled Max back into a hug. "Yeah Max, we're good."

* * *

Harry never told Max or Nasta about what had happened while they were scouring the school for him, neither did Draco or Blaise, but it all came out anyway after Blaise and Draco sent a particularly vicious howler, with Draco's very stroppy eagle owl Saracen, to Ashleigh two days later after carefully selecting just the right words to use in their howler.

Apparently it had been a shock to the three to receive a howler at the breakfast table and they hadn't opened it in time. Richard thought it was hilarious. Myron did not.

After igniting the newspaper, it had scorched Ashleigh, but not only that, it had frightened Saracen, who had landed on the chair behind Ashleigh to deliver the howler to her and the obstreperous owl had beaten her head with his strong wings and clipped her shoulder with a talon as he took flight in terror.

Nasta had punished both Draco and Blaise, Harry, who hadn't known anything about the howler, was left to laugh and giggle at what his lovers had done for him and he made sure to undermine Nasta's punishment, in secret, by kissing and groping them in thanks.

The two had had to explain why they had sent a howler in the first place and once told, Max did not believe them. He stormed home to confront his parents and left Nasta to deal with two very opinionated subordinates, who refused to believe what they did was the wrong way to go about defending their submissive's honour, and said submissive, who had a smile on his face for the first time in days after being quietly withdrawn and was laughing again after days of them not hearing that strong, happy laugh.

Nasta took Harry aside after he sent Draco and Blaise to do all of the baby washing, not brooking any arguments from the two, not even when they 'explained' that they had never done the washing before and would ruin all of the clothes, he coolly told them that now was the time to learn and that any ruined clothing would have to be replaced, by them, before the end of the day.

"Harry, is this why you've been so quiet lately?" Nasta asked as he settled Harry on the purple settee under the platform bed and sat next to him, positioning himself so that he was open and welcoming, but not overbearing, intimidating or demanding.

Harry sighed and tugged a hand carelessly through his hair. He nodded.

"I just…I can't get what she said out of my head. How could she forget that I…that those people…I don't understand how she could have forgotten!"

"Max will sort it out Cariad."

"Will he? She's his _Mother_ Nasta; he's not going to choose us over her."

"I think you are forgetting yourself that we are Drackens. Family is everything to a Dracken Harry."

"She is his family." Harry pointed out confusedly.

"She's his 'old' family if you will. As a Dracken matures, we separate from our parents, all species do it, humans do it, animals, everyone, it's a part of growing up and becoming an adult and moving on with our own lives, but where humans will still crave and interact with their birth family, a Dracken feels no obligation to do so. It's our more human emotions that tell us we should still be in contact with them. The first sixteen years of life where we've lived as near enough humans, that colour our emotions. A Dracken will not recognise a parent like it does their mates and children. As we mature, the scents and focus shifts, when we find a submissive and have children, that's it. If you and the kids stood at one end of a field and Myron, Richard and Ashleigh stood at the other and you put Max in the middle in his Dracken form and told him to sniff out his family. It would be you and the kids he'd go to. His sensory receptors would not register his own parents as being family Harry, it's only his more human emotions and the part of his brain that hold human thoughts and memories that allow us to still have that attachment to our birth families. In fact if Max was feral in the proverbial field he would likely attack his parents for being so close to you and the kids, he'd see them as a threat to you."

"Why?" Harry asked curiously.

"Because when Drackens were still more animal than anything else, they left their parents once they had matured and they never thought about them again. In reality if Father and son had met once again in life, they would likely try to kill one another for territory, or food, they wouldn't recognise themselves as family. That trait has been watered down over the thousands of years, but it is a trait that has been passed down regardless. Do not ever think that Max would put his parents before you, or even his brother and sisters. They're important to him, of course, it would kill him if he broke ties with them, but if it came down to a one or the other decision, it would be you every single time and he would feel not an ounce of regret for choosing you over them. His family would already know this, so they're not about to alienate him or give him any ultimatums."

"It's sad to think that two of our children will do that when they're sixteen." Harry said quietly.

"Braiden and…?"

Harry chuckled at the eager face and shoved Nasta's shoulder. "You're fishing!" He accused with a grin.

Nasta grinned back and pulled Harry close to his body and fell sideways on the settee, pulling Harry with him.

"Can I help it that I'm dying to know which baby out of four is a Dracken? I've been insanely curious these past three months, we all have. You with your secrets, not telling us just to torture our poor minds!"

Harry chuckled and squeezed Nasta tightly.

"Can't you guess?" Harry grinned, teasing just a little more.

Nasta snorted. "It's impossible to guess correctly, it could be any one of them, as soon as the scent dissipates after birth, there's no way to tell."

"Just guess." Harry pleaded, stressing and elongating the last word until he was almost hissing.

Nasta smiled and kissed him. "Max, of course, believes it's Farren. The biggest baby, the strongest, the most developed. He has a point about that, as Dracken babies are more developed than most, you only have to look at Braiden to see that, but with all of them being so very premature, it's difficult, not only have they had to catch up to where they should have been, some of them have had set backs, like Calix with his rashes and Tegan with her fever. There are too many factors to guess adequately, but if I had to put money on one, I would have to agree with Max and bet on Farren."

"Who do Blaise and Draco think?" Harry asked curiously.

"Blaise believes it's Regan, think's he could be a dark horse in the running, he's developing nicely, if not as fast as Farren, and he's putting on weight and coming into himself. Draco however is undecided; he believes either Regan or Calix. He didn't give his reasons why, just said with that strange hint of certainty that comes from his Pureblood snobbery that it would be between them both."

"No one think's our little girl could be a Dracken? How very sexist." Harry teased.

Nasta grinned and nibbled at him. "I would love it if either of my children were Drackens, but I have already had a Faerie baby, I'm not greedy, let Max have his thunder this time around, I will give you a Dracken child eventually."

"Oh? Is that so Mister Delericey. How very presumptuous of you." Harry said as he sat up on Nasta's body.

Nasta tickled him and Harry shrieked at the unexpected action, which naturally meant that Draco and Blaise were just there beside them and Harry grinned at them widely from his perch straddling Nasta's hips.

"Finished the baby washing have you?" He asked them curiously.

Nasta let his head fall back and laughed.

"We heard you scream." Blaise told him.

"Yes, Nasta and I are getting reacquainted with one another after our lengthy separation."

"Lengthy separation? It was two days!" Draco replied incredulously.

"Tell me about it. Longest two days of my life." Harry said.

Nasta sat up and held Harry tightly as he stood up.

"You two had better be done with the baby washing, Max will want the kitchenette to himself when he gets back."

"I don't think he'll want to cook once he gets back." Harry said softly. "Maybe I should cook dinner today, cooking will be the last thing on his mind when he comes home."

"I doubt it. It'll be the only thing on his mind when he gets back; you know cooking helps ground him and relax him."

"What if he's upset? I don't want him to feel obligated to cook for all of us when he's feeling miserable. Sometimes I feel like he thinks we use him as a personal chef and nothing else."

"Don't be stupid." Draco told him with a scoff. "Max loves cooking almost as much as he loves sex. If you deprived him of cooking he'd feel like you'd cut off both of his hands. He'd feel useless."

"In a roundabout way I think Draco's right." Nasta put in slowly, obviously trying not to upset him. "Has Max ever given any indication that he feels like we treat him as a personal chef and not a lover?"

"No, but…"

"Then you're projecting your thoughts onto him, Prezioso." Blaise told him.

"I just don't want to take him for granted; I don't want to take any of you for granted. Not ever."

"You don't love." Draco assured him strongly. "Max is very happy to cook every meal, every single day for the rest of his life. Why deprive him of something that makes him so happy?"

"I think that I should cook, just for today, he's not going to be happy when he comes home and I don't want him stressing."

"Go on then." Nasta relented. "Just don't come to me when Max is upset that you've cooked."

"He won't be." Harry said with a grin. "He's being very good and acting like he's on thin ice, it's like he expects me to explode or something."

A soft wail over the monitor stopped all of them short and Harry wriggled until Nasta put him down. He went up the stairs and checked on Calix, who was red faced with his hands balled into fists.

"Oh Calix, why do you have to do this now? Can't you wait until your Daddy is home?" Harry asked, sighing in defeat as he took the baby out of his bassinet, carefully carried him down the stairs and took him over to the changing table.

"I can change him if you'd like." Nasta put in mildly.

Harry gave him a look as he unfastened Calix's nappy. "Is this part of your 'don't upset Harry any more plan?' none of you offer yourselves up to change them unless you're certain it was a wee."

Harry wiped Calix down thoroughly, applied the Sudocrem and left off his nappy while the cream absorbed. He pulled down the little nightdress and handed the sniffling baby to Nasta, who cradled him without touching his bottom.

"I just thought you'd like some help." Nasta shrugged as they headed out into the living room.

Harry shook his head and couldn't help smiling. "You can be on babysitting duties then."

Harry went into the kitchenette and sighed at the pile of washing there was still to do. "Did you two do anything?" He asked as he took over and quickly and viciously scrubbed the bodysuits, bibs, sleepsuits, socks, hats, scratch mitts and nightdresses. He wrung them out before rinsing them in plain warm water before wringing them out for the last time.

He hung them all over the safety grate in front of the fire and left them to dry as he cleaned up the kitchen, washed his hands to get the soap powder from them, before starting his preparations for a chicken dinner. It wasn't Sunday, but he didn't think any of them would complain. Besides the fact that Max was planning roast beef for the Sunday coming, not chicken, so both dinners would be different anyway.

Harry was almost finished when Max stormed into the room. He didn't even acknowledge any of them before going right into the bedroom and viciously slamming the door closed behind him. Harry closed his eyes as several startled screams started, two from the other side of the shut bedroom door.

Harry swallowed and tried not to think what Max's behaviour meant and could only pray that right now he wasn't packing all of his stuff into suitcases as he tried to calm a hysterical Leolin.

"What do we do?" Blaise asked hesitantly.

He looked unsure and Harry's feelings mirrored his, what _did _they do in this sort of situation? Max was always so happy, so carefree, seeing him upset and angry enough to slam doors when he knew there were several babies in these rooms was something they had never had to deal with before, they were out of their element and it only affirmed that though they all got on most of the time, that they had children and a life together, they had only been together for a year, a very short amount of time really, Nasta hadn't even been with them for a full year yet, not until April and it this went to show that they didn't know absolutely everything about one another yet.

"I think from his actions that he wants to be alone." Draco informed them.

"But Tegan and Farren are in there crying." Harry bit his lip.

"He won't leave them cry." Nasta said surely.

"But he's angry."

"We don't know that for sure." Draco answered. "He might just be upset or need some space or alone time. He wouldn't have come back if he was angry with us."

"How can you be so sure?" Harry insisted.

"Because it's what I'd do if I was in his position." Draco confided. "He'll be fine, just leave him be. He won't let the kids cry themselves sick, he just wouldn't."

Harry nodded and took in a deep breath, ignoring his Dracken restlessly moving inside of him, demanding he go and get his crying babies. Nasta was calming Braiden, Blaise had Regan and Draco had Calix and had taken Leolin from him before dinner could burn.

"I knew it was the right thing to do to make dinner." Harry said softly. "I just had a feeling that I should."

"Your instincts are very fine tuned." Nasta complimented as he pulled faces at Braiden, who was calming down and giggling every other sniffle.

Harry dished up the food and put Max's under a stasis charm to preserve it for whenever he wanted it, if he wanted it at all.

Harry was happy to realise that Farren and Tegan had stopped crying and he prayed that Max hadn't just put a silencing spell on them, though he couldn't believe any of his mates would ever do such a thing.

Dinner was quiet; the atmosphere strained and uncomfortable as Max remained a no show. They couldn't hear anything from the room next door and Harry hoped that Max was alright, but was happy that he hadn't come back out at all with a suitcase in hand.

They were just finishing when the bedroom door opened and Max came out, his face was red and blotchy and his eyes looked rubbed raw. There was no suitcase in his hand.

Harry let Max decide how they were to proceed, if he would accept them asking him about what was wrong and comforting him, or if he wanted to pretend that nothing was wrong and that nothing had happened.

"I've made you something to eat if you're hungry." Harry told him softly, neutrally, letting Max know that the ball was in his court, no matter what he wanted to do.

Max nodded and rubbed his eyes once again as he came and sat down, letting Harry serve him the preserved food.

"Thank you." He croaked roughly.

Harry smiled and cleaned up the used dishes, kicking Blaise pointedly, who winced but took the hint and stopped staring, dragging the other two into light conversation.

Harry happily washed up, checking on his pudding in the oven and waited until Max was done eating to serve them all dessert. It was only a Syrup sponge pudding, but it was freshly made and warm and Max, though quiet, was looking much better than he had when he had come home.

Harry washed up the bowls and spoons they had used for dessert as well as Max's dinner plate, allowing the other four to relax and unwind. No one was talking to Max though, who was lost, very deeply in his thoughts.

Shaking his head and making up his mind, Harry went and wormed his way onto Max's lap and cuddled in tightly. He didn't want to push Max into saying anything he didn't want to, but he also wanted Max to know that if he wanted to talk then they were all here to listen, no matter what was on his mind.

Max hesitated for a moment, as if startled by his sudden appearance on his lap, but after a moment he wrapped his arms around his waist and held him tightly. Harry had half been expecting to be shoved off, so being cuddled back was fine, even if Max wasn't talking. Nasta suddenly spoke to him and Harry peered out from Max's chest to look at him.

"Did you do your catch up homework Harry?"

Harry scowled. "Most of it."

"Don't you think you'd best get on with it?"

"No." Harry wriggled on Max's lap and snuggled in tighter. "I'm warm and sleepy. I'll do it tomorrow."

Nasta sighed. "Alright, but don't forget."

Harry knew why Nasta had dropped the subject and he grinned into Max's chest. "I won't forget, promise."

"Ah ma!" Braiden called sleepily from the floor and he held his arms out to Harry pouting.

"Oh Braiden, really, right now?" Harry sighed, even as he already moved from Max's warm lap to pick him up.

Harry cradled Braiden as his son yawned adorably. Harry slipped back onto Max's lap and the larger man held the both of them, seemingly better now than he was because he was smiling at Braiden, who was fisting his little eyes and yawning again. He was tired and ready for bed.

Harry didn't realise he had fallen asleep himself until his back was pressed to something cold and his eyes cracked open. Max was above him with one eye closed in prayer that he didn't wake up. He let out a sigh when he realised Harry was awake.

"I didn't mean to wake you. I'm sorry."

Harry made an indiscernible grunting noise and yawned, trying to remember what had happened and where he was.

"'S okay." He murmured as he yawned again.

"Go back to sleep, you're too tired to be awake." Max insisted.

"Hmm. Stay with me?" Harry asked, his brain still half asleep.

"Of course I will, just let me get out of my jeans."

Harry looked down at himself and realised he was already in his pyjamas, they were very warm, so either they had had a heating charm aimed at them, or one of his mates had put them on the grate by the fire for a while. It was the cold sheets that had woken him.

Max shimmied out of his jeans and Harry couldn't help the lazy smile of appreciation that stretched his mouth as he saw Max in just his boxer shorts. It was a wonderful sight; one Harry really did appreciate very much.

"I love that look on your face. That possessive, lusty expression when you look at me."

"You're all mine." Harry reminded. "I have a right to be possessive of such a gorgeous body. I get so very jealous when women try to take you from me."

"They'll never succeed Harry. I _am_ gay and I have been since I was a teenager, no matter how much I tried to get myself to like the female body in preparation for my meetings. Plus I love you, very, very much. I'd never leave you, least of all for some woman." Max said sincerely. "And if for some reason I do ever leave you for a woman, please check me for spells and potions _before_ getting upset and shredding all of my clothes."

"They have no right to look at you like that, only I can." Harry frowned, not being swayed into laughter by Max's declaration.

Max chuckled then and slipped into the bed to spoon against him. It was quiet for a while in the bed and Harry was very content and just as he was drifting back to sleep, Max spoke.

"I'm so sorry about what my Mother said, she had no right."

Harry stiffened right up before letting out a breath. "It's alright."

"It's not though is it. I can't believe that not only did she forget, but she told you she had forgotten. I'm so angry with her right now I don't think I could even look at her."

"Does…does she see me as a person Max?" Harry couldn't help asking. "Does she see me, or does she just see a way to get babies?"

Harry felt Max swallow behind him and heard the hard, nearly painful, noise. "I don't know." Was the quiet, almost sobbed answer. "I just don't know."

* * *

A/N: It's my birthday! I'm 23 today and as a present to me you can all leave a nice review, you know, seeing as I updated on my birthday for you and all. Ha!

I'm not sure when the next update will be, I'm going to be busy now for the rest of the day and likely recovering tomorrow, so I'll start chapter 68 around Monday then it depends on how much I can get done and how easy the chapter comes.

Thanks to **spinkavampire** for being the **8,700****th**** reviewer**!

**NoirXAnge**: It would be up to the submissive in question and how many dominants she actually needed. If she only needs the one, then she won't be able to take all four of them and finding any submissive who needs four dominants is like finding a ruby buried in the snow while out walking. So if they did decide they wanted another submissive after Harry, they would have to find one individually while they each had however number of kids, most sixteen year olds do not want anyone over the age of twenty, let alone if they have toddlers as well.

**Lissy:** All bloodstains found in Harry's bedroom and elsewhere will be thoroughly documented in the up and coming trial, I'm not planning on leaving anything out, which is why it's taking a long time to come around.

**Lady Vaughan**: It is entirely possible that Harry could have more Faerie babies. He's already had one, nothing to say he can't have more at some point.

**IceNecromancer**: No. The Drackens fall into a very deep feral state when they fight for dominance and they forget all about magic and rely entirely on their physical strength and fighting skills. They don't even remember they have magic. Plus I think it would be considered cheating as some dominants aren't witches or wizards so the magical Drackens would have an unfair advantage.

**Millie:** Still planning on finishing Life and Trials, but not for a while. I want to re-write it first, go over it and fix all the mistakes I made and I need to find the plot line again, it's been so long that I've forgotten where I was going with it.

**Thistlene**: Two points to make here, Ron does NOT know that Harry is a Dracken so he can't sell them out to poachers and also he and Harry made up and have agreed to remain civil, even though they will never be friends again.

**emerald-flame-66:** Ah! Why didn't you say? It seems like he goes more feral than the others, but he is the one that's tested the most. Harry likes challenging him, Draco likes riling him up just to see him angry, Nasta is top dominant and that doesn't help because he always feels the need to challenge Nasta, Blaise is really the only one who doesn't do something that makes his Dracken peek up and snarl. It's not because he has less control, it's just because he did expect to be top dominant, like Myron said, he's a big, powerful man who isn't used to losing in physical fights, so when he suddenly turned up not top dominant, it was a shock that unsettled him, already childish and playful by nature, it's obvious that some play fights will turn to real ones, sex, which brings out strong emotions and brings the Dracken closer to the front, can also lead to real fighting. It's all circumstance and coincidence that it always seems to be Max, but it's not because he has less control. Also yes, he is childish and he was coddled, he had three very loving parents, you only need to look at what Ashleigh was like as a Mother to know that Max, and all of his siblings, had near enough everything they wanted and Richard is still very childish and with Myron always away working in those crucial first years to earn enough to provide for his young family, it was Richard that many of them saw as Daddy and they took and learned a lot from him.

**EasyReader**: No, Harry's anger, bad moods etc will not affect his breeding cycle once he has started it and even when he hasn't started it he has to be feeling very, very angry and I mean almost blind with killing rage for it to have an effect on his breeding cycle, after all the main 'job' of a submissive is reproducing, it would have to be something very, very serious to stop the breeding cycle.

**AngelikRebel**: Not currently no, though I am in the plot development and planning stages of my very first novel that I am hoping to get published, but it's going to take years of work and preparation until it's anywhere near ready.

**Anon**: Ah! This is the very first time since school I've had someone say happy birthday to me in Welsh! Thank you, it's made my day.

**Lilly n.g.k**: You haven't offended me, of course not. The little rant I gave about the demanding updates meant the readers who were demanding updates, I had someone tell me they were 'irritated' that I hadn't updated yet and it was only two weeks after my previous update, someone told me that I should 'hurry the hell up and write the next goddamned chapter already because they were fed up of waiting for it' it was about three weeks after my previous update, it's reviews like that that make my heart sink when I read them, but I'm trying to ignore them for now, so don't worry yourself, it takes a hell of a lot to offend me, unfortunately telling me I'm too slow on updates, that's one of the ones that gets to me.

That's it! I'm off to go and enjoy my birthday, have fun, because I'm most certainly going to!

StarLight Massacre. X


	68. Stamina Exercise

A/N: A happy early birthday to Katie, one of the Facebookers, who wanted a chapter as a present, I hope this is what you wanted.

This chapter contains a deleted scene of an adult nature, it has been removed to comply with fanfiction's terms of use. If you would like to read said scene, there is a ferry that will crash into the part of my brain that wrote it in half an hour's time, please note that there is no return ferry and that death is inevitable, almost definitely following insanity and possible loss of limb first.

_Last Time_

_Max chuckled then and slipped into the bed to spoon against him. It was quiet for a while in the bed and Harry was very content and just as he was drifting back to sleep, Max spoke._

"_I'm so sorry about what my Mother said, she had no right."_

_Harry stiffened right up before letting out a breath. "It's alright."_

"_It's not though is it. I can't believe that not only did she forget, but she told you she had forgotten. I'm so angry with her right now I don't think I could even look at her."_

"_Does…does she see me as a person Max?" Harry couldn't help asking. "Does she see me, or does she just see a way to get babies?"_

_Harry felt Max swallow behind him and heard the hard, nearly painful, noise. "I don't know." Was the quiet, almost sobbed answer. "I just don't know."_

Chapter Sixty-Eight – Stamina Exercise

Just five days before Harry was due to go onto his heat he had a letter from Myron, asking if he still wished for him to babysit the children for his heat period. Harry had gotten more and more stressed over the last two weeks, working himself into terrible states, everything was so wrong, Max wasn't speaking to his Mother, Harry didn't want to see or speak to her, Draco wanted to go and kill her, Nasta was silently seething and Blaise snarled and bared his teeth every time her name, or someone with the same name, was mentioned.

Max had calmed down over the last two weeks, until he could go a full day without getting lost in deep thought or breaking down in tears, those first few days had been harrowing for the rest of them, seeing Max so damned unhappy and desolate was one of the reasons they were so unforgiving towards Ashleigh, who had been silent, which was a blessing really, but that she hadn't even tried to send an attempt at an apology, not even to Max, angered him immensely.

Everything now was getting on top of him until it felt like he was being buried alive. The entire spectacle with Ashleigh, Max's palpable sorrow, everyone else's nearly visible anger, the looming court case, the approaching exams, the mountain of homework he had yet to do, the quintuplets second Dragon Pox vaccine was due next month, Aneirin had sent them an owl the week before to tell them that Sanex had gone down with the flu and that he was due to work the second half of Harry's heat period, Narcissa and Lucius' silent distance, Marianna's absence, Remus's indifference, and the biggest fear he had, his heat was just a few days away, he didn't want to be pregnant again, he couldn't have another baby right now, he just couldn't.

He had talked everything over with his lovers extensively, especially the approaching heat and what they were going to do and he was adamant that he wasn't going to punish Richard and Myron for what Ashleigh had said and done, but his Dracken was so stressed and restless over letting Ashleigh near his chicks that he had lost control of his wings and could not pull them back in, which meant he couldn't leave his rooms and he got more stressed as he missed lessons and became even more jittery because he was cooped up all day, every day.

Three days before his heat, Myron and Richard came to visit after Max finally relented and owled them, begging for some help or advice on how to calm Harry down, though he had made sure to stipulate that Ashleigh was _not_ to come near them. They flooed to the school as soon as they received the owl and arrived at the boys' rooms where they found Harry pacing and growling, Regan in his arms, his wings out and flared with his stress, tossing his head from side to side every other minute in agitation.

"I didn't think he'd be this bad." Richard said as he watched Harry pace restlessly.

"It's been terrible for the last week and a half." Max admitted sadly. "He doesn't want _her_ anywhere near the children."

"He didn't answer my letter, I take it he's going to put the full responsibility on Aneirin." Myron said neutrally.

"That's the thing, he doesn't want to punish you or Dad either, but he's adamant that he doesn't want that woman near the kids. He's so stressed that we can't get him to fold his wings in, he's missed a week of lessons and he's too edgy to do anything other than pace, he's not sleeping, he's barely eating and we don't know what to do anymore, we've tried everything." Max stressed.

Myron snorted and in a moment had his wings, claws, scales and fangs out, he strode to Harry and took Regan from him amid snarls and growls, feeling a brief pang that, even after everything, Harry had trusted him enough to not think him a threat to the child, otherwise he would never have caught Harry off guard and gotten the baby from him safely, before he handed the baby to a nearby Nasta.

He circled around Harry, darting in to try and grip Harry to turn him around, Harry fighting and trying to gouge at him all the way. Myron was bigger, stronger and more powerful however and had lived as a Dracken for so much longer, he easily managed to circle Harry again, grip one of his biceps and he turned Harry around in his arms, Harry's back to his chest. He gripped the tiny wrists strongly, but delicately and let his legs go from under him, he sat on the floor and sat Harry on his lap, just holding him now, letting him thrash and growl and snarl and writhe.

It took an agonising forty minutes before Harry finally tired himself out and he slumped back in Myron's hold, at which time Myron started gently petting and stroking Harry's wings, Harry shivered at the soft, almost forbidden touch and it took just four minutes for his wings to droop which then allowed Harry to pull them back into his body.

Myron released the tiny wrists he was holding, letting Nasta take a yawning Harry from his lap and got up with a groan.

"I'm fifty-three; I can't be doing this any longer."

"You have another three hundred years of life left." Richard said. "Please don't tell me you're going stiff already, I can't go three hundred years without the level of sex I expect!"

"You have no worries about that, your tight little arse is mine." Myron growled, biting at Richard's chin before lining up their mouths, taking extra care with his fangs, as his hands squeezed and dug into Richard's arse, taking care with his claws.

"Ewwww!" Max whined. "That's gross, stop it!"

"It's sweet." Harry smiled sleepily. "Leave them alone."

"It's alright for you to say."

"Why? Because I don't have any parents to act like that in front of me?"

Max sighed. "I didn't mean it like that Harry, you know I didn't."

Harry nodded. "I know, I'm sorry. I just…with everything coming up I don't…I'm scared." Harry admitted softly.

"Of what love?" Nasta asked him softly.

"The heat for one, being pregnant again for another and…what if…what if the Dursleys get off? What if I go through all of the court cases and everything and they still get off."

"They won't." Richard told him. "Harry, the judge and jury are going to stick them up against the wall, shoot them and then hammer the nails into their coffins and throw them into a deep, dark hole. They're going to prison Harry and they're going for a long time."

"But what if they don't." Harry fretted.

"They will Harry."

"But just say they _don't_!" Harry insisted.

"Then I'll go and kill them for you." Myron cut in. "They won't get away with what they did to you Harry. I won't let them."

"We won't let them." Richard added with a glare to his lover. "I have full confidence in our case Harry, they won't get away with it. Child abuse is a very serious crime, with the evidence we have, they will not walk free, though if you want to be sure, I'll come and talk to you after your heat is over, we'll condemn them even further."

Harry nodded. "Okay. I don't want them to get away."

"They won't, so calm down and stop stressing over everything. Now, what do you want to do about the children in three days' time?"

"I'm sorry, I don't want Ashleigh near them." Harry said softly, ignoring Max's angry hiss at her name. "But if you and Richard want to look after them, you can."

"How do you propose we do that when Ashleigh lives with us Harry, we're not throwing her out of her own home and likewise we do not want to be here listening to you having sex for a week, not to mention you could very well use this room and we don't want to watch you having sex either."

"Speak for yourself." Richard snorted. Myron clipped him over the back of the head sharply.

"You don't have to." Harry answered, grinning at Richard's childish pout. "Aneirin is back in work, so he'll be gone for half of the week I'm on heat, he offered, quite happily, to cancel, but Alexander owled me, I think he just knew that something was wrong. He's offered to look after them, says he'd be more than overjoyed to have them while I'm on heat."

"Have you taken my Father up on his offer?" Myron asked quietly, keeping his feelings of hurt and failure to himself.

"I'm leaning more towards it, I don't want Aneirin to have to rearrange his work schedule because of me and I don't want Ashleigh near them, but I don't want you to kick her out of your house for any length of time because it's not fair to make you choose between your mate and your grandchildren. So Alexander is looking to be the most sensible option. That way, if you wanted to, you could go and see the kids at Alexander's. I'd feel much better about this whole thing if I knew you were checking up on my babies, not that I don't trust Alexander, but he is out of practise of having any baby overnight, let alone for a week plus, I don't think he knows what he's taking on with these six."

Myron snorted. "My sisters, Aurelia and Lydia, are submissive Drackens Harry, Ashleigh was right when she said the children usually go to the submissive's family for heat periods. My Mother and Father have been kept on their toes over the years, Aurelia has seven children, you remember Shae? Aurelia is her Mother and Shae has fourteen children now and my Father sometimes has them when she goes on her heat as well. Lydia has five children and is pregnant again. My Father is always kept on his toes."

Harry smiled and then laughed. "It's a good idea to hand the kids over to Alexander then."

Myron nodded. "Of course Richard and I will go and spend time with our Grandchildren if you wish it of us, we wouldn't miss it, but I wanted you to know that Ashleigh has been thoroughly punished, I don't think keeping her from the kids is going to help."

"I don't want her near them." Harry growled, his Dracken surging and sending out pheromones that let the dominants around him know that he was not happy.

Myron nodded. "It is entirely up to you of course, you're their Mother and we'll respect your decisions regarding them, but she is very upset with herself for what she said."

"It wasn't just what she said Dad, it's that she actually _forgot_ what Harry had gone through. How could she forget something like that when Dad is working so hard on Harry's case at home? It doesn't make sense!"

"She won't answer that when we ask her." Richard sighed sadly. "We don't know why she forgot or even how she did. It is strange."

"She doesn't see me as a person, she doesn't think I'm real." Harry told them. "She sees me as a way to get babies, a means to an end, nothing more. That's how she forgot, if she could get babies around her without me, then she wouldn't give a fuck about me."

"Do you truly think that?" Myron asked, shocked and unsettled that Harry would truly think that and worried that maybe, just maybe, Harry could be right.

Harry nodded. "It's true." He said firmly. "She has no interest in me, every single question is always about the babies and never me."

"That's not true, she's always asking you how you are." Richard pointed out.

"Only ever when I was pregnant."

"That…that can't be true. It can't!" Richard said, but his tone belied his certainty.

"It is." Harry moved to pick up Braiden and pulled out a foam mat to change him on.

It was silent as Harry changed and then redressed Braiden and rolled him over, off of the mat and onto his belly, he thrust the wet nappy and used wipes at Max, who took them silently and put them in the bin.

Harry slid the foam mat back under the settee and lay down on his belly next to Braiden, slipping a hand under him and lifting him gently, to urge him onto his hands and knees.

"Come on love, you want to crawl, you want to be mobile." Harry insisted.

Braiden bounced on his hands making soft noises and drooling excessively.

"I think he's cutting another tooth." Harry sighed as he got a cloth out of his pocket and wiped the drool away.

Braiden giggled and Harry gave him a gentle, but forceful shove to the bottom to encourage him to move. Braiden found it hilarious.

"No, not funny, you want to crawl."

Braiden went to reach out for Harry's face, but moving his hand made him unstable and he fell to the floor laughing. Harry let out a sigh.

"He'll crawl when he's ready Harry." Nasta insisted as he rocked a fussy Tegan.

"Just wait until he learns the word 'no'." Richard grinned. "It was Caesar's favourite word."

"That's because it was _your_ favourite word." Myron huffed.

"Oh no, my favourite word was always and will always be 'yes, yes, YES!'" Richard laughed as he moaned exaggeratedly. Myron went red faced and went to swat at Richard again who ducked out of the way laughing.

Harry chuckled. "Really? Your favourite word is yes? Funny, mine has always been a tie between more and harder."

Richard almost choked on his laughter and doubled over.

"Harry!" Myron scolded.

"What? Is it my fault I don't have a mate who can satisfy me? I have four of them, you'd think I'd be worn out before them, but no."

"Harry!" Max said shocked.

"Don't look at me like that! You need to go to a gym, your stamina is failing."

That did it for Richard, who collapsed onto the settee and held his stomach with one hand and his throat with the other. He started laughing so hard he just made a wheezing sound. Myron was of course by his side trying to ease him through his breathing, but Richard just waved him away, still wheezing .

"Is he alright?" Harry asked concernedly, he hadn't meant to hurt Richard through laughter.

"He's fine. He would have accepted help if he was in any danger, he knows not to take a chance on things like this." Myron answered, still hovering over Richard like a worried Mother.

Richard drew in a deep, gasping breath like a drowning man breaking the surface of the water and he let out a stream of chuckles.

"It wasn't that funny." Max pouted.

Richard nodded his head, wiping away tears. "I love that kid!" He said breathlessly, cheerfully pointing at Harry. "I haven't laughed like that in ages."

"Well I think it's time we took our leave." Myron said firmly, helping Richard to his feet. "We were worried when you didn't responded to the owl, but now that it's sorted, I really don't think mixing you and Richard together is a good idea, you're both as bad as one another, thank the heavens Caesar isn't here as well or I'd roll over in defeat."

Harry chuckled. "I bet that doesn't happen too often."

"Watch your cheek."

"I can't, it's impossible to look at your own cheeks. The one's on your face at least."

Richard started laughing again at that and Myron scowled, picking his lover up and carrying him out of the room to Harry's jaunty wave. He chuckled before lying down and trying to get Braiden to crawl again once the portrait door had closed.

A heavy weight on his back had him gasping and turning as much as he could to see Nasta sat on top of him, giving him a look.

"What?" He asked.

"So we can't satisfy you, can we? We get worn out before you, do we? I think we need to take care of our submissive more Max. Who knows when the last time he was truly satisfied with our love making."

Max cottoned on very quickly and he gave a feral grin. "I'm sure some more practise in the art can help _boost_ my stamina."

"I was only joking, of course you satisfy me."

"Ah ah, no back tracking now." Nasta admonished lightly. "We need to thoroughly satisfy you to teach you not to spread such nasty lies."

"I'm going onto a heat period in three days, can't you teach me then?" Harry asked as he tried fruitlessly to get out from under Nasta.

Nasta put more weight on him and nibbled an ear. "No, I think you need a nice, long, _hard_ lesson right this minute. It won't wait for three days, will it Max?"

Max shook his head, a predatory grin on his face as he started moving babies into bassinets. It gave Harry one last life line to use.

"The kids." Harry complained, but with Nasta sucking and nibbling on him, his concentration was rapidly declining.

"I think it's time for the kids to take a nap." Max grinned. "Ninety minutes of peace."

"Well, from the kids at least, but Harry's going to be screaming his lungs raw."

"Big words from a man who can't satisfy me." Harry hissed, deciding to play the game, it was easier than fighting, plus he hadn't had a real chance to unwind in ages. It could turn out to be exactly what he needed. What they all needed.

Nasta snarled and shoved against him. Max hauled Braiden away and settled him down for a nap in his travel cot before stealing him from Nasta and carrying him to the bedroom.

"You're a barbarian." Harry complained.

"Don't I know it." Max growled before biting at his neck hard enough to make him gasp and to leave a mark.

They didn't go up to the bed, where Farren and Calix were sleeping, instead Max fell to the clean patch of floor boxed in by the settee, catching himself on his one hand, the other holding Harry tightly to his body, before letting him fall the short distance to the floor and kissing him ferociously.

Nasta joined them, Harry was happy to note him place a baby monitor near them, before he warded the area they were in so the two boys sleeping upstairs weren't disturbed.

* * *

**Missing Scene**

* * *

Max rolled sideways away from him so he didn't collapse on top of him and they all calmed down together.

"Oh, I can't move." Harry whined.

"We don't have to." Max told him breathlessly.

Determined to prove him wrong, a cry from upstairs started slowly and sleepily before rapidly turning hysterical and being joined by a second cry.

"I think now we do." Nasta sighed.

"Those are your kids up there, go and get them." Harry nudged Max insistently.

Max groaned, but rolled to his knees and carefully stood up, he breathed and calmed himself as he took the stairs, the babies cries getting louder and louder the close he got to them.

"It's Calix. He's woken Farren up too." Max called down to the floor as he scooped the both of them up before carefully coming back down the stairs, holding onto one thrashing baby and one still baby, measuring every step until he finally reached the bottom.

Harry's afterglow had worn away quickly under the concern for his screaming child. He held his arms out for Calix and took the baby and hushed him, feeling his forehead, cheek and neck.

"He doesn't feel fevered." Harry murmured, turning him over onto his belly and lifting his nightdress, undoing his nappy and pulling it away. He hissed at the red, raw rash that had taken over Calix's bottom.

Nasta sighed. "I'll go and get the cream."

"Why does he suffer so badly with this?" Max asked furiously, using his free hand to tug at his hair while he rocked Farren in his other arm to calm him.

"Some babies just do." Harry said sadly. "We're going to have to up the watch on him again, every half an hour without fail and let his skin breathe for at least three hours a day."

Max nodded as Nasta came back with the tub of Sudocrem, handing it to Harry.

"Braiden never suffered like this." Harry sniffed as he covered Calix's bum with the cream, leaving him on his belly to let the cream absorb into his skin.

"Braiden's a Dracken Harry."

"He's a baby!" Harry hissed.

Nasta sighed. "Drackens are more resilient than humans Harry, they won't catch as many infections or sicknesses."

"That doesn't mean that they can't!" Harry said stubbornly as he lay down to nuzzle Calix's face, wiping away the slowing tears. "I hate seeing him like this! Why won't it just go away?"

"He has very sensitive skin." Max sighed softly. "He must get it from you; Merlin knows my skin's like old, dried out leather."

That made Harry smile and he let out a soft chuckle that was part sob.

"He'll be fine love. He won't be in nappies forever."

"Don't most babies start toilet training at around two years?" Harry said confused. "That's a long time Max."

"It'll fly by as soon as we're away from the school and have a consistent daily routine. Very soon, we'll miss this place."

Harry snorted. "It's a school."

"You have also said it was like your second home." Nasta cut in softly.

"Oh don't turn this into a therapy session Nasta!" Harry complained. "You know I don't feel like that now, Max's home is my home now. My only home."

Max grinned. "See, the boy lays claim to what is mine, we'll make a good submissive out of him yet."

Harry grinned and elbowed Max. "Go and make up some bottles, it's almost time for the evening feed and Draco and Blaise will be back soon."

"Yes dear." Max sighed sadly, as if put upon and moved into the living room with a muted grin.

Harry rolled his eyes and followed him. "Seriously, what did I do to get you as a mate?"

"Snogged me on a rock out by the lake when you were advertising for a mate." Max answered happily.

"I snogged _you_?" Harry demanded. "My memory happens to be a little different about that!"

"Do you regret it?" Max asked as evenly as he could, trying to hide his insecurity.

Harry looked at him stunned before narrowing his eyes. "Of course I don't. I love you and that isn't a word I have ever used lightly. The fuck up that was my own bonding was the best thing that ever happened in those bloody meetings. I have no idea what I would have done if I had had to choose between you and Nasta." He shivered at the thought. "I'm so glad I didn't have to choose between you both."

"So it was always between me and Nasta?" Max asked, visibly perkier than he had been.

Harry snorted. "Of course it was between you and Nasta, he was the strong, silent dragon tamer, which just got my blood going, especially with all those fantasies I used to have of him taming me, seeing as I'm part dragon and you were the incredibly tall, very broad, absolutely handsome potion's master who promised to cook for me every single day of my life, I think my Dracken was too close to the surface during those meetings now that I think about it, I used to have fantasies about you too, you were just so tall and broad, I used to dream about you completely covering me and pinning me down, you had no need to tie me up, you could easily incapacitate me with your own body. I never had those fantasies about anyone else, so when I woke up off of that heat and found out I had mated to you too, I just knew that it would be Nasta I would pick as a grounding mate. I always knew it, it just took me a while to realise it. Plus your biscuits were to die for."

Max just laughed as he boiled the kettle and set up six bottles and five mugs, making sure to keep Farren away from the boiling kettle, just in case.

Assured that Max felt better, Harry lay Calix on the carpet and checked on Tegan, Regan and Braiden. They were all asleep and showed no signs of stirring. He moved to check on Leolin, not really expecting him to be awake, Leolin still slept for at least eighteen hours a day, but Harry had a huge surprise when he found soft gold eyes open and peering up at him drowsily and slightly suspiciously. Harry smiled widely and picked him up, hoping that maybe this meant that Leolin was moving on from his eat, sleep, shit stage of life and was moving onto his eat, sleep, shit, awake for a little while at a time stage. Harry would just love that, he wanted to spend more time with Leolin, but he was always asleep. It was hard.

"Hello gorgeous baby boy!" Harry cooed happily.

"Is he awake?" Nasta asked surprised.

Harry turned him carefully and showed Nasta the blinking golden eyes. It was always a conscious act to remember to support Leolin's neck. Even at three months old, he could not take even a little bit of the weight of his own head and flung his arms out in surprise if his head was dipped suddenly.

Nasta came over and kissed Leolin's puckered mouth and nuzzled his cheek.

"Be careful!" Harry snapped. "Your stubble is irritating on the skin and Leolin's is more delicate than anyone else's."

Nasta smiled and obediently moved his stubbled cheek away from Leolin's face, he instead went nose to nose with him, giving his youngest son all the eye contact he could possibly want.

He took the tiny hands in his own and bounced them lightly. "You need to start growing. You're worrying your Mother, Leolin and we all know that that isn't good for him."

"Oh ha ha." Harry pouted, but he couldn't help smiling at the scene Nasta made with Leolin, who was still so small, so tiny and had yet to gain another pound.

Nasta took Leolin from Harry, holding him up under his arms, keeping his head steady, before cuddling him into his shoulder.

"You want to come and sit with Daddy don't you?" He cooed as he moved to the settee and sat down, his eyes tracking every inch of Leolin's face, slipping back to those eyes often and just smiling and stroking Leolin's tiny arm.

Harry shook his head and accepted the mug of honey tea Max handed him and he sat on the floor by the coffee table and stroked Calix's back.

"You don't think he's too cold do you?" Harry asked suddenly as he felt the heat leaving Calix's legs. "I know it's March, but it's still cold."

"His skin needs to air out love or he could get an infection." Max told him, settling down on the settee behind him with a groan and rubbing Farren's back as the baby made a soft, startled noise at being moved suddenly downwards.

"We have a choice between him getting an infection or leaving him cold on the living room floor."

"He'll be fine Caru." Nasta assured him. "Once the cream has absorbed enough we will wrap him in a blanket to help warm him back up."

"Okay. I hope he's alright though."

"Mama?" Braiden called out from his cot.

Max snorted. "He heard your voice."

Harry moved to get up, but Max pressed the top of his head. "Remember, one of us has to go and get him or he'll cry every single time you're out of the room, when you have lessons seven hours a day for five days a week, that's not convenient."

Harry sighed and slumped back down letting Max get up to go and get Braiden. Harry was distracted however by the portrait opening to the sounds of a hushed argument as Draco and Blaise came back.

"You're out of Dracken form Prezioso." Blaise said happily, having seen him first and coming to kiss him, holding him tightly. "You smell of semen."

Harry's grin widened and he chuckled. "Yeah, it's Myron's fault."

"Why was Myron touching you in such a way?" Draco hissed possessively.

"Not in that way!" Harry defended, blushing. Myron would probably rip him apart at the seams, or probably accidentally crush him, if they tried, not that they ever would, but if they did…Harry shivered.

"Myron came over when we reached the end of our tether, he got Harry out of Dracken form, but certain comments were made and Max and I couldn't let them stand." Nasta explained as he brushed Leolin's hair gently.

Max chuckled darkly and Harry squirmed uncomfortably, busying himself with reattaching Calix's nappy, pulling down his night dress and wrapping him tightly in a thick blanket, cuddling him to his chest.

"They were flirting?" Blaise asked incredulously as he took Braiden from Max.

Max snorted. "Of course not. My Dad Richard was here too, of course with him everything spirals down to sex, Harry made certain comments about the four of us not being able to satisfy him, Nasta and I had to prove that we could in fact satisfy him and leave him a quivering mass on the floor."

"I was not a quivering mass on the floor." Harry refuted.

"You had sex while we were in lessons?" Blaise said softly.

"At least I'm not in Dracken form anymore. That's good right?" Harry grinned.

Draco shook his head. "I think we should get to have sex now."

Harry frowned. "I'm not a doll you can line up and use in turn."

Draco rolled his eyes. "I didn't mean it like that."

"Then go and have sex with Blaise if you both want sex so much. I'm so not in the mood." Harry huffed as he drained the rest of his tea and put the mug on the coffee table, before using both arms to snuggle Calix.

"He's moody because his heats approaching." Max said.

"You shut up!" Harry snapped.

"Yes dear." He replied subserviently.

That one comment took all the anger and frustration from him and quirked his lips up into a smile. He chuckled.

"Sweetheart, do me a favour and get me another cup of tea please."

"Whatever my darling wants." Max put on a fake, high voice and Harry laughed as Max flounced into the kitchenette to re-boil the kettle. Watching such a large, physical man flounce was so hilarious all of them couldn't help but laugh at him, even Max was laughing at himself.

Max put the scoops of baby powder into the six bottles and poured in the boiling water, before making everyone a fresh cup of tea and serving them all.

"Thank you love." Harry said, pulling him down for a kiss.

Max pulled back and winked at him before going to finish the bottles and bringing them over to cool naturally.

Harry snuggled Calix tighter as he was pulled up onto Max's lap, being manipulated into the arm and side of Max's body that wasn't cuddling Farren as Draco and Blaise slipped off their shoes, ties and settled down to relax with their teas, even if Blaise took one look into his mug and scowled at its contents.

"It's hardly poison." Nasta said.

"It might as well be." Blaise muttered.

Nasta sighed heavily. "Fine, go and have a coffee."

Blaise's head snapped up, his eyes slightly wide. "I've already had one mug today; you said I wasn't allowed more than one a day because of the health detriments."

"Don't look a gift horse in the mouth." Nasta answered. "And don't expect it every day either!" He added quickly as Blaise put Braiden onto the settee next to Draco and rushed to the kitchenette to tip away the hated tea to make himself a coffee.

Harry stood up and sat next to Nasta and snuggled into him, leaning over to kiss his cheek before slipping under his arm and resting his head on the fleshy area before the shoulder and before the chest, near his armpit, settling Calix on both of their laps, making sure not to disturb Leolin, who was fast asleep once again.

Blaise was grinning from ear to ear as he placed his coffee carefully on the table, watching it impatiently as it cooled to the temperature he liked it at.

"Blaise, Blaise, the mug is not edible." Max reminded as he grinned. "The way you're looking at that coffee, it's like you want to swallow it whole."

"I'm torn." Blaise answered, not taking his eyes from it. "I want to just gulp it down in case Nas changes his mind, but I also want to sip it, savour it because it's such a rare treat."

"I'm not going to take it off you, feel free to sip away." Nasta said, wrapping his arm around Harry tighter.

"You should have sex during the day more often." Blaise insisted. "If it gets me a coffee I'll even gladly volunteer."

Harry giggled lightly as Nasta snorted, rolling his eyes before cuddling Harry, Leolin and Calix tighter in his arms.

"Mama?" Braiden called out.

"What love?" Harry asked back.

"Gee ma."

"No, you stay over there by Daddy Draco and Daddy Blaise."

"Mama mama ma!"

"I can't ignore him." Harry said firmly as he wormed away from Nasta, put Calix in his arms and went to Braiden. "I don't care if he depends on me, or cries if I'm out of the room. I can't just sit there and ignore him as he calls out to me, I won't."

Harry left no room for argument as he cuddled Braiden, who clenched his hands tight into Harry's shirt. Harry sat back on the floor by his cup of tea and sat Braiden in his lap, who was now quiet and content to bounce on Harry's lap, cooing and babbling. Harry held him more securely and let him carry on as he basked in his family, looking around at all of his children, all of his lovers and he felt happy, content and he reached over and handed Braiden the shape sorter, he screeched in delight and started playing and Harry was very happy to play with him, the play increased when Draco slipped to the floor and joined in, helping teach Braiden his shapes, even if he was far too young to actually grasp much, it never hurt to start early.

* * *

A/N: This is going to be the last quick update, I am back in work now tomorrow, so updates will be coming slower again, but these last couple of chapters have been a nice treat yes? And a Scaled Bits chapter thrown in for good measure too.

Thank you all for the birthday wishes, I had a brilliant day, I've now got a mountain of chocolate and I'm up a Ravenclaw and a Slytherin Quidditch jumper which are official Harry Potter garments, made by the same mill that made all of the film uniforms for the actors and are really comfy.

Thanks to **NoirxAnge** who was the **8,800****th**** reviewer** and to **The arithmancer** who was the **8,900****th**** reviewer!** So close to 9,000 that I'm getting those excited knots in my belly again!

**Archivest**: Chapter 26 of the Scaled Bits will help clear up more on Ashleigh, as for why submissives become infertile if taken by a human, it's the failsafe of the Dracken gene to make sure that no submissive Dracken is 'bred' by a non-Dracken to ensures the highest possible amount of Dracken children are born, if a submissive 'bred' with a human, the gene would be too dilute to ensure any Drackens that generation, or any of the subsequent generations, so it's a way for the genes to protect the Dracken species by permanently destroying the womb/sac of the submissive so they can't conceive a human's child. It's mainly a very strong deterrent to stop all female Drackens and submissive males from seeking out human lovers, even though some still do, but the genes can't differentiate between willing and not willing, so even if the female or male submissive in question is not willing, it will still destroy the womb/sac to prevent pregnancy by a non-Dracken.

Every Dracken except for male dominant's are affected by this failsafe of the gene, including dominant females like Marianna (Blaise's Mother) who is permanently infertile after willingly sleeping with humans after she killed her one and only mate, Maximiliano, Blaise's Father. She didn't want any more children after Blaise if the Father couldn't be Maximiliano.

**chachamaru43**: I'm not planning on it, I'm sorry your friend is put off by so many chapters, but I thought that most readers looked for long, well written stories, so I'm a bit confused as to what it is that is actually putting your friend off reading. I'm planning on doing this all in one go, not stopping half way through just to make a sequel and carry on, I don't see the point of it.

**Kristi whitlock**: The names for who? All of Max's family were taken from long, exhausting searches for the names of rulers, warriors, royalty and leaders, as their entire family follow's that one theme, even Farren and Calix. Nasta and Sanex were made up, Nasta from the Welsh Nestor, from which I took the name Nesta, which is Nasta's great-great grandfather's name and I just swapped the 'E' for an 'A'. The names all come from gruelling searches, mixing, matching, swapping letters and some are just purely made up, like Max's middle name Diadesen, I have no clue where it came from, but it is completely made up and not a real name. It just came to me and I used it.

**Haven't Had Enough**: No, the amount of mates Harry has does not impact how many Dracken children he has, with that being said though, it does help because it's not on how many mates he has, it's how powerful he is and how powerful his mates are, as Harry is very powerful and most of his mates are above average, it does increase his chances of the gene choosing one of his children. Harry already has above average amount of Dracken babies, to have two Drackens out of six babies, one of which doesn't really count seeing as Leolin took Faerie genes, that's pretty amazing, you only need to look at the other Dracken families, even Max's extended family to see how unusual that is and no, Harry being a male submissive has no bearing on if his children are dominant or submissive or if he will have any male submissive children himself, that's purely up to the Dracken gene that choses the child.

**jewel131415**: It is entirely possible for Harry to have a 'dry heat' where his body goes through his breeding cycle, he does go onto heat, but his body doesn't reach the needed temperature to conceive a clutch of children, which is one hundred and ten Celsius, thus putting him straight back into another two monthly cycle where he will try again on the next heat period for a baby. The number of dry heats is unlimited; he can have dry heats for the rest of his life, though it is entirely unlikely and is more common in older Dracken couples that have been through numerous heat cycles before, so it's unlikely that he will have more than three or four back to back dry heats.

**KyuubiChild717**: Yes Ginny was at Harry's birthday party, but she didn't find out that Harry was a Dracken, when Harry started acting strangely, Mrs Weasley sent her home, when Harry was on the roof with his mates, Mrs Weasley was forcing Ginny to floo home and when the mates finally came back down to tell them, she was already gone, she's too young to keep a secret like this. She'll be told when she graduates.

**hetaliajapan01**: Oh yes, unmated submissives fall for mated dominants all the time, you have to remember that mated dominants are the cream of the crop, they're the ones that all the submissives want, so naturally the unmated submissives will want the mated dominants. But that being said, not many dominants will stray from their current submissives or children and if they did, their current submissive would kill the 'encroaching' submissive or the new submissive would kill the previous one, but they would never get along, never. There can only ever be one submissive in each family unit, no exceptions, the Dracken gene would not take the humiliation or the presence of another submissive in their territory and if two submissives nested in the same territory, they would fight to the death for the right to nest in the territory they had deemed safe and secure enough to birth in.

**fantasyexpert**: It was a coincidence. Ron didn't know anything about what Nott was planning with Astoria. He just happened to grow up at that particular moment and it happened to be the day that Harry was alone. Harry has turned into something of a social recluse, he comes out of his rooms only for lessons, as soon as they are over, he runs back to be with his lovers and babies, very hard to get him for a heartfelt apology, especially when you know deep down that he isn't going to accept it and may punch you in the face. So it was a stroke of luck that Harry was dragged away to socialise when Ron had finally grown up enough to realise he was the one in the wrong and when Nott and Astoria had plans to hurt and defile him.

**Marble**: Sorry to have missed your question the first time around! Yes, they refer to themselves as old, because they like to whine. My Mam is 50 now and she complains she's getting old and falling apart and she's been doing that since she was in her late forties, it's just a thing that the people around me do, My Aunt has back pain or a migraine, my step-dad want's new legs and hips. It's just something that's rubbed off on me and I've unconsciously incorporated that into the fic. It's not meant to be taken seriously, just as people complaining.

Alexander is in his early nineties now, having been born in nineteen-o-five. He still has chestnut brown hair, the same hair he passed to Myron, but surrounded by obviously younger men, it's easy to tell he's older. He does not look like a ninety year old man by any means, but he also does not look like a middle aged man. He looks older and has the wisdom of an older man.

As for the genetics, Harry does not have eggs, so Harry is not classed as an X, but as an XY. The reason male harems have a higher amount of children in each pregnancy, especially if they have a large number of lovers, is because the amount of semen they release into Harry, which has to match up with Harry's own XY chromosomes, released into his sac, to create babies. The sheer amount of chances to make an XY pairing (A boy) severely outnumbers the amount of time an XX (A girl) can be made and yes a YY pairing can be made, but will result in immediate, natural termination as a baby cannot be made without at least one X chromosome.

**Anon**: I am seriously going to take that as a compliment! I'm by no means a professional writer, though I plan to be, ever since I first started reading Harry Potter when I was seven, I knew that all I ever wanted to be was an author. I owe a hell of a lot to J. K. Rowling.

**Ravenmaster7**: It is partly his level of core power and partly just the way he was born, the two together make a fertile mix that is driving Harry completely mental. His core power is the driving force as he has magic to spare after his everyday use to strengthen and heal his body quicker than a weaker Dracken, which shortens the recovery time between the after birth period and the next heat cycle and the length of his breeding cycle is determined by the genes he was born with. Harry has a quite short breeding cycle, but is by no means the shortest, but some Drackens only go onto a breeding cycle twice a year, which means they have a six month heat cycle. So compared to that he's practically a rampant rabbit.

**xxRefuseToBreathexx**: It was chapter 58 – School Time Blues.

**uolexa**: Oh no, hell no! Nothing that drastic. He won't physically look much different than a human of the same age, though some children are going to be bigger or smaller than average, he will only drastically change physically when he goes through his final inheritance at 16. The development will be all mental until that time. He is already exhibiting above average mental capabilities for his age and this will be more pronounced when he becomes a child, around six or seven, he will show advanced brain development and will be smarter than children the same age as him, but not overly noticeable, Harry was able to hide it from his teachers when he wanted to after all. So they are advanced for their age mentally, but it's not overly noticeable, they're not going to be baby geniuses or anything, but they will be more advanced than humans of the same age.

Okay, some people just aren't getting the whole Ashleigh thing, so those of you on my Facebook page will recognise this elaboration, though reading chapter 26 of the Scaled Bits will help immensely, but if you still need some help, this is a cut and paste right from Facebook.

'Okay, I'm going to have to explain because some readers are just not getting the whole Ashleigh thing or 'why Harry overreacted so much about it' Seriously? If you were as hideously as abused as Harry and you confided to people you loved and trusted with what happened, for the very first time I might add, and then they turned around and forgot what you had gone through even with daily reminders in the form of one of the people you live with actively working on the case, how the hell would you feel?  
Also Harry's feelings on the matter, meaning him thinking she only sees him as way to get babies, apparently 'came out of the blue' well I'm sorry to the reader who said that but you obviously weren't reading closely enough because I have been building up to this plot line for a year! Not even weeks or months but a year! Dropping little hints throughout the story, just little odd comments or actions from her that didn't reveal too much, but hinted at what she actually thought.  
I hate Ashleigh, I have always hated her and I did consider killing her off with Theodric so she would never have appeared in the fic, like Lowri, but because I added in Nasta, it was too convenient to have both of their Mothers dead, so I kept Ashleigh with the full idea that I would use her purely to show what happens to submissives who lose children and can't move on. It was subtle and well hidden, but if you have read closely enough you would have found that things don't add up, little actions and the things she says are odd and strange. There is a reason that Amelle does not want Ashleigh near her children, there is a reason other female submissives will not allow her near their children and it has everything to do with the instincts that Harry suppresses. She is not a danger to the children in any way, but that's not all the instincts are warning about.  
I have been planning and hinting at this since Ashleigh was first introduced! I have been building this up from the beginning and I will see it through to the end I have planned regardless. That is all I will say on the matter.'

So I hope that helps you to understand, if it still doesn't, go and read the Scaled Bits, if that doesn't help, then message me and I'll try and help you.

Right, we're on to another fun vote! This is for the Dracken baby among the quintuplets. Vote for ONE baby only. So either Farren, Tegan, Regan or Calix and remember that this is for fun and your vote will not affect the outcome of the Dracken, because that was chosen before anything else, even before I named them.

StarLight Massacre. X


	69. An Insatiable Ache and a Visit

A/N: As you have likely guessed, yes I saved the heat chapter for chapter 69, just because I could and it makes me giggle.

If you would like to read the full version, you should know where to go by now, just hop on over because most of the first half of this chapter is going to be pure, hardcore smut.

_Last Time_

_Harry left no room for argument as he cuddled Braiden, who clenched his hands tight into Harry's shirt. Harry sat back on the floor by his cup of tea and sat Braiden in his lap, who was now quiet and content to bounce on Harry's lap, cooing and babbling. Harry held him more securely and let him carry on as he basked in his family, looking around at all of his children, all of his lovers and he felt happy, content and he reached over and handed Braiden the shape sorter, he screeched in delight and started playing and Harry was very happy to play with him, the play increased when Draco slipped to the floor and joined in, helping teach Braiden his shapes, even if he was far too young to actually grasp much, it never hurt to start early._

Chapter Sixty-Nine – An Insatiable Ache and a Visit

Harry refused to let his children go any earlier than absolutely necessary and the morning his heat was due, he still didn't want to say goodbye, even though they were all packed up with every possible essential and nearly every toy and item of clothing they had.

They had flooed over to Alexander's home early that morning and Harry couldn't help the tears as he hunched over Leolin, refusing to let him go, even as Nasta knelt in front of him and tried to coax him into letting go of the baby he clutched so desperately.

"Harry, he has to stay here love. He can't come with us. When you go onto heat, we will not be able to look after him."

"I can't, he _needs_ me!" Harry stressed.

Nasta shuffled closer to him and gripped his waist, getting Harry to make eye contact.

"Harry, Leolin will die if you bring him back with us. He cannot survive a day without someone looking after him and we won't be able to."

"I know." Harry said softly. "I don't want to leave him though, why did I have to start my breeding cycle again? I don't want to be pregnant."

"I know you don't love. I know you didn't want to start a breeding cycle, but you have and you could slip into your heat at any moment, we should have done this yesterday, just in case, but we have left it to the absolute last moment. Please hand Leolin to Alexander and we can go and relax in our rooms, I'll get Max to make you those fruit tarts you've become fond of and I'll try and massage your back to ease your stress, okay?"

Harry nodded and sniffled, kissing Leolin gently and handing him off to a patient, understanding Alexander, feeling like the majority of his heart went with him and his other five babies. He felt bereft, knowing that he would be going home without them, knowing that he was passing their care to someone else while he had continuous sex for six to ten days. He felt sick and guilty.

Nasta stood up and pulled Harry into a hug as his small shoulders shook from his sobs. Nasta scooped him up and nodded his head towards the fireplace, giving the others a hint to get moving. He carried Harry through the floo and made good on his promises, giving Max a look and sending the big man into the kitchenette to make the fruit tarts that Harry liked, even if he did only eat the fruit from inside the tarts and left the pasty cases for one of them to eat.

He laid Harry gently on the rug, stoked the fire to get it burning once more and rubbed his hands together, using the friction to warm them before slipping them under Harry's jumper and just rubbing light patterns onto his back to relax him and let his body get used to his touch to comfort him.

Blaise went about cleaning their rooms, cleaning their bedroom and making sure anything they could possibly hurt themselves on was removed from anywhere they could potentially have sex. Draco wasn't bothered with doing the 'menial tasks of a house elf' and instead sat by Harry's head with a brush and gently pulled it through the tangles, flinching every time the brush caught one of the numerous snags, itching to tug the brush through the hair to remove them, but wanting to just relax Harry with the soothing motions of hair brushing, massaging his scalp at the same time.

Harry felt so loved and so pampered, he loved his mates, he did, but he wanted his children. Nothing and no one came before his six children and he wanted them back, he wanted them home. He was surprised his Dracken was so calm with them being missing, especially Leolin, his Faerie baby smelt strange, would always smell strange to him due to his Faerie inheritance, and he did not like Leolin being out of his sight, somewhere he couldn't see him, reach him if he cried, check on him at will. He hated it, but the quietness of his Dracken helped relax him, helped sooth him, if his Dracken could put up with it, then so could he.

It would seem longer to his children than it would to him after all. For all he would remember, he would have a few hours of patchy sex and would wake up six or ten days later feeling like his body had been beaten with a club for a week. He wouldn't remember right away what had happened when the red haze took over him, he would only remember later on, his babies would feel every single moment that he wasn't there with them, Braiden would be especially upset and he wondered how Alexander and Kimberly would deal with him. He had absolutely stressed that he wouldn't allow anyone to hit, smack or shout at his children, not even spanking or a telling off, he had strictly forbidden Ashleigh to be in the house while his children were there, had forbidden his children from being taken off of Alexander's premises barring an emergency and he had said no to any chocolate, snacks or inappropriate foods. Alexander had made a show of writing it all down seriously, pinning the note to the fridge, which had pleased his Dracken that he wasn't being made fun of, laughed at or brushed off because of his rules and demands. Now he just hoped that they were followed, because if they weren't…there was going to be hell to pay.

* * *

Harry's heat hit him at early evening this time, one moment he was stood in the kitchenette peeling an orange, the next he was throbbingly hard and so hot he wriggled in his light clothing. He abandoned his orange and slipped his sleeping shorts and boxer-briefs down together, rubbing his hands over his tingling skin and gasping softly at the hyper sensitive sensation. He gripped the hem of his tee-shirt and tugged it off, rubbing his chest and moaning lightly.

"Harry?" Draco asked.

Harry turned at the sound and Draco swallowed as he saw those wide open, lust blown, emerald green eyes pinned on him. It was only a moment later that the sweet, fertile scent of Harry's calling pheromones reached him and his mind was just gone, his wings burst from his back, taking his shirt with it, his claws came out and ripped off his lounge trousers, and his fangs appeared as he leapt over the settee and pinned Harry to the counter trying to suffocate him with his tongue.

* * *

**Missing Scene**

* * *

Harry woke up feeling awful. He groaned deeply in the back of his throat and consciously held back the distressed whine that would have brought his mates running from wherever they were.

He didn't feel as bad as he had done in the past and certainly not as bad as he had when he had had a heat period when pregnant with Braiden, but it wasn't really about which one was worse, he felt terrible here and now and that's what mattered and he groaned again.

He rolled over and found the edge of the bed, using it to get himself sitting up by swinging his legs over the side of it. He stood up when he felt abled to, his legs were like liquid, he knees wouldn't lock and his lower back felt like it had been cleaved in two.

He padded naked down the stairs and made his way straight into the bathroom to relieve his swollen bladder, which Harry was sure was causing most of the discomfort in his abdomen.

He washed his hands once he was done before padding out into the bedroom and going to the chest of draws to get a pair of Blaise's pyjama bottoms, he needed something loose but would still stay on his body without tying the drawstrings tight, which was sure to make sitting down uncomfortable.

He padded out into the living room and smiled at Max and Draco, who were lounging around, not doing much of anything. Harry wondered if they were as sore as he was, Nasta had been on a personal vendetta to make sure absolutely none of them were able to walk once the heat period was over.

"Blaise and Nas gone hunting?" He asked as Draco pulled him into the circle of his arms, throwing a leg up so Harry was lying on his belly, on Draco's chest, between his legs. A large hand pressed gently against his back and rubbed softly and Harry groaned as it helped ease the pain in his lower back.

"Yeah, they should be back soon." Max's voice was rough, rough. Almost like he had swallowed sandpaper which had now lined his throat.

"I feel vile." Harry complained. "I hope it's another decade before I have to do that again."

Harry felt Draco shift and he looked at the big blonde, who sighed and looked at him with guarded silver eyes.

"Harry that heat period wasn't fertile. It was a dry heat. It's only been seven days since you went onto heat, six days for the actual heat, this is the seventh."

Harry felt like all of the air had been knocked out of him. He drew in a calming breath as the full weight of the situation sunk into him.

"I'm going to have another heat period in two months."

"Well, technically in one month, three weeks and six days, but yes you will. Today is classed as the first day of your new breeding cycle." Max croaked out.

"Fucking brilliant." Harry groaned, letting out a sigh and resting against Draco, he'd deal with it when it came, but he really didn't know what was worse at the moment, an endless string of dry heats where he and his mates fucked for six days bimonthly, or being pregnant once again with a possible set of multiples.

Harry was interrupted from his inner thoughts when the portrait door opened signalling his mates return, then the smell of fresh meat and blood hit him and he sat up and stared at the dead and skinned animal Nasta was carrying. A small sound slipped out of his throat, part demanding growl, part subservient whine and Nasta smiled at him, flashing a deadly looking fang at him as he dumped the body on the floor for Harry's inspection.

Harry didn't bother inspecting it, anything his mates brought was good enough for him, he already knew it wasn't poisoned or off, his mates would never do that to him, so he instead took his claws to the tender meat, carving out a bite sized cube to eat as his mates watched him take his fill.

The blood was still hot, so it was a recent kill, but Harry hated that it started cooling so quickly and he ate faster, chewing less and swallowing bigger chunks. Nasta sat behind him and spread his legs to put on either side of his body, hands falling to his hips as his chest framed Harry's back. He rested his chin on Harry's shoulder and turned to nuzzle at his cheek.

"Slow down Cariad, or you'll choke." He coached softly, his cheek was almost completely clean shaven, he must have shaved only just before he went hunting to be this smooth, it wouldn't last another hour.

"The blood goes cold." Harry said back just as softly.

"Eat the meat and if you want blood afterwards, you can take it directly from me, my blood is very hot."

Harry moaned slightly at the thought of sinking his fangs into Nasta's arm to take blood straight from the vein. He ate slower, hating the blood which came with his food, which had once been hot and was now merely warm.

Once he had had his fill, he didn't even feel like blood anymore, he just wanted to sleep so he curled up in Nasta's lap, letting Draco and Max eat their fill of the prey Nasta and Blaise had caught as Nasta stood up and away from the partially eaten carcass to cradle him on the settee with Blaise, the both of them had already eaten their fill and were content to curl up with Harry, who once all of his needs had been met, started getting a niggle in his brain about something. He kept pushing it away, but it was getting louder and more insistent and as soon as the niggle became a thought, his eyes widened and he sat up suddenly, almost catching Blaise's jaw with his shoulder.

"My babies." He gasped out, looking around the room quickly, as if hoping to find them hidden away in some corner.

Nasta sat up and held his shoulders lightly. "They're safe Harry, they're with Alexander remember?"

Harry calmed down and deflated slightly as he remembered as soon as Nasta told him. His brain supplied the memory of the morning he had dropped them off and he sighed in relief.

"I hope they're alright, we need to go and get them."

"Tomorrow love, you need more rest and its coming up to eight at night, they'll all be asleep anyway and I'd hate to disturb them with a travel through the floo."

Harry swallowed and nodded. "Okay, but first thing tomorrow we'll go and get them."

"Right after breakfast, I promise." Nasta assured him. "I want our children back as much as you do, but we need to recover some more and I don't particularly want to eat an animal in front of the children, so after breakfast is ideal."

Harry couldn't argue with that logic, even if he didn't like it, so he nodded and settled down. Watching indulgently as Draco and Max play fought over bits of meat, or at least Harry thought they were play fighting. He cocked his head and watched more intently. It was like it was a real fight, but it wasn't, Max certainly wasn't using his whole body or strength to fight and Draco barely moved as he batted Max away.

"Are they fighting or not fighting?"

"They're fighting Caru, but a fight over food is common ground when there are two or more dominants. Max pulls rank, but Draco won't settle for second best, so they slap at each other a bit, but you know Max, he's a true feeder, he likes feeding us all, so he's not fighting too hard to keep Draco away from the best parts of the meat, he's letting Draco have it, but telling him at the same time that he still pulls rank and that it's only because he's letting Draco have it that he's getting the prime parts of the animal."

"That's sweet." Harry smiled, Max flashing him a grin, which showed fang before scowling as he slapped at Draco's hand again as he took the chunk of meat he had just carved out from his hand.

Blaise let out a soft breath and Harry turned to him, only to find him fast asleep. He grinned before wriggling down to lie beside him, cuddling in. Nasta rubbed both of their shoulders, kissing each of them on the cheek, before leaving them to sleep.

"Hunting took a lot out of him, he caught the first animal, our own meal, but after that he was fucked." Nasta said as he pulled down the blanket from the back of the settee and threw it over them.

Harry hummed and his very full belly, the scents of his mates still ingrained in his mind and the warmth from Blaise and the blanket pulled him off to sleep to recover a little more before tomorrow. He couldn't wait to see his children again.

* * *

Harry was so happy to be surrounded by his babies once more, he was sat on the settee, Calix and Leolin in his arms, Braiden sat leaning against his one side, Farren was propped up on the other, Tegan was on his lap, her head supported by his knees and Regan was sat tummy to tummy with him, resting against him as Harry reclined back to make sure he didn't topple backwards onto Tegan.

He was being laughed and cooed at by everyone, had already had a hundred photos taken of him, but he didn't care as his babies were nearly all awake, the exceptions being Regan and Leolin, and they were all grinning and huffing at him and he felt so happy, though he was saddened to see how big they had gotten while he had been away.

He had sniffed each and every one of them deeply, searching for injuries, illness, bruises and scents. So many scents had been on them, Alexander and Kimberly, Richard and Myron, Aneirin, Marianna's scent was in there faintly, Talia, Alayla and Julinda, other scents that were slighter and fainter of people he had only met once, like Cassander and Alaric, Cepheus and Nicodemus, Julius and his lovely Wife Claire, who he remembered because she had helped him and had been the one to tell him he was pregnant with the quintuplets, but the one scent he was searching for was missing. He smiled happily and cuddled his children tighter. Ashleigh had not touched or been near them while he was away.

"You've been hogging them for an hour!" Blaise whined as he came and snatched Tegan from his lap, sitting next to Farren and nuzzling her gently.

The next moment half the babies were gone and his mates were all sniffing, kissing, nuzzling and holding their children, leaving Harry with Calix and Braiden.

"How were they?" Harry asked Alexander.

"They were as good as gold Harry. Braiden had some problems being away from you, but he broke on the third day." Alexander assured him with a smile. "Your little five are getting bigger and stronger by the day, though Aneirin had to assure me that nothing was wrong with little Leo. I've never had to look after a Faerie baby before, it's worrying if you don't know what's going on, but he's easy to care for once you know what you're doing."

"_She_ never came to see them did she?" Harry asked, unable to keep back the snarl or the question, even though he knew she hadn't been near them or touched his children, that didn't mean she hadn't been here or tried to be here.

"No." Myron assured him. He looked tired and ragged, but otherwise happy. "She did try and see them on the very first day, but I threatened to lock her in the attic if she tried it again."

"I blocked her from the floo in any case." Alexander told him. "As soon as I heard what she had done I made sure she couldn't get into this house without me knowing, I won't have any daughter, or son, in-law acting that way towards my family."

Harry caught the added son in-law and bit his lip, wondering what he had done to get in Alexander's bad books, thinking that maybe the whole thing with Ashleigh was getting to Alexander and that it was his fault, Myron was his youngest son after all, of course that would make him protective towards him; maybe he shouldn't have asked the man to babysit after all. He swallowed and looked at Braiden; he wondered who he'd ask in two months' time when he went onto another heat period.

"Mama." Braiden cooed, patting his face.

Harry couldn't help but smile as he threw an arm around Braiden and pulled him in close to his side, kissing the top of his head and the wild jet black hair that was silky and shiny. It hadn't been brushed yet today; Draco was sure to notice soon and take over, getting Braiden's hair just perfect.

"Stop with the miserable look Harry, Granddad isn't talking about you." Talia assured him. "Of course he's not; he loves you more than us sometimes! Uncle Alexus' boyfriend walked out on him the other day."

"What?" Max demanded. "Sean just upped and left Uncle Alexus?"

"Yes, Lex has been heartbroken since." Kimberly sighed unhappily. "He's sleeping in his old bedroom, he can't stay in the house he shared with Sean, he says there are too many memories and bad feelings."

"Did he say why Sean left him? They've been together for forty years!" Max snapped, pacing angrily.

Alexander came and sat by Harry, wrapping him in a hug and pressing a kiss to his temple.

"Alexus thinks that Sean left him for another man." Myron answered Max, his own angry scowl on his face.

"I'd never hate you Harry." Alexander whispered to him, ignoring the other conversation. "You're a wonderful, lovely boy and I'm thankful every day that you choose my Maxie for a mate, he really lucked out. But it seems my sons and daughters aren't fairing too well. Myron is having problems with his mate, my Alexus has been left for another man by his life partner and my sweet Lydia is having arguments with her Husband Adam and all of this is overshadowed by my Mother's declining health."

Harry blinked. "You're Mother is still alive?" Harry asked shocked, then realised how it had sounded and clapped a hand over his mouth.

Alexander chuckled and squeezed his shoulder, Braiden happily sat between them looking at them both in turn and gurgling, drooling excessively.

"I'm her youngest son, I have two younger sisters, but my Mother is two hundred and thirty-six, she has been unwell for a while and her health is rapidly declining, I fear she won't last much longer."

"What's your Mother's name?" Harry asked curiously.

"Evelyn." Alexander said softly. "My Father's name was Angelo, he died several years ago. They were both Drackens. Half of my children were named after them both in some way, but unfortunately my little Aya died at just a year old. Twenty-four children and three of them are dead already. Aya died when she went to the hospital with a serious chest infection, she caught Dragon Pox from another patient and there was nothing they could do. My Rosella died next, she was eighteen and always so opinionated, she went out to South America to explore other countries, she never came back alive and my son Benedict was put to death by the Counsel, he was forty-six."

"You're a very strong man and Kimberly is a strong woman, I wouldn't know what I'd do if I lost a child. It was bad enough almost losing Calix and Leolin at birth."

"You'd carry on Harry. It's all you can do when you already have a family depending on you. You work through the pain and the loss, you grieve in private where none of the children can see you fall apart because that's not what they need from you at that moment, they need support and comfort and you can't give into your own desires to break down with them, you have to be strong for them."

Harry smiled. "I hope that if a time comes when I'm in the same situation, I pray that I never am, but if I do, I hope that I can be as strong as you are."

"You'll have endless amounts of support if ever it came to happen, Harry. It's always harder on the younger children, but it was my quintuplets and Myron who were hit the worst, they were younger, Myron more so as he had a sister he never knew, she died two years before he was born and my quintuplets were only eight months old. Kimberly and I never had the option to break down, we had such a large family and they depended solely on us, we're sure that Aya's death directly resulted in Kimberly's ability to conceive, it took a year and a half after Aya's death before she had another heat period and thirteen months of dry heats before she conceived our very last child, our miracle baby Myron. It's been fifty-four years since Kimberly's last heat period and we're sure at this point that she won't have any more, so we'll have to surround ourselves with our grandchildren and great-grandchildren."

Harry smiled as Alexander rested a hand on Braiden's head.

"I'm sorry I won't be giving you any more great-grandchildren just yet." Harry said. "I didn't have a fertile heat."

Alexander nodded. "I knew as soon as you came through the floo this morning. It wasn't long enough for a fertile heat, but that's alright Harry, no matter how long it takes, I'm very happy with the six you've given me so far. They're wonderful children."

Harry beamed at the praise and cuddled Calix and Braiden tightly. He loved his children and knew they were the best babies in the world, but hearing others saying the same made him all warm and prideful inside.

"Look at you, you little peacock." Richard teased, easing himself down by Harry's legs.

Harry grinned. "Of course I am. People are praising my pride and joys."

Richard wiggled one of Calix's legs and kissed the bottom of a tiny foot. "My little Grandchildren are always a source of pride and joy. They're going to rule the world one day."

Harry snorted. "If you teach any of my children any stereotypical 'bad guy' quotes or actions I'll string you up by your ankles."

"Aww, not even sitting in a swivelly chair stroking a butt ugly cat?" Richard pouted.

"You give my children any animal or even put it in their heads, you're dead." Harry threatened.

"I wouldn't. Julinda took in a stray cat when she was four, that beast scrammed hell out of near newborn Alayla, Myron almost killed it before Max rescued it and took it to an animal centre."

"He would have been what, eight?" Harry asked.

Richard nodded. "He was a right humanitarian before he turned sixteen and started killing animals for food."

"He was a vegetarian?" Harry asked, a grin taking over his face.

"Not as such, but he never liked eating much meat, red meats were the hardest to feed him, he could cook and eat a chicken by the time he was fourteen, but mention we were having steak for dinner and he let his Mother take over. That lasted only until he was sixteen, but he truly got into meat cooking at eighteen, no idea what changed his mind."

"Talia pointed out that I'd have a submissive to feed who would want meat in the first phase of their breeding cycle, so I started learning how to cook meat, never intending to like it." Max shrugged. "I always try what I cook to test it and as I ate more of it, I just never stopped eating it and eventually I started to enjoy it. Now you couldn't keep a nice steak away from me."

"I wonder if any of our children will be vegetarian." Harry frowned thoughtfully looking at Braiden.

"It's far too soon to tell love, Braiden's only just being weaned."

"I want to try him on textured foods next, maybe rice puddings and biscuits to teach him to chew."

"I can do the rice pudding, but for the biscuits we might be better off buying rusks or baby biscotti."

Harry nodded and snuggled Braiden. "Would you like that Braiden? Some rice pudding and biscuits to nibble on to help your teething."

Braiden cooed at him and Harry grinned.

"I'm sure that baby understands you." Alexander laughed. "You have a very tight, special bond."

"I hope it'll last longer than his babyhood though, right through his entire life, no matter what."

"I have no doubts that it will."

Max squeezed himself between Harry and Blaise, causing Blaise to growl unhappily as he had to shift right up against the arm of the seat. Harry thanked god that there was space on the settee for four of them, even if it was a tight fit with Braiden sat on the settee himself.

"I'm so tired." Max groaned.

"As long as you got in first." Alexander scowled at his Grandson. "You need to practise getting in there, I need more Great-Grandchildren from my Grandchildren. I swear all of you are so lazy, I had twenty-four children."

"Granddad, I've given you six Great-Grandchildren in a year!" Max gaped.

Alexander huffed. "It's not enough, get on with making babies."

"You have thirty-six Grandchildren Father." Myron reminded as he wandered over. "And twenty-four Great-Grandchildren, you have enough for now."

"I'll never have enough." Alexander waved him away. "Tell Caesar's Wife that I want to see that new bump of hers, has he got her under control yet?"

"He hasn't, but Harry has." Richard laughed. "Caesar wrote to us the other day, her pregnancy is going well. She's just starting to get morning sickness; I don't envy her getting it this early on, she's only a month gone."

"And how is Eleonora?"

"Fine, she's eight months old now and apparently she's started bouncing around the floor."

Draco scoffed. "Braiden's been doing that for the past month." He boasted.

"He's also a Dracken and Nora isn't." Nasta reminded him. "He'll be crawling before her, I can guarantee it."

Harry slid to the floor, using Richard as a crash mat, pulling Braiden with him and handing a still sleeping Calix to Alexander.

He set Braiden on his hands and knees and tapped his bottom; Braiden started giggling immediately and bounced on his hands.

"It's so cute when he does that!" Alayla cooed.

"He wants to crawl." Harry insisted. "You want to crawl Braiden."

But his baby still didn't want to move; he went as far as to sit back on his feet and happily looked around him curiously.

"He's a very curious boy." Kimberly praised happily. "He wanted to know what was in every single cupboard the fifth morning he was here as I was making him his baby porridge. He'll be a very bright boy."

Harry couldn't help it as he swelled again at the praise, unable to keep the grin off of his face. Nasta chuckled at him and Harry grinned wider.

"I can't help it!" He insisted as Richard started teasing him. "My Dracken is very close to the forefront and I'm very happy to have people praising my children."

Draco yawned and Blaise followed his lead. Harry couldn't have stopped the long, lingering yawn that almost unhinged his jaw if he had wanted to.

"I think it's home and to bed for you three." Nasta said sternly. "A small nap won't kill you."

Harry nodded and the five of them said goodbye to the Maddison family and bundled up their children and their things and headed home.

Blaise went to curl up on the settee, Draco dropped where he stood, onto the rug in front of the fire and Harry checked all of his babies were alright before kissing Nasta and Max, who were on baby duty and heading into the bedroom, he startled and almost screamed when he shut the door and turned around to find someone sitting on the purple settee. Though he quickly and thankfully recognised the familiar face of Amelle and Eleonora, who was on her lap with a stuffed toy.

"Amelle? Why are you here, is everything alright?" Harry asked as he pressed a hand to his rapidly beating chest.

"Are your mates here?" She asked softly.

Harry nodded. "Blaise and Draco are taking a nap and Max and Nasta are on baby duty." He said as he sat down beside her and took the beautiful baby girl from her and giving her chubby cheek a soft kiss, holding her gently.

"I…I needed someone to talk to. Caesar has been driving me mad, he was bad with Eleonora, but he's so much worse since I've been…"

"Less of a bitch?" Harry questioned with a grin after the pause stretched on.

Amelle gave him a wan smile. "Yes. I'm only a month pregnant Harry and he won't even let me get out of bed by myself, I just needed to get away, I'm still at odds with his family, my family will be the first place he looks and you were the only other person I could think to come to."

"So you haven't told him where you've gone?"

Amelle shook her head. "He wouldn't have let me come, especially not through the floo and not by myself."

Harry nodded. "That's understandable."

"So you won't tell?"

Harry shook his head. "Of course not. If you want to hide out here until he hunts you down that's fine."

Amelle gave him a bashful smile, her hands playing restlessly in her lap.

"Hold on, I'll go get us a cup of tea."

"How can you get two without them knowing I'm here?"

"Please." Harry grinned. "Watch the master."

Harry handed Eleonora back to Amelle and went back out into the living room, leaving the door open a crack.

"Harry, I thought you were going to sleep? Are you okay, can't you sleep?" Max asked softly, careful not to wake Blaise or Draco.

"I'm fine; I want a cup of tea though." Harry replied. "I'm so wound up from seeing the kids that I can't sleep, so I want some relaxing tea."

Harry went into the kitchenette and filled the kettle, setting it to boil.

"I can make it for you if you want." Max offered.

"That's alright. I won't take long." Harry gave a fake yawn.

He poured two cups of tea and got a plate of biscuits before heading back into the bedroom.

"Why do you need two cups?" Nasta asked with an indulgent smile and a raised eyebrow, like Harry had done something particularly quirky or cute.

"In case I need another one after I finish the first one and still can't sleep." Harry replied as if it was obvious. "I don't want to get back into bed, all warm and cosy, only to have to get back out again for another cup of tea."

Max snorted. "Alright, but if you get biscuit crumbs in that bed I'll kill you, I absolutely hate crumbs between the sheets."

"I'll be careful." Harry said as he slipped into the bedroom and kicked the door closed. He gave Amelle a grin and she had a grudgingly impressed look on her face.

Harry set up a wandless silencing charm and handed Amelle a cup of tea and offered her the biscuits, which she nibbled on.

"That was impressive." She mumbled.

"You just have to know how to play them Amelle. Surely Caesar has to work sometimes?"

She nodded. "Yes but he comes and checks in on me every hour. It really is becoming too much now. I have about six more months of this, I can't take even another week of his behaviour Harry, I had to get away, just for a while."

"If I wasn't in school still I'd offer a weekend holiday away, submissives only." Harry grinned. "Though I don't think even I could get away with that." He murmured ruefully

"You just had a heat period didn't you?" Amelle asked curiously.

Harry scowled. "Unfertile. It lasted six days."

"I've heard that sometimes happens with the very fertile submissives, if they have a large clutch so close together, their next heat is usually unfertile, I'll guarantee your next heat will be fertile, how long are your cycles?"

"Bimonthly." Harry frowned distastefully.

"Really? Wow, we'll be pregnant together again." She grinned.

Harry chuckled. "Yeah, and once again you'll give birth before me."

"I might not if you have another five."

Harry's face fell. "Don't even go there. I couldn't have another five that was the worst I have ever been and almost losing two of them because of how under developed they were, I wouldn't wish that on anyone."

"I'm sorry; I didn't mean to bring it up."

Harry nodded. "That's alright, I know you didn't, but it's still a very sensitive subject and with my Dracken being so close to the surface."

"You're right, I shouldn't have brought it up, but did you hear about Alexus and Sean?"

Harry nodded, letting the subject be changed happily. "I don't think I met Alexus personally, though I know he and Sean were at Alexander's birthday last year, it's terrible, forty years they've been together."

"That's not all though, Lydia's having trouble even though she's pregnant, Myron and Richard are having trouble with Ashleigh, I told you she was strange."

Harry smiled sadly. "I wanted so badly to believe the best of her."

"Some people just don't deserve that Harry; some people don't deserve people to believe in them because they don't believe in themselves."

Harry bit his lip. "I feel so stupid Amelle. I trusted her, I fought for her when you kept Nora from her and this is how she treats me after everything?"

"What did she do Harry? I don't think Caesar knows it all, but he is upset."

"There have been little comments that made my Dracken peek up…"

"I know what you mean." Amelle cut in. "It started when I was pregnant, she was just so interested in the pregnancy, but it was easier on me because I live outside of Britain, it's harder to get an international Portkey or floo access for such a long distance, but whenever I saw her, she was always more interested in the pregnancy than in me personally. I thought it was because Nora would be her first grandchild, but it still put me on edge."

Harry nodded. "Both of my pregnancies she was like it, but when I mentioned the selective reduction, it was then when I started perking up. She was more concerned with me terminating a child than she was if I lived or not afterwards, but it was when she actually forgot about…well you know what my childhood was like don't you?"

Amelle nodded. "Caesar told me little parts, but I don't know the full extent, but she forgot about that? That's not something you ever forget about a person."

"It was then that a year's worth of hints and clues and suppressed instincts worked together and I saw the bigger picture, she didn't actually see me as a person, but as a way to give her babies. I felt sick and I feel a fool to have ignored my instincts when they were right all along."

"Those instincts are there for a reason Harry." Amelle told him softly.

"I know, but those same instincts told me to keep my children away from Remus too, but I know he would never, ever hurt them."

"Are you sure about that? Can you say with any certainty that an accident won't happen and he'll hurt one of them?"

Harry shook his head. "He wouldn't Amelle. He's a lovely man."

"Lovely men have accidents Harry."

"I know, but if that was the case then I wouldn't let anyone near them, you can't go through life isolating them away from everyone. It just doesn't work like that; sometimes you just have to take a chance."

"But what if they get hurt?" Amelle asked in a small voice.

"Then you pick them up, dust them off and set them back on their feet, it's all we can do. They need to get a few colds and infections, a few bumped heads and scraped knees Amelle; don't you remember your first scraped knee?"

Amelle thought long and hard, her mouth puckering and a little wrinkle appearing between her eyebrows. "The earliest I remember was when I was five, it wasn't a scraped knee, but I was at a play park just around the corner from my house, it was a regular family outing. My Mother and Father would sit on a bench while I and my brothers would run wild. I was on the monkey bars and my hand slipped, I landed on my bottom, but I banged my elbow hard and had a graze and a small cut, my Mother tried smothering me, talking about diseases and infections, my Dad just licked the cut and graze to close them up, turned me around and told me to get back on the monkey bars. The pain was gone before the tears had even dried on my cheeks."

Amelle smiled at the memory and Harry smiled too, slightly sadly that he didn't have any normal incidents like that, he had never been taken to the play park and his first injury that he could remember was a slapped hand and he couldn't have been any older than three.

"You need to remember that memory Amelle, remember how your Mother's actions made you feel compared to your Father's, think of Eleonora in your place, having fun in that park on those monkey bars, she needs that fun Amelle, she needs to interact with other people, other children, she needs to scrape her knees a few times and every bug or cold she gets will only strengthen her immune system. She's going to be fine and your new baby will be just as fine."

"I still hope I have a little girl."

"You need another little girl." Harry teased lightly. "There are too many men and boys in this family, it doesn't need us adding to it."

Amelle chuckled. "That's true enough. I have been getting better you know. I was even looking for a small job, just a few hours a week, but time to give Caesar time with Nora alone, without me hanging over them, but then I got pregnant and he said there was no way I was leaving the house."

"You shouldn't put up with that; I say get a job regardless, if he doesn't like it then tough. He can't control you like this, just like you can't control him, you've been doing better, he should reward that with space, trust and privacy, not treat you like a prisoner. That's not right and it's not fair."

"I knew you would understand." Amelle smiled widely. "I don't want to be far away from Eleonora, but there was a nice little café in the town, I would serve a few people, wipe down some tables and then go back home again. A little space and time outside of the house, it would have been fine."

"You shouldn't stand for it, I completely agree, if you need help wrangling him, I'll happily do it, I'm not pregnant and I have two months to get him into touch before the next heat period."

Amelle giggled. "You can't wrestle Caesar, he's a dominant."

"I used to wrestle with Blaise all the time when it was just the two of us." Harry said fondly. "It stopped as soon as I was pregnant, then I got pregnant again right after and I guess we're too busy to do it now."

"You should do it if it makes you both happy; he doesn't need to be the one to initiate it, does he?"

Harry grinned. "I guess not." He laughed happily before they both heard Draco yelling and the unmistakable sound of Caesar's voice shouting, before Myron's voice joined in.

"Oh well, it was only a matter of time and I couldn't hide forever." Amelle smiled. "I liked our talk though Harry, we should do it more often."

Harry nodded and stood up and strode out into the living room.

"What is all this noise, why are you shouting around my babies?" Harry demanded sternly, picking Farren up and cuddling him.

"Amelle and Nora have gone missing; I need Max to help me find her." Caesar said, speaking far too fast, panicked.

Harry rolled his eyes. "You worry too much."

"Harry, Amelle going missing is very serious, especially with Nora too." Max told him. "Where was she last?"

"At home, I went to work and I checked in on her and she wasn't there, I've been everywhere and I can't find her, I need your help, please."

"Was there any sign of a struggle?" Nasta asked.

"Well…no, but…"

"Then how do you know she didn't just go to the shops or the park or to a library?" Nasta asked with a frown.

"I told her to stay in!"

"Wait, you told her to stay in?" Max asked. "Why would you do that, that's not taking care of her, is she unwell?"

"No, but she's pregnant…"

"That's no excuse." Draco glared holding his chest and stomach area, Harry deduced that Caesar had landed on him when he had flooed in, he made a note to massage Draco's front for him later.

"If I wanted to go anywhere when pregnant I would." Harry said. "Besides you don't need to go all psycho or anything, Amelle's here and I assure you she has Eleonora with her."

"She's here?" Max and Caesar said together and Harry couldn't help but smile at them.

Amelle stepped out of the bedroom and even though she was inch taller than him, she still stood behind him when Caesar rushed to her and Harry shoved him backwards.

"There are going to be some ground rules Caesar, you can't treat Amelle like a prisoner, no matter your reasoning's or motivations, it's not right." Harry said sternly. "She's pregnant, so what, it's not like she's ill or dying or disabled, she's fine and she'll still be fine if you leave her alone for longer than an hour."

"Why didn't you tell me Amelle?" Caesar asked.

"You weren't listening Caesar. I'm a month pregnant; I don't want to know what you're going to be like in six months' time. I can't take this anymore, your behaviour is stifling me, so I'm putting my foot down. It stops today, I will be taking that café job and you are going to give me the space that I've earned, I don't want to move back in with my parents, but I will if you carry on."

Caesar looked shell shocked and Myron clipped him behind the ear, muttering about his stupid children before excusing himself and flooing away, saying that he didn't want to be involved, but that if he heard another word about Caesar treating Amelle as he had then he'd go over his knee.

"I…I promise, just, let's go home okay. I've been out of my mind with worry."

"Just calm down Caesar." Max coached his baby brother, wrapping an arm around him. "She's your mate and your Wife, the Mother to your children, she deserves respect just for putting up with you, fuck knows no one else would."

Caesar gave a wry smile and Harry hugged Amelle and Eleonora hard. "Don't be strangers alright, you can come any time."

Max kissed Nora and then much to her surprise, he kissed Amelle's cheek.

"Harry's right, every time you go home it's like you've dropped off the planet but for a few owls, don't be strangers to family." He told her, chucking Nora under the chin to hear her gurgled giggles.

They said their goodbyes before heading to Alexander's to say goodbye to him, apparently Caesar had panicked him too.

Harry sat on the settee with Farren and sighed, his tiredness from before hitting him like a ten ton weight.

"Are you ready to actually go to bed now or are you hiding any more fugitives in your bedroom?" Nasta teased him with a smirk.

Harry snorted. "She just wanted to talk and get away from Caesar for a little while, I was hardly going to deny her the chance to offload the heavy weight on her chest. She wanted someone to tell her that it was alright for her to have a job and that it wasn't alright for Caesar to lock her up and check on her every hour like a prison guard."

"I'll have words with him about that." Max shook his head, coming to hug Harry and give him a sweet kiss. "The only reason I would lock you up and I mean the only reason, would be to have my wicked way with you in the bedroom. I'd keep you as a pleasure slave, you'll be unable to leave my bed, you'll be supplied with absolutely everything you needed and I would have my fill of your luscious body every night when I got home from work."

"What fantasy land are you living in?" Blaise snorted. "You have four of us to live with."

"You'd be right on the bed next to Harry." Max leered. "And so would Draco, Nasta would have to be locked in a dungeon."

"You can't lock Nasta in a dungeon just to have unlimited sex with me, Draco and Blaise." Harry grinned.

"Why not?"

"You just can't. Besides Draco and Blaise would have something to say about being kept as your pleasure slaves."

"Damn right I will." Draco grumbled. "I am no one's pleasure slave."

"Oh please Draco; it's only a mental fantasy."

"Not even then." Draco replied snobbily. Harry chuckled.

"Hold on, does that mean you wouldn't mind being my pleasure slave?" Max asked, realising what he had said.

Harry winked. "Give me unlimited access to my babies and you can have all the fantasy slave sex that you want, but I want to be fed, by hand."

Nasta chuckled and ruffled his hair. "I think it would be the other way around. We'll be Harry's pleasure slaves, at his beck and call twenty-four hours a day, feeding and bathing him, being roped into sex whenever he pleases."

"As if you'd begrudge me sex." Harry laughed. "Roped into it my arse. You'd love every minute."

Nasta grinned and nodded. "No doubt I would, but I refuse to wear a thong."

"I wouldn't dream of making you wear a thong, you'll wear nothing when around me and a sheer robe when not around me."

All of them laughed and Draco shook his head. "This is insane; we're talking about enslaving one another."

"It's alright, it's only fantasy Draco, there is nothing wrong with fantasising about it as long as you don't actually do it, I wouldn't really dream of enslaving you all, though when I've given you all a billion babies and my tight, firm body is completely and utterly ruined, saggy and scar ridden, I want a special fantasy recreated on my birthday."

Blaise smiled and bent to kiss him. "I'm sure we could manage that." He whispered against his mouth.

Harry smiled and hugged Blaise one armed, but Farren was getting fussy, even though it wasn't time for a feed.

"I wonder if he's been thrown out of sorts by the week away from us."

"He's just a growing boy, he needs more food."

"I'm dreading when he's weaned; I can see his food ending up halfway across his face."

"That's my boy!" Max replied proudly and Harry shook his head, even with the smile on his lips.

"Do me a favour and go and pick a few things up for me from your place, I left them there thinking we wouldn't want or need them, but now we do."

"Alright, what do you need?"

Harry wrote down a little list on a piece of scrap parchment and Max went to floo to his house after kissing them all goodbye, Harry felt so lucky to have so many mates who loved him so much and unconditionally. It was just as well, because he loved them all just as much and just as unconditionally, he couldn't see himself without any of them anymore, no matter what he had thought or believed in the very beginning, he had quickly changed his mind and he was so very, very happy with his choices and he would not ever change a single mate, no matter what they did or what they said, because to change them would be to change himself and the dynamics of his forged family and his children. He couldn't imagine life without all six of his children, again no matter what he had thought in the beginning.

He could not give up any of them now and if he had had to have a selective reduction he would not be able to name which children he would have preferred to be 'taken', he shivered and cuddled Farren tighter, just the thought that he might not have the baby in his arms to hold made him feel sick, but it was worse if he allowed himself to linger on what had gone on in that bedroom, when he almost never had Calix and Leolin to lose in the first place. He felt cold.

Blaise wrapped an arm around him and pressed a kiss to the corner of his mouth.

"You're shivering Prezioso, are you well?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine, just thinking."

"If those thoughts make you shiver so, then cast them away Bello." Blaise encouraged and Harry smiled, wishing that it was that simple to forget that two of his children hadn't been breathing at birth.

* * *

A/N: Sorry about the rather rubbish heat scene, but it's all I could get out at this time and knowing I have to write another one in a couple of chapters is making me dread when it comes up, though I hope you've enjoyed the rest of the chapter.

Chapter 6 of Damaged Bodies should be out next, but I'm not sure when, but I'll see what I can do before work tomorrow.

Absolutely massive thanks to **IceNecromancer** who was the **9,000****th**** reviewer** for this story. We actually made 9,000 reviews and I'm so happy about it, thank you to all of you who have reviewed for helping me reach this massive milestone.

**KatieMalfoy18**: I know, but do you really see Nasta letting Harry have a sauce made with wine when pregnant even if he knows logically that the alcohol has burnt off?

**aramistw**: It depends which grandparents you mean, Marianna's parents still see and speak to Blaise, Maximiliano's do not. So yes, it's entirely possible that Blaise's maternal grandparents will appear in the fic, but there is no chance of his paternal grandparents making an appearance.

**Dvfan28**: You have obviously missed the point completely, every single interaction with Ashleigh was over the babies, she has not done anything for Harry as a person without it being connected to a baby or a pregnancy. Her forgetting about his childhood was the last straw, it was the catalyst to Harry figuring everything out and cluing him in to her past actions, though it was her reaction to the selective reduction that started opening his eyes to her behaviour. He's not going to stand for it and neither are his mates, no matter what strife or pain it causes because it's all on her, not on Harry. It's her fault this is happening, her fault that the family is falling apart, not Harry's. She only has herself to blame.

**XxXBloodyAngelSakuraXxX: **Because they're still females, even if they are dominants. They give birth like every other female in the world. Female dominants are mutations and male submissives are mutations, which means they take something they shouldn't have and have become something they were never meant to be. Male submissives took the ability to conceive, even though they're not female and female dominants took the aggressiveness and instinct irrationality of the male dominants. Make sense?

**Common Muggle**: Poachers are a maybe, but they are not going to affect Harry directly. Voldemort hasn't been brought in because he's dead; Harry killed him in his fifth year, as mentioned in chapter 18.

**Wyldehorse**: It's impossible, all of them slip into a feral, primitive state of mind, all they can think about is mating one another, they don't have the mental capabilities of knowing or understanding much of anything and if they get thoughts during the heat, they often forget them very soon after.

**kit**: Harry put up very extensive wards, but you wouldn't be able to smell the baby's scent outside of a door anyway, you have to be right near the baby in order to smell them, especially over the heavy scent of blood that would have been in the room.

I hope you have all enjoyed this chapter! I'm sorry if I've missed out your question, my inbox is messing me about. I'll be seeing you all soon, but the next update will be either Lycanthrope Factory or Damaged Bodies.

StarLight Massacre. x


	70. April

_Last Time_

_He could not give up any of them now and if he had had to have a selective reduction he would not be able to name which children he would have preferred to be 'taken', he shivered and cuddled Farren tighter, just the thought that he might not have the baby in his arms to hold made him feel sick, but it was worse if he allowed himself to linger on what had gone on in that bedroom, when he almost never had Calix and Leolin to lose in the first place. He felt cold._

_Blaise wrapped an arm around him and pressed a kiss to the corner of his mouth._

"_You're shivering Prezioso, are you well?"_

_Harry nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine, just thinking."_

"_If those thoughts make you shiver so, then cast them away Bello." Blaise encouraged and Harry smiled, wishing that it was that simple to forget that two of his children hadn't been breathing at birth._

Chapter Seventy – April

April arrived and Harry snorted at every childish attempt to catch him out with an April Fool's joke. All day he had had students come up to him telling him shit to get him to react, but he couldn't even laugh at them, because exempting his friends and a few others, all everyone seemed to be focusing on was telling him that Voldemort was back from the dead, one or all of his lovers had left him, one of his children was in the hospital or that they had seen one of his lovers kissing someone else.

By the time the last bell rang at five, Harry was so very glad that the day was over, as he rushed out of Defence Against the Dark Arts and legged it all the way back to his rooms. He made it back first, even though Draco had had Charms and was closer, though Blaise had had Transfiguration, so he should have been the last back.

He tapped the portrait door and shut it closed, sighing in relief as he went and hid himself in Max's side.

"What happened?" Nasta asked, bending over the settee and pulling him out of Max's side.

Harry sighed. "I can't believe how immature the brats of this school are."

"April Fools?" Max queried.

Harry nodded. "If I hear that again today I'm going to blow a hole through a wall. Hey Harry, I just saw your biggest lover kissing a Hufflepuff! Hey Potter, one of your children is in hospital. Draco's doing this with another Slytherin; Blaise is in the boys' bathroom with a sixth year Ravenclaw."

Nasta kissed him to stem his words. "Ignore them love, you know we'd never do anything like that to you, to each other or to our family and if anything had happened to the children, you would have been the first person to know, one of us would have come to get you or sent a message with a teacher."

Harry nodded. "I know, but it's been constant, all day! I can't wait until I graduate and I never have to see any of those bastards again."

Max grinned and pulled his chin into a kiss before moving to make some tea. Harry turned to grin at Braiden, who was sat in a baby walker in the middle of the room, the seat raised up high enough so that his feet didn't touch the floor, but his son seemed very happy to be sat up on his own where he could see the whole room and everyone in it.

"Are you enjoying yourself love?" He questioned hunching down in front of the walker, bouncing Braiden's little hands on the tray, where a dummy lay forgotten and Braiden's favourite teething ring was resting.

"He's loved that walker, I'm so glad you asked me to go and get it." Max answered. "We've had fun all day, I've been pushing him around in it, he loves it."

Harry grinned and pushed Braiden back before pulling him forward again. Braiden actually threw his arms up and screeched and giggled hysterically.

Harry couldn't help but chuckle at him as he did it again. Max slipped down onto the floor and pushed Harry aside.

"You're not doing it properly." Max told him, gripping the walker before pushing Braiden far faster than Harry would have dared and he was shocked, but he breathed deeply and clenched his fists to control his instincts to attack Max, listening instead as Braiden shrieked in happiness, just laughing and laughing as he was zoomed around the room.

Nasta shook his head and handed Harry a mug of tea, pulling him to sit on the settee.

"It's alright love. It looks dangerous and I had words with Max when he first did it, but Braiden adores it and I've checked and he's not being hurt and Max isn't really going that fast after you watch them for a while and Max makes sure not to take any fast or sharp turns."

"Of course I don't, I love this boy, I would never want to hurt him." Max said as he shuffled past them on his knees making car noises, Braiden screaming in joy.

Blaise and Draco came in together and stopped short, just watching as Max pushed and pulled Braiden around the room.

"What are you doing?" Draco asked at the same time Blaise hissed and unsheathed his claws.

Nasta leapt to intercept him and held him on his lap, on the floor and took a fistful of his hair, biting the back of his neck calmingly.

It was the first time Harry had gotten to see another mate calmed down in that way and it made him smile. He knew the same sensation of liquid relief that made Blaise go boneless in Nasta's arms before he was hauled up and sat on the settee next to him as Max carried on his game with Braiden.

"Listen to his happiness." Nasta whispered to Blaise. "Actually see him. It's not too fast or sharp, he's fine, he loves it."

"Where are the quintuplets?" Harry asked after a quick look showed all the bassinets empty.

"Napping in the bedroom, Max's game was too loud and Braiden's screeches kept waking them up and they were getting grumpy."

Harry went into the bedroom with Draco, who went to the bathroom to shower and change out of his uniform. Harry checked on his children and smiled at their peacefully sleeping faces. He could stare at them all day if he chose to, unfortunately having four mates, an older, more active child and school work to do, it was nearly impossible to catch moments like this where there was next to nothing for him to do and he could indulge himself and watch them sleep for a few minutes.

Damp arms circled him and he leant back onto Draco.

"That was a very quick shower for you." Harry murmured, soaking in Draco's quiet presence.

"Hmm…I knew you were out here and that we'd be alone for a few minutes."

Harry chuckled and turned to face Draco, looking up into his face and admiring the splay of muscles under his hands. Draco still had the most defined chest of all his mates and he loved running his fingers, and his tongue, into the sharp dips and curves of his solid muscles.

Every single one of his mates had very different bodies, but the one thing they had in common was that they weren't very hairy, Blaise was the hairiest and he had only a controlled patch on his chest, no matter how much he thought that Nasta might be the hairiest because of his stubble problem, he had next to no hair on his chest or back. Draco was the smoothest, his very fine, white blond hairs were barely visible on his arms and legs, let alone anywhere else, but he was still the only man he knew who styled his pubic hair.

"I can't wait for this school year to be over and I can stop worrying so much." Harry sighed.

"Two months love, just two months, keep thinking about that. We have exams at the end of next month and then we don't have anything to do or worry about until our graduation and it'll be so worth it when we graduate with honours."

Harry chuckled and kissed Draco's pectoral. "I love you Draco."

"I love you too, but it's going to be worth it just to prove everyone who were so sure we would fail wrong. I want to rub their faces in it until they don't have noses left, but I doubt Nasta would let me."

"I'm sure he'd turn a blind eye to that love. He's been turning a lot of blind eyes to us lately."

"He's getting more accepting of us and our habits, I mean, who would have thought he'd willingly offer Blaise coffee? I was as stunned as Blaise."

Harry laughed. "I know, but we're all really still new to this, we've been together for a little over a year. That's not really a long time to get to know one another, especially when most of our time is taken up by our six children."

"We have a long time to get to know the stupid stuff like favourite colours, we have the important stuff down already, like favourite foods, birthdays, family, we've focused on what's important, everything else can come later, but just for you to know, my favourite colour is teal."

Harry grinned. "I don't think I have a favourite colour, but the colour of my children's eyes comes very close. I hate admitting favouritism, but Braiden's eyes and Leolin's are stunning."

"There's nothing wrong with admitting you like their eye colour." Draco told him with a snort of amusement. "It's not like you're admitting that you love them more."

"I guess not, but still, it feels wrong to me to even admit favouring their eyes over their siblings."

Draco kissed him and Harry sunk into that kiss, wrapping his arms around Draco's shoulders.

"I was wondering where you two had gone too." Nasta's voice cut through their kiss. "It's about time for a feed; the little ones will be hungry."

Harry looked over the bassinet and sighed as he found Calix awake and looking at him steadily through jet black eyes.

"I swear this one needs bells or a beeper." He said as he picked Calix up gently. "You do don't you?"

Harry dug a single finger into Calix's belly and wiggled it, eliciting joyous laughter from his three month old son.

"Come on my little gummy baby, let's get you a bottle." He said as he moved them into the living room.

"Are you calling him names after you yelled at me for doing the same?" Max demanded.

"You wouldn't stop calling him a fruit! That's offensive."

"And calling him gummy isn't?"

"He is gummy."

"He might be a fruit."

"I am not having this argument with you!" Harry said simply as he boiled the kettle to make up six bottles.

"Are we going to the Dracken meeting this year, it'll interrupt revision." Blaise said worried as he looked at something which Harry believed must have been the invitation to the meeting, it must have come after they had left that morning.

"It'll only be one night." Harry soothed as he made up the bottles and waited for them to cool down. "One night isn't going to do much, we could even go later and come back earlier if you'd like, or you don't have to go at all."

"My Mother would curse me if I don't show my face." Blaise sighed. "But I want to revise."

"You and Draco have been revising for a month."

"I have another month's worth of revision to get through."

"If you're not prepared enough to miss one night, then you should have started earlier." Draco cut in carrying Leolin and Regan.

Blaise glared at him.

"Calm it down." Nasta coached them, coming out with Tegan and Farren.

Nasta put Farren down on the settee and he just lounged there, slightly reclined onto the cushion, calm and cool as you please and it made Harry chuckle. Farren was now getting rounder and he looked like a chubby ball. He loved his food and Harry was sure that he'd be on Braiden's weaning food soon enough, he just wasn't getting enough from the milk, he was up to six and a half ounces of milk and still he pouted his mouth for more.

Harry tested each bottle and then passed them out when their temperatures were safe; they were a bit warm, but it wasn't hot enough to be uncomfortable or blister their mouths.

He stroked Calix's cheek with the bottle teat and his head immediately moved to get it into his mouth and he suckled strongly.

"Someone get Farren, he won't like being left out of a feed." Harry said as he fed Calix.

Max hauled himself up on the settee with Farren from the floor. "How are you my son?!" He said with a wide grin. "You are definitely my son."

Harry snorted. "Oh he's yours alright." Harry winked.

Max frowned and looked at Farren consideringly. "Well he does look like me and he does have a body build like mine…"

"Don't forget he eats like you." Blaise chuckled.

"That wasn't what I meant." Harry gave a secret smile. "Farren's our second Dracken baby."

There was silence as Harry grinned, finishing feeding Calix.

"You're serious, you're not joking?" Max asked.

"Very serious, Farren's our Dracken baby from the quintuplets, Calix, Regan and Tegan all smelt funny though, sort of tingly, bitter, like a thunder storm or an electrical storm."

"Magic, they're magical love. We have two Dracken's, a Faerie, two wizards and a little witch."

Harry grinned as his lovers celebrated as they burped the babies and put them down on the rug for tummy time and Harry hugged them all as Max wouldn't stop his boasting.

"I have to go tell my Dads, can I go and tell them please? I want to rub Caesar's face in this!"

Harry laughed. "Go ahead love, tell them all. I decided this morning that I was going to tell you, but I forgot with my bad mood over the stupid children of this school!"

"You got that too did you? I'd hoped they left you alone." Draco snorted. "I almost punched the face in of that stupid second year. Little runt that he was, who does he think he is, does he not know who I am?"

Harry shook his head. "Same old Draco. Please try not to threaten anyone with your Dad okay; I'd like to keep on his good side, your Mother invited me to afternoon tea and she said that Lucius would be there."

"When is this, I haven't had an owl." Draco frowned.

"It was addressed to me only, so I think only I'm invited."

"Why wouldn't they invite me?"

"Why are you arguing, you hate afternoon tea."

"That's not the point! I'm their son, they should have invited me! I would have gone if they'd only asked."

"Wonderful! They did invite you, but I knew you'd back out, now you have no reason to." Harry grinned.

Draco's face fell and he tried to do just that by going back on what he said and by saying Harry tricked him so it didn't count.

"No, you've said you'll go now, didn't he Nas?" Harry grinned turning to Nasta, who raised an amused eyebrow.

"That certainly seemed to be what he said, yes. I'm afraid you'll just have to go Draco."

Max near enough cackled at Draco as he finished 'praising' Farren for being a Dracken.

"You do know that it wasn't his choice to be a Dracken, don't you?" Blaise asked.

"You're just jealous." Max teased.

"Why would I be? My son is a Dracken also and he was the first born."

"There's a trend there, the first born baby so far has always been a Dracken." Draco pointed out.

"I'm very sure that has nothing to do with it." Nasta pointed out.

"Plus two clutches, one of which was a certain singleton birth, that's not conclusive." Harry added.

"You're just upset that none of your babies were Drackens."

"I have a Faerie and none of you can ever have one of those, hell I'm surprised to have a Faerie for a son. I'm content with that and I'm happy that Farren is a Dracken, he's as much my son as yours and I'm proud of him and Braiden, just like I'm proud of Leolin for being a Faerie, Calix and Regan for being wizards and Tegan for being a witch, as you should too."

"Well of course I am, but still, he's a little Dracken."

"Go and tell your family." Nasta sighed exasperatedly.

Max chuckled and left them to go and tell his Dads the good news. Harry just shook his head and got onto the floor with his children.

"We have to get the cots assembled soon; they'll all be rolling, though I want Leolin beside me for longer, he stays in his bassinet. Braiden was three months when he started rolling."

Nasta nodded. "I'll get on it after dinner." He said. "I'm sure they're in the nursery."

"They are." Blaise nodded. "I helped Max put them in there when they got in the way."

Braiden made a small noise and Harry turned to him, feeling aghast as he realised no one had fed Braiden. He was still in his walker and looked close to tears.

He pulled him out slowly, watching his legs on the tray, no matter how much he wanted to just rip him out and cradle him, Braiden's safety was more important than anything else.

"Who has his bottle?" Harry demanded as he rubbed Braiden's back and bounced him lightly.

Blaise pulled a face, scooted forward and picked up a full bottle from where Max had been sat.

"I think telling him that his son was a Dracken distracted him." Blaise said as he handed the bottle over and Harry offered it to Braiden, who latched on and suckled.

"I'll be tearing him a new one when he gets back." Harry hissed as he cuddled Braiden and let him suckle.

No one tried to get him to think differently, they just watched him feeding Braiden before burping him and going to get him a rusk to nibble on as a treat. It brought the smile back to his little face and he bounced in Harry's arms with his rusk.

"He's adorable." Harry grinned in pride. He had never been a prideful person until he'd had children.

"They all are." Draco agreed, coming to kiss him and kiss Braiden's cheek, grimacing slightly as his lips hit some drool and a patch of rusk mush.

"Harry!" Blaise called out sharply.

Harry looked to him, then to where he was staring to see Regan reaching for one of Braiden's toys, he stretched as far as he could and when he couldn't reach it, he pulled back into himself before pushing himself forward to get closer. He didn't exactly crawl, he was more wiggling to move, but he was moving and when he reached out again, his fingers caught the toy and he was able to drag it closer to himself and into his mouth.

Harry was just stunned, he didn't think he could move or say anything as he watched Regan suck on the toy he had worked to get.

"Dear Merlin." Draco whispered.

"He…I don't know what that was but he moved!" Harry said excitedly.

Harry sat on the floor and pulled Regan into his lap with Braiden and kissed his head of black hair.

"Two achievements in one day, we found out Farren was a Dracken and Regan is mobile."

"It's a good idea to get the cots out and put together then." Harry told them. "If he can move forward, he can move sideways."

"He's moving before Braiden, Braiden rolls sideways, but he hasn't gone forward yet." Blaise said.

"He will when he's ready." Harry smiled kissing Braiden's black hair. "There's no rush, the sooner he's mobile, the sooner he'll start getting lost and hurt. I'm not looking forward to the first time he bumps his head."

"I don't think any of us are, but you know he needs to get a few bumped heads and grazed knees, don't you?"

Harry nodded. "Yes, I know." He answered slowly. "I'm not going to like it though."

"Do you want tea Harry?" Draco asked.

Harry looked over his shoulder consideringly. "Yeah, go on then."

Harry got Braiden and Regan sitting up, he made sure to support Regan, because he wasn't yet used to sitting up for too long and let them move as they saw fit, keeping his arm tensed around Regan, just in case, you could never be too careful.

Max came home grumpy and Harry sighed. How could he shout at him now for forgetting Braiden's bottle when he was already looking miserable?

"What happened?" Nasta asked.

"She demanded she came to see Farren, _demanded_ it from me!" Max hissed. "Like it was her fucking right to see him now because he was a Dracken, she didn't even ask after Calix once she heard he wasn't a Dracken. I don't know what's gotten into her lately, but Dad's taking her to a mind specialist. It'll have to be done in secret, he's a Dracken too and specialises in Dracken cases, but there are rumours that the poachers are watching his house."

"That's too dangerous." Nasta cut in furiously. "They could put us all in danger!"

"It's only a rumour and Dad thinks it's because he wouldn't mate with that one submissive in Gothenburg. Her Father didn't like it as he had all these plans for his daughter being with the high earning Healer."

"Can we take that risk?" Harry asked, looking at his children and remembering the story of what happened to babies poachers thought were Drackens. He held Regan and Braiden tighter.

"Dad's going to use Polyjuice potion for it, he doesn't want to hurt the family any more than anyone else, he knows we can't be too careful, I promise I won't let them do anything to hurt us or the kids, but we have to try."

Harry nodded. "He's right, I don't like it, but as long as they can promise to be as safe as possible, we have to try and see what happens, to see what triggered her to act like this and be this way and to find out if her therapy before went deep enough to get rid of it, or if it only buried the hurt for a few years before slowly building back up."

They all took a moment to silently reflect on that before a little giggle broke through them and Harry chuckled and kissed Braiden's head as he bounced where he was sat.

"You missed Regan being mobile for the first time." Harry broke to Max gently.

"You mean Braiden?" Max said with a frown.

Harry shook his head. "Regan was on his tummy and he wanted a toy, so he sort of wiggled his way closer until he could reach out and grab it."

"He's three months old; Braiden is almost eight months old and can't do it yet."

"I don't think it's because he can't do it, I think it's because he doesn't want to just yet. He likes being on his stomach and on his hands and knees, he just doesn't want to crawl or move, Regan really wanted that toy."

"I can't believe I missed it." Max looked so upset that Harry held a hand out to him and pulled him down for a kiss when he moved over to him.

"Don't worry love, all of them will be mobile soon enough and then you can get as much exercise as you need running after them."

Max huffed and sat behind him, framing his body with his legs and ruffling both Regan's and Braiden's hair.

"I caught the moment in a photograph, if it's developed properly, it should show the whole moment."

Harry grinned. "You're the best Nasta, you know that right love."

"Of course." He smirked back.

Everyone but Harry and Nasta rolled their eyes. Harry just shook his head and laughed.

"I'm going to get dinner on." Max announced, but he didn't move right away, instead he kissed at the back of Harry's neck for a few minutes until he let out a breath of air on a moan. He smiled, kissed his neck once again, before hefting himself to his feet and heading into the kitchenette.

Harry stayed on the floor and played with his children, laying Regan back on the floor, not wanting to injure his spine by keeping him sat upright for so long when his muscles couldn't take the pressure.

Braiden happily giggled, four of his quins smiled widely as he messed around with them, but Leolin was fast asleep again, it was a bit perturbing, but he was very used to it by now.

"Dinners up lovers!" Max called happily.

Nasta and Harry stayed and settled Braiden into his walker; the four quins went into their carrycots before joining the other three at the table to eat.

"So what are we doing for the meeting?"

"We're going, it'll depend on how much homework or revision you have if we only go for a few hours or for a little longer, but we can't go for long because of the kids, we can't disrupt their sleep too much and it might upset them to be around so many new people and in a new place to boot."

Harry nodded. "I thought about that too, Braiden's so clingy, he may not like it much."

"We'll see how he deals with it on the day love." Max assured him. "If he doesn't like it and we can't settle him, we'll come right home, I don't like the idea of forcing him to stay anywhere what makes him that upset."

"So it's agreed, we go for a few hours if there are no problems, I don't really want to be there for too long either." Harry said with a smile. "Those of you who want to stay longer can, but I'll come home with the kids happily enough, being social was never my thing."

"Before that though we have Regan, Tegan, Farren and Calix's second Dragon Pox vaccine." Draco reminded them. "And Braiden's third."

Harry paled. "The vaccine they need all together is next month?" He whispered "I really, really don't want them all done together. They don't stop crying."

"Then it's better to have them all crying on the same day than having four crying one day and one crying all day the next." Nasta said. "They need this vaccine."

"I know that." Harry put in firmly. "I just hate that they line up to have the vaccine together."

"I'll make the appointment tomorrow morning." Draco said, no one offered to do it instead, they all knew about Draco's thing with the vaccines and that he had to make sure they were booked in, not that he didn't trust anyone else to do it, he didn't trust the receptionist to put it down properly and demanded to see the appointment book where no one else would.

After dinner and everything had been washed up, Nasta and Blaise went to set up the cots as Harry fed the children their last feed before rocking them and soothing them into sleep.

"All done." Blaise said softly. "We've moved Braiden into the nursery and the four quins are in a line where he used to sleep under the platform and Leolin's bassinet is still upstairs, we took the other four down and dismantled them."

"Thank you." Harry said softly as he cuddled Tegan gently as she slept.

"Do you want them in bed?" Nasta asked, stashing a screwdriver into the side draw.

Harry nodded and stood up. "Yeah, they need their sleep."

They all took a baby, Blaise taking two, and Harry settled Tegan in to the soft yellow cot, he had been adamant that each cot be a different colour. Tegan had yellow, Calix had pine, Farren had red and Regan had green. Leolin's would be pale blue when he was old enough to use it and Braiden's was white.

"You did a good job." Harry praised.

"They are all secure, we tried them out."

"Aww, did you put Blaise to bed in each cot?" Max teased.

Blaise rolled his eyes. "You want to be careful or I'll roll you out of bed in the middle of the night."

Max chuckled and bent into the cot to kiss Farren's cheek. The cot was on the highest setting because they couldn't stand or sit up on their own, but it would stop them rolling out.

"I'm not looking forward to when these are lower down and I have to bend in half just to kiss them."

"If you lean too far on those cots, they'll tip." Nasta warned.

"I know, I'm not stupid."

"Not often at least." Draco smirked.

"Oi!"

Harry chuckled. "Come on, let's go and snuggle on the settee and leave this lot sleep."

"Have you got all three monitors switched on?" Blaise asked.

"Yes." Harry nodded. "This one's on Braiden, this one's on Leolin and this one's on these four."

Blaise nodded and the five of them settled on the same settee, Max sprawled across the whole thing, Nasta sat at his feet with Blaise on his lap, Draco was sat reclined onto Nasta, on Max's lap and Harry snuggled up on Max's chest.

"This reminds me of that time where we all crushed Max having sex." Harry chuckled.

"That hurt."

"That was fun." Blaise grinned.

"We should do that again." Harry suggested with a wink.

"We need to find a way to do that without crushing my chest." Max grumbled.

Harry laughed. "Deal, but until then, move your arm, it's starting to get painful."

Max extracted his arm with a groan and Harry settled more firmly.

"I love this time of night when we have nothing to do but snuggle."

"I know, but we really should be revising." Draco complained.

"I'm too tired to do anything." Harry replied.

"We'll leave the revision for tonight." Nasta told them. "We'll get the ten o'clock feed out of the way and we'll have an early night tonight."

Everyone agreed and they settled into peaceful silence, just light breathing and the slightly faster, more tinny breathing through the three, colour coded baby monitors.

Harry loved nights like this where they chose not to do anything but lie together bonding. They had a busy couple of months coming up, what with the needed injections, the Dracken meeting and the exams, but Harry was sure they could get through it, they'd already been through so much and whatever the future threw at them, they could take it easily.

* * *

A/N: Got to rush this as I'm going to be late for work, so I apologise in advance if I miss anything out.

Thanks to **Arquenniel** for being the **9,100****th**** reviewer**.

**Ireadtomuch**: Faeries are a protected species in this universe so there won't be an consequences or repercussions, but there will always be those who won't like that he's not human, i.e. Umbridge and Fudge.

**HPFangirling**: Yes to both, female submissives and dominants both still have periods.

**termeh**: Oh yes, I love that TV series, I'd just finished watching season two when I was writing that chapter if I remember right.

**Pinkrose786:** Harry's children will smell like him, thus his Dracken will be able to instinctively know that they're his, like Braiden was allowed in the nest, so will his other children, but it's not advisable to let a child see their Mother in the nest and in birth, so if it can be at all helped, they'll be kept well away.

**Mistic Wolfess**: Yes, Nasta's grandparents are both still alive, I keep meaning to bring them in, but keep forgetting. I'm thinking now after Harry, Draco and Blaise have graduated.

I think that's it, now I've got to run, see you later lovelies,

StarLight Massacre. X


	71. Desirability

_Last Time_

"_We'll leave the revision for tonight." Nasta told them. "We'll get the ten o'clock feed out of the way and we'll have an early night tonight."_

_Everyone agreed and they settled into peaceful silence, just light breathing and the slightly faster, more tinny breathing through the three, colour coded baby monitors._

_Harry loved nights like this where they chose not to do anything but lie together bonding. They had a busy couple of months coming up, what with the needed injections, the Dracken meeting and the exams, but Harry was sure they could get through it, they'd already been through so much and whatever the future threw at them, they could take it easily._

Chapter Seventy-One – Desirability

Harry groaned under the onslaught of revision that was piled on them over the next month. Draco had fallen into a near sleepless loop of revision and homework. Blaise wasn't much better and Harry was ashamed to admit that most of the childcare had fallen heavily onto Max and Nasta and as May approached; everyone was feeling the strain as the Professors piled more and more and more onto the seventh years and the children got older.

A few weeks didn't sound like a lot, but in baby terms, it was a lot of growing and development in that time. Regan had started rolling and rocking, he was very interested in every toy that was near him. Tegan had cut her first tooth, thankfully with not as much fuss as Braiden, but still with a fair amount of screaming and crying, Farren had finally grown tired of plain milk and had progressed to stealing Braiden's breakfast as well as his rusks and all four of the older quins were sitting up as they approached four months.

The biggest milestone they had reached however was with Braiden, who at nearly nine months had finally taken those first few shuffles forward on his hands and knees.

Harry and Draco had gone for afternoon tea with Narcissa and Lucius, taking Tegan along for the trip and Harry had enjoyed the bonding time with two of his in-laws, even if both Draco and Lucius were uncomfortable and out of place with the situation, Narcissa was ecstatic to see him and Tegan to catch up with him and see how much Tegan had grown.

April had been a very boring, wet month apart from those few baby milestones and the afternoon tea with the Malfoys and Harry was glad to see the back of it. He'd be even happier to see the back of the school year completely and was thankful that the end of the academic year wasn't too far off.

The biggest let down of the last few weeks was Ashleigh refusing to see the mind Healer, claiming she didn't need to see another one and that there was nothing wrong with her. Myron was now threatening to drag her there, but as she smarmily pointed out, even if he did, he couldn't make her talk to the mind Healer.

Harry's heat was approaching yet again, but it was something not talked about, they had too much to deal with at the moment without any of them stressing over the heat period, so Harry wasn't causing stress by worrying about it, the children would go to Alexander and Kimberly once more, no one needed to say it, they knew he'd go onto his heat soon and with the family as they were, there was not much else they could do.

The last Quidditch match of the season was coming up, the final between Gryffindor and Slytherin, who had narrowly scraped past Ravenclaw to claim second place after the appalling performance both teams put up, not that Harry blamed Blaise for being so distracted, but they had both sworn to give one another their best game in two weeks' time. The game had been moved to the Sunday by Dumbledore 'for ease of seventh year study sessions' but it had been because the Dracken meeting was on the Saturday and they needed the time to finish off their homework, do some revision, eat and then prepare for the meeting.

Leolin was coming on in fits and starts as well, he was awake for longer, not much longer, but it was still an improvement. He had put on a pound and had grown an inch and a quarter and he had finally increased his milk intake by half an ounce. Harry was so proud of him that he had sent an owl to Aneirin boasting about it.

His heat had hit him on the second of May in the early morning; he didn't remember much, only that it had started in the bathroom as he had been brushing his teeth. He woke up six days later in bed. He had had another unfertile heat and he could hardly keep the grin from his face at the news that he wasn't pregnant for at least another two months.

The Dursley trial had been back pedalled, yet again, due to the defendants 'not being ready or prepared for court' Harry thought this was a blessing really, he had so much he had to do now if they could hold it off until June or July, he'd be so much happier and he was sure that every day and night in a cell was only adding to his 'family's' misery. Limited food would make Vernon miserable, limited food, limited TV and no computer games would make Dudley miserable and no cleaning supplies, no house and no flowery dresses would make Petunia miserable.

The day of the Dracken meeting finally arrived and it was a rush just to get homework done because they wouldn't have much time Sunday to do it either, but Harry was feeling the stress and the strain, two days off sounded like heaven to him, especially if he got to have a little bit of fun along the way.

"Ma ma."

Harry looked down with a smile to Braiden, who had shuffled over to him and flopped on to his thigh.

"Hello Braiden love. What do you want hmm?"

Braiden just giggled and reached out for him.

"Do you want a cuddle or one of Daddy Nasta's cwtches?" He asked with a grin as he picked up his now heavy baby. He was nineteen pounds and twenty-seven inches, he was growing fast.

Harry cuddled Braiden tightly, swaying with him to hear him laugh before putting him back down and going back to his Charms homework. He regretted that he couldn't play with his children or lavish them with the attention they needed and deserved at the moment, but just two weeks and the exams would begin and then two more weeks before they were all over and he could spend every moment of every day with his five sons and his lone daughter.

Braiden didn't seem to mind as he clumsily crawled off to a distant toy. Harry watched him proudly for a moment with a smile, before he went back to his homework, rushing through it just to get it done, what was the point in homework this close to exams anyway? If they didn't know this by now then they were fucking screwed, but he did it anyway and then when he was done, he dragged his Herbology essay over and started that.

He did look down when Braiden crawled back to him with his favourite toy at the moment, sitting between his legs and bashing the little aeroplane about. Harry pulled him backwards to sit more firmly between his legs and started writing again, keeping an ear out for Leolin waking up or for any of his other children, who were being entertained by Max.

"I'm done!" He declared three hours later, just as two in the afternoon approached.

"Did you do it properly?" Nasta asked from his own paperwork, which had gotten backed up over the last few weeks as well.

"Don't care, it's done." Harry said, shoving all his books and homework into his bag and kicking it under the table, he walked over to Braiden and picked him up, turning him around and raining kisses over his little face.

"Do you want to play Braiden? Mummy has said bye-bye to homework for the weekend!"

"Bye-bye!" Braiden repeated enthusiastically.

Harry looked at him shocked before grinning and looking around him. "I wasn't the only one to hear that, was I?" He asked.

They shook their heads and Blaise abandoned his homework to come over and kiss Braiden's cheek.

"He's growing day by day and we're missing it because of school." He hissed.

"A month love, just one month and it'll all be over."

"He'll be ten months old then, he could be walking."

"Don't stress about it, he's only just learnt how to crawl."

"He could go straight from crawling to walking in a matter of weeks."

"We won't miss it, even if we aren't there in person, I'm sure Nasta or Max will record it for us, won't you?" He turned to them.

"Of course we will, we wouldn't want you missing something so important and life changing, as soon as he's on his feet, I'm teaching him how to kick a ball." Max declared.

Harry laughed. "One thing at a time love, though rolling a ball to him might be fine; do we have any balls here?"

Blaise snorted and Harry gave him a dirty look, Blaise giving him the innocent look that didn't wash with him anymore.

"I don't think we have, I don't even think there are any at Max's, though he had so much stuff for Christmas I might have missed it."

"I don't remember him unwrapping one, we'll have to get him one. A nice, big bright one."

"Mama!"

"Yes Braiden, but look, Daddy's here too. Can you say Daddy?"

"Dada."

Harry grinned at the look on Blaise's face. Braiden had said Dada before, but never to Blaise and never like he recognised him, this time he did both.

"Say bye-bye Daddy, you have to do your homework." Harry coached, waving to Blaise.

"Bye-bye, Dada!" Braiden said as he clenched his fingers into his palm repeatedly at Blaise.

"Oh god he's so cute!" Harry gushed, cuddling Braiden tightly.

"Watch out Braiden, I think you've got a fan girl already!" Max laughed.

"You shut your mouth!" Harry demanded.

"Oh come on, I can't still be in the dog house after one mistake."

"It was a huge mistake, how dare you fall asleep without feeding Regan! That's twice!"

"I'm sorry I rushed off without feeding Braiden, but Regan wasn't crying for food love, he was fast asleep. I wasn't going to wake him up when he didn't want it."

Harry huffed and sat on the floor, pulling the remains of Braiden's block stack towards him and putting Braiden in front of it, watching him build the tower with the biggest brick on the bottom, all the way to the fifth and littlest brick, before his beloved aeroplane went through it and moved on to attack a teddy bear.

"He's getting a little boisterous, isn't he?" He said worriedly.

"Knocking over a few blocks isn't boisterous." Nasta refuted. "Of course he's going to knock them down, he's learning what happens when he does it, he needs to know if they fall down every time he knocks into them and he'll keep doing it until he's sure."

Harry nodded his understanding as he scooted over and snatched Calix from Max and blew a raspberry on his neck. Calix screeched in absolute delight. "Baba!" He cried out.

"Oh I'm loving today." Max grinned as he kissed Calix.

"Ba ya!"

Braiden crawled over and looked at Calix through indigo eyes. "Mam be."

"Gee na." Calix answered.

"Are they actually having a conversation?" Draco asked, picking his head up from his Potions essay.

"I think they are." Max answered.

"Braiden?" Harry called out and when Braiden looked at him, he indicated to Calix. "This is your baby brother Calix."

"Baba Ca."

"Oh, we have the most intelligent babies in the world!" Harry gloated.

Nasta was grinning indulgently at him like he was precious, but Harry didn't care, nothing could bring him down today, not even the thought of the Dracken meeting later on.

* * *

Harry realised that he may have spoken too soon earlier as he slipped into his new dress robes. These ones weren't as tight as he wasn't pregnant and had no baby bump to show off, but they were tailored to show off his body shape to the max, what he had left of it anyway.

Braiden was wearing his own little dress robes, but the quintuplets were wearing just plain, sleepsuits. Harry had adamantly refused to dress them up when all he wanted to do was put them to bed.

Leolin was in the baby carrier, which was strapped around Nasta, Harry trusted him to protect their vulnerable son and not accidentally have him squashed against his chest by the crowd.

Harry had Braiden sat on his hip, his wiggly nine month old curious about his new clothes. Max had Farren hefted over one shoulder as the four month old was nearly the same length and weight as Braiden. Blaise was cradling Regan and Tegan and Draco was rocking a fussy Calix. Harry wasn't sure what he'd do when he had more children, they didn't have enough arms to carry them all.

"If this destroys their routine I'm going to kill the Elders."

Nasta smiled at him. "Done deal. Are we ready?"

Harry nodded and hoisted Braiden higher on his hip, holding his chubby thigh.

"Right, touch the Portkey and hold the kids tightly."

"We know." Blaise whined, touching the Portkey with his thumb with both arms full, Nasta had a hand on his shoulder just in case.

At half five the Portkey sent out a pulse and a few moments later it activated. Harry landed heavily and groaned as his knees hit the floor. Max hauled him up and dusted him off.

Braiden was looking around himself curiously. The man who was standing at the podium was very interested in them and the family. Harry glared at him.

"I…I…go ahead please." He quaked out.

Nasta took Harry's hand and smirked at him. "Now now Cariad, don't make the poor event workers wet themselves in fear."

"He shouldn't be looking at my babies like they're in petri dishes."

Max snorted. "I hope to Merlin I don't look like him when I'm looking in petri dishes."

"No, I imagine you look a lot sexier doing it." Harry grinned as he entered the familiar room full of chatting, laughing people.

The armed guards were back, in force this time as Harry noticed that there were unmated dominants around. They were standing on guard at the bar area and every few feet around the walls and by pillars.

The crèche area had four more guards than last year, but the laughing, screaming children inside made him smile. There was a small, cordoned off area just for very young babies, he didn't think a single baby in that tiny crèche area was over two, the youngest had to have been two or three months being held by her Mother as she was dipped in and out of the little, shallow ball pit, it reminded Harry that Braiden had had a ball pit for Christmas, he'd have to dig it out and set it up for him, but first he wondered if Braiden would like it in the crèche area with the other babies.

He kept him with him for the moment, not confident enough to leave him just yet; it would be a huge milestone for him to leave Braiden in the crèche. Instead he followed Max, who was dodging people and avoiding small talk, Farren still over his shoulder.

"There you are! I was beginning to wonder if you were coming!"

Harry grinned at Alexander. "Would I give up the chance to show off my children?"

Alexander laughed and patted Harry's back before chucking Braiden under the chin.

"And how is my gorgeous Grandson?" He asked. "Is he crawling yet?"

Harry nodded. "Yes, he started the other week, he's a bit awkward and clumsy, but otherwise mobile."

"That's wonderful. How about the other five?"

"Leolin's awake for longer he's gained some weight and length and he's eating more, Regan can move himself to get to the toys he wants, it's not quite crawling, more belly flopping, but he can move, Tegan's cut her first tooth, Farren's on weaning food and little Calix said his first words."

"It's been a very busy month for you and them."

Harry nodded with a grin.

"How are your exams coming on?" Myron asked, he looked tired and stressed and strained, but he smiled none the less when he heard about his grandchildren's developments.

Harry scowled. "I came here to get away from revision and homework, but I'm confident I'll do well, not excellent, but then I don't care much past passing."

"Max had better be doing his share of childcare."

"Oh he is, Max and Nasta have taken over, Max more so because Nas still has paperwork, but still, you can't keep me away from them for long." He grinned.

"Here you are! Oh give me my grandson; I've missed him so much."

Harry grinned at Marianna, who took Braiden from him and kissed him so ferociously she left lipstick smears on his cheeks and chin. He laughed happily enough though and clenched dribble covered hands in her perfectly coiffured hair, not that Marianna cared, she just extracted his little fingers expertly and held him a bit lower.

"Blaise used to love hair too; it just used to fascinate him. Where are you Blaise?" She asked, looking around for him.

"I'm here Mother." He cut in smoothly, coming to stand beside her.

"Oh you boys are doing a wonderful job; I can't believe how big they all are! Look at this gorgeous Princess."

She took Tegan from Blaise and hugged her gently. Tegan grinned at her with her lone front tooth.

"She's cut a tooth? Oh were there as many problems as Braiden's?"

"No, she was surprisingly mellow about it."

"Well of course she was! She's a woman; she has a higher threshold for pain."

Harry shook his head and chuckled. He'd missed Marianna terribly.

"Hi Harry, Blaise, Draco."

Harry smiled at Sanex and hugged him tightly.

"Where's my hello?" Max asked with a pout.

"You look like you can squash me; you don't get a hello when I'm flirting with these three babies."

Nasta smacked his brother sharply. "You even try and flirt with them and I'll break your jaw. And don't call them babies."

"They're less than half my age!"

"That mean's your old, nothing else." Harry grinned.

"Cheeky little baby."

"Stop teasing the lads Sanex." Aneirin chastised as he suddenly loomed over his son, an inch or so in their heights, but when Sanex was cowering it looked like Aneirin was that much taller.

"Hi Aneirin."

"Hello Harry, now what's this about Leolin's development? I got your owl just this morning."

Harry nodded. "He has grown and he's gained weight and is taking an extra half an ounce of milk. He stays awake for longer too, but not too much longer. I'm still proud of him though."

Aneirin placed a hand gently on Leolin's head and rubbed his thumb softly over his black hair.

"That's wonderful news, he's started growing faster than average Faerie babies, most don't start until at least seven months. I'm very proud of him, of all of them and of you."

Harry grinned at that and puffed up slightly, he liked knowing he had done a good job with his children and his Dracken liked it too.

Within ten minutes the only one of them still holding a baby was Nasta, who refused to allow Leolin out of his baby sling, especially not when he was sleeping. Max was trying to pull him towards the bar without getting Nasta's attention, Blaise was talking in rapid French to his Mother and Draco was slowly slipping away, looking at his pocket watch. Harry remembered that he'd invited his parents at the afternoon tea session.

"Draco, what time will your parents be here?" He asked.

"Lucius and Narcissa are coming?" Marianna interrupted. "Oh it's been too long since I last spoke to Narcissa."

"They should be arriving in fifteen minutes." Draco told her.

"You should wait at the entrance for them, so they don't get too overwhelmed by the armed guards."

"We'll come with you." Max offered, pulling Harry more firmly, who reached his hands out for his children.

"We've got them Harry and we won't let anyone take them." Myron assured, bumping Calix higher onto his shoulder gently.

Max won his tug of war battle, he was just too strong for Harry to withstand and Harry frowned as his children were lost to the crowd. He took a deep breath and calmed himself. This was another test; he trusted Nasta and Blaise to look after their babies.

Max went dead ahead until he couldn't see his family anymore, then dragged both Harry and Draco towards the bar.

"What are you doing?" Draco asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Getting a drink, I've been dying for one since we arrived." Max answered.

"Maximilius!" A man behind the bar grinned widely.

"Stephan, how've you been?" Max asked.

"Great, Ruby's pregnant again, though I'm not fond of all these gem names for my children." Stephan pulled a face. "I know it's a family tradition and all, but I have six children now."

"Ha! Snap, I have six as well."

"What? Last I saw you, you were unmated! How'd you get six? Who'd you end up with after? It wasn't Gretchen was it?"

Max pulled a face. "Fuck off was it!" Max pulled Harry into his side and kissed his head. "This gorgeous young man is the Mother to my children."

"And now I'm envious of you." Stephan laughed. "It's nice to meet you…?"

"Harry." He answered softly.

"So the stud that is Max finally gets picked and settles down, it's about time you old man and you got a real star by the looks of it."

"Yeah, yeah I did." Max smiled and hugged Harry tighter.

"Come on, you can catch up later, my parents will be here any minute!" Draco interrupted with a snap.

"And who is this?" Stephan asked with a teasing grin.

"Harry needed four mates, so I got landed in a family of five." Max revealed.

"Five of you and six kids? No wonder I've barely heard from you! You must be kept busy."

Max nodded. "I wouldn't change it for the world."

"So how many kids are yours?"

"All of them, but biologically I've got two boys, Farren and Calix."

"So who else did you land yourself with, or rather who your submissive landed you with."

"This blond beauty here." Max answered pointing at Draco, who scowled. "Blaise Zabini and you'll never guess the last."

"Who? Come on tell me, I've been out of the loop for so long, what with Ruby being pregnant every single fucking year."

"Nasta Delericey."

"Ha! I always knew there was something between the two of you! There were bets going on about who would cave for a fuck first, you or him."

"We were just friends."

"There's nothing wrong with being friends with benefits. I bet you get more than enough sex now though."

Max rolled his eyes. "So what's your newest lot called? Last we spoke you had Diamond and Sapphire."

"Diamond is seven now, she's over in the crèche with Sapphie, Amber, Jade and Jasper. I'm hoping for another boy, because four daughters is more than enough for me, but Ruby wants to call our next boy Jett, I mean, come on! I know it's tradition but every male in their family is either Jett, Mica or Jasper, I want my kids to have an identity, I've tried to give them proper first names and gemstone middle names, but Ruby won't have it."

"What if you have another girl?"

"Don't jinx it!" Stephan grumbled. "If we have another girl she'll be 'blessed' with the name Opal. I tell you, I wouldn't have fought half as hard for Ruby if I'd known her family name tradition was gemstones."

"Do most Dracken families have naming traditions?" Harry asked with a frown.

Max nodded. "Yeah, my family is warriors and rulers, Aneirin's great grandfather refused to carry his family name tradition on after they were kicked from the Faerie loop, so that broke their line, but most families do have traditions and whatnot, some choose not to follow them on, I rather like my family's tradition and I'm glad you carried it on with my sons."

Harry smiled.

"Well you're practically unlimited in your options, how many rulers, kings and warriors have there been worldwide? I'm limited to gemstones and every name has been reused several times in her family, she's Ruby eleventh, I've got a Diamond the eighth, a Sapphire the sixth and a Jasper the fourteenth. They have no identity or special name as Ruby won't give them middle names, she says it 'spoils' the gemstone names."

"That's horrible; she should at least ask you." Harry said. "I asked if you liked the names before making them official didn't I?"

Max nodded. "Yeah, I love the names you picked out for all of our children."

"Alright, rub it in." Stephan laughed. "So what are your other kids' names?"

"My oldest is Braiden Blaise Enzo Zabini." Harry answered with a smile.

"Obviously Blaise Zabini's child."

Harry nodded. "I had quintuplets then…"

"Quintup…five kids at once? Fuck me no wonder I haven't heard from you Maxie, I'm rushed off my feet when Ruby's had a singleton birth every year since we mated. Though at least you get a nice long break."

Harry licked his lips and Stephan's eyes widened.

"No. Never. You're back on your heat periods after quintuplets? How old are they?"

"Braiden's nine months, the quintuplets, Farren, Tegan, Regan, Calix and Leolin, are four months." Max answered.

"I've had two heat periods since."

"That's insane! You must be wicked fertile." Stephan said.

"I don't mean to interrupt." Draco said in a tone that implied he not only meant to interrupt, but that he wanted to do it rudely too. "But I am supposed to be meeting my parents when they arrive."

"Alright Draco. Give us five champagnes please Stephan." Max said with a smile and accepted the flutes easily, handing one to Harry and two to Draco, keeping two for himself.

"Nasta won't like this." Harry warned as they said goodbye to Stephan and moved to the entrance to find Lucius and Narcissa.

"Why five?" Draco asked.

"Your parents like champagne don't they?" Max answered Draco before turning to Harry. "I don't care if Nas likes it or not, a couple flutes of champagne aren't going to down me."

"They might down me." Harry mumbled as he took a sip of the bubbly liquid and grimaced. "Next time get me a sparkling grape juice, it tastes better than this."

Max rolled his eyes. "Oh, I can see platinum blonde heads; it must be your parents."

Max led them over to the overwhelmed Malfoy's, who were trying their best to look like they weren't overwhelmed and that they fit in just fine.

"Mother, Father." Draco greeted with a smile as he handed them a glass of champagne each and kissed his Mother's cheek.

"These halls are spectacular Draco darling."

Draco smiled as Max handed him one of the flutes in his hand. "It's lovely to meet you again Mister and Mrs Malfoy."

"Oh darling, please, Narcissa and Lucius is fine." Narcissa said with a smile as Max took her hand and kissed it.

Lucius gave Harry's hand a shake and then Max's, but he hugged Draco, despite being in public and it put a real smile on Draco's face.

"Harry sweetheart, how are you? Are you pregnant again?" Narcissa asked, hugging him.

Harry shook his head. "No, it was unfertile."

"I bet you're happy about that?"

Harry nodded. "Yes, it means another heat period in two months, but at least I can get the exams out of the way first."

"Don't say that too loud love, no Dracken should know your cycle outside of family." Max coached.

Harry nodded understandingly and he started drifting off to the side. He didn't realise he was doing it until Max pulled him back with a frown.

Harry excused himself to the Malfoys and drifted quickly off to the direction he had been heading before. Max excused himself and followed. They ended up near the crèche.

"Don't you get enough with our own babies?" Max teased catching up with him.

"I'm looking for Marisa, Natalie and Kayla." Harry said.

"Those little girls who turned your hair into an abomination? Harry that was a year ago, how do you remember that?"

Harry shrugged. "I just do."

Max chuckled and threw an arm around him, more because the armed guard was looking at them sternly than anything else.

"We're bonded alright fella? Leave us alone!" Max snapped when the guard sidled closer.

The guard just narrowed his eyes. "Just doing my job."

"Well do it properly. We have six babies under a year old, we don't need any more."

"Why are you here then?" The guard demanded.

"Nothing says we can't be here." Max stood up tall and threw an arm in front of Harry protectively as a gun tip subtly came to stomach height.

"Barty, what are you doing?" A large, older Dracken stomped over and knocked the raised gun back down with his own.

"They're lingering around the crèche." Barty replied, putting an inflection of mistrust and tension on the words.

"That's Maximilius Maddison, Myron Maddison's boy, you shoot him and you're as good as shooting yourself you idiot boy."

"Elder Kirrian." Max nodded respectfully.

"How you doing boy? Who's your little one, your sub? Myron told me that you'd mated."

"Yes, I'd like you to meet my mate Harry Potter, Harry, this is Elder Henry Kirrian."

"Nice to meet you." Harry replied softly.

"Harry Potter? As in, _the_ Harry Potter?" Barty asked with wide eyes.

Harry smirked at him and flashed his lightning bolt for a second before smoothing his fringe back down. He hated showing off his scar, but when it got him the reaction of Barty, the whole fish gaping, wide eyes thing, especially after being threatened, he could show it for a second.

"So not only did you try and shoot a Maddison, you tried to shoot a submissive, Harry Potter no less." Elder Kirrian snorted. "Idiot boy. Go behind the bar."

"But Elder…!"

"Behind the bar now boy!"

Barty loped off with a sour face, going behind the bar was obviously a punishment, Barty was replaced immediately by another man, younger than the Elder, but older than Barty.

"Are we going to have a problem here Yassen?"

"No Elder." Yassen answered.

"Good, you watch over these boys, you hear me boy? I want my crèche team sharp; I need you to be able to identify a threat from a thrice damned non-threat! I want all threats terminated, even if it's your own fucking Mother, you hearing me boy?"

"Yes Elder."

"Good, now where is your Father Maximilius. I wish to speak to him."

"Would you like for me to take you Elder?" Max asked respectfully.

"Did I ask you to take me boy?! I asked where he was, now you have fingers, point boy."

Max pressed his lips together to keep from laughing and pointed in the direction of where they'd left the family and the Elder turned and left.

"I love that man." Max chuckled and hugged Harry to him tightly.

"I can see why." Harry grinned.

"Come on, you're not going to drink that, let's get you a grape juice."

Harry walked with Max back to the bar, Stephan was busy, so the trip to the bar was quick. They moved on and Max introduced him to some of his friends and people he knew. Though as soon as they saw Gertrude and Gretchen they rushed away like guilty children, the news floating around the hall was that Gertrude had held back Gretchen's mate meeting, apparently waiting for more 'prime' men to turn up. Harry still remembered Gertrude's words the first time he'd met her and he wasn't going to let her take his mates.

"Why, hello there gorgeous."

Harry stopped and looked up at the tall, muscled dominant, a small sniff was all it took for him to realise that he was unmated and was leaking his scent all over the place to let everyone know he was unmated.

"I haven't see you around here before, are you just coming into your inheritance? I bet your parents held back your meeting, you're just too gorgeous to let loose though. There are some very desperate, dangerous dominants about tonight."

"Like you, you mean?" Harry sneered. "Don't flatter yourself, I'm not interested."

The dominant blinked and looked at himself, as if to say, you're not interested in this? Harry snorted.

"Oh now you are vain."

"I'm the best unmated dominant around; you won't find anyone better than me."

Harry laughed out loud. "Oh I bet I could and I wouldn't even need to search that hard."

"You're a very beautiful submissive, I bet you've had a lot of offers tonight, but only I can make it worth your while."

Harry rolled his eyes at the blatant topic change and the unsubtle come on.

"Look, I'm not interested, okay. I'm happily mated and I have six children."

"There's no need to lie gorgeous, anyone looking at you can see you're too young to be mated and definitely haven't had six children, not with that luscious body."

"That 'luscious body' is mine." Max cut in, slipping out of the crowd and glaring at the dominant.

"Go away Maddison, I'm busy talking to someone a little out of your league, why would he want you when he can have me?"

Harry laughed then and pulled Max down into a kiss that was anything other than innocent and chaste.

"This is my dominant mate, he is definitely so much better than you and I'd choose him over you every single time."

"This is my submissive mate, Daighton, he chose me out of hundreds of others, you must have been there for the meeting, unless you fucked off to the New Zealand meeting before he had finished his own meeting, but you missed out and I have him now, you don't deserve to lick his cute, iddy biddy feet. So fuck off!"

Harry and Max slipped away from the stunned dominant, laughing and giggling; they stopped to get more drinks from Stephan, who was disgruntled because Amber, his third daughter, had squashed green playdough into Diamond's hair and his oldest daughter had thrown a tantrum to end all tantrums.

Max downed several more flutes of champagne while Harry stuck to sparkling grape juice and after ducking away from another flirty unmated dominant, they had almost run into Gretchen, whose eyes had widened at seeing Max and had tried to make a beeline for him, Harry tugged him down and they weaved away giggling like little girls.

"Maximilius?"

Max stood up straight, the grin and childish giggling, turned into a polite smile, the perfect gentleman in an instant.

"I…yes, can I help you?" Max asked the pretty woman in the blue dress.

"You don't remember me?" She asked, sounding offended at the very thought.

"Umm…no." He said, a frown taking over the handsome smile that had been there previously.

"It's Becky, Rebecca Silvermoss."

Max frowned and pulled the face Harry knew meant he was actually thinking about it and hard.

"Sorry, I don't remember anyone of that name. Where did we meet?"

The woman, Rebecca, looked so offended that Harry wondered if they were in danger of being attacked.

"At Hogwarts."

Harry's mind immediately shot to the story that Dumbledore had told him about the Ravenclaw that had rejected several young men and his hand touched Max's elbow gently as his whole body stiffened. He wondered if Max and Nasta had been two of those young men rejected.

"I remember now." Max said almost breathlessly, he sounded winded and Harry's heart ached for the young Max as it became apparent that yes, Max was one of the rejected men.

"So…I…I was a fool back then, my mate died last year, I'm looking for a new one, if…if you're still interested." Rebecca tried flirtatiously.

"No I'm not." Max bit out.

Rebecca blinked. "I know I turned you away, but you were only young, we were both young and I am sorry, if you'd prefer we could go on dates first, like humans do."

"No." Max said strongly. "I don't want to go on dates; I don't want to be your mate. You had that chance, I don't give second ones."

"Look, you know it wasn't anything personal, it was your wings."

"Yeah, I believe you called them scrawny and stubby." Max hissed.

"They were." Rebecca sniffed. "But they're not anymore, everyone knows you still hold the record wingspan, you're unmatched and unbeaten still, can I see?"

"No." Max growled. "Again you had your chance to do more than just look at them, but you gave that up."

"They didn't look like they do now!" Rebecca said stubbornly. "I'm your only chance of a mate, everyone knows submissives don't want anyone over twenty-five, thirty is the absolute maximum, you're what, thirty-two now? I am too, we can be happy together."

"How many kids did you get?" Max asked.

"I've only got three. Three girls. A fifteen year old, a ten year old and a six year old. They're no trouble, all the hard parts are over and I'm ready for more if you want them." Rebecca said desperately.

"Then they should be your main focus, not throwing all your attention into finding another mate, are any of your girls Drackens?"

Rebecca shook her head. "No, my mate was weak, he couldn't give me a Dracken, but you could, I know you could! Please Max."

"You haven't been around lately have you?"

"I…no, I live in Australia with my girls. You'd like it there." Rebecca insisted.

"I like it here."

"We could come back and live here then! We could be happy Max, I know it!" She tried, moving to grip his dress robes tightly.

Max pulled her off and grimaced. She had caught his skin and Harry slipped under Max's arm and stood in front of him, glaring at the woman who had hurt him.

"Who are you?" She asked. "Is he one of your cousins Max? You know, I have a daughter about your age, she's lovely, her name's Coral."

"Rebecca, this is my submissive mate, Harry, who is eighteen this summer. Harry, one of the submissive's who rejected me, the very first one actually."

"Ma…mate?" She breathed pained. "No. No, you can't have a mate! I was planning…I was counting on you not having a mate!"

"Well I do. I mated last year; apparently there are still submissives out there that'll have a thirty-one year old, just because you wouldn't have doesn't mean you should paint everyone with the same brush." Max snapped dispassionately.

"But…but…"

"Sorry, but he's mine." Harry smiled viciously. "You missed out, he's lovely, kind, funny, strong, intelligent, protective, his wings are gorgeous and absolutely huge, the feeling of being wrapped in his arms and those wings is unmatched. You missed out on a hell of a mate and lover, Max is big all over if you get my meaning." Harry grinned with a wink. "It's been a year and we already have six children, two are Drackens and one is very special. You hurt him terribly when he was younger, but I'm glad, because if you hadn't he wouldn't be mine now and he is mine, all mine, so back off before I make you."

Max wrapped his arms around his chest now and Harry grinned at the woman in front of them. How dare she try to guilt Max into a mateship just because she liked the finished product, she should have seen the potential in him from the beginning and taken a chance on him, but she hadn't, she had been too vain and prideful to realise that at sixteen Max hadn't finished growing. She couldn't have him now just because he was different to then, just because he was an amazing man who had grown up and filled out and apparently held a record for the largest wingspan.

He felt stupid for not connecting Dumbledore's story to Max earlier on, felt stupid for at least not asking them, he and Nasta would have been there and would have remembered who they story was about, but it just hadn't clicked. He had had no idea that the young sixteen year old in the story had been Max, he hadn't realised that Max held a record for the longest wingspan.

"Goodbye Miss Silvermoss." Max said firmly and he tugged Harry along through the crowd and he chuckled. "You showed her who was boss love."

"You never told me you held a record for the longest wingspan."

"I didn't think it mattered to you."

"It doesn't, but knowing you have such an achievement makes me proud, you shouldn't hide that."

Max chuckled. "Don't mention it around my Dad; I took the record from him when I was twenty-three and I don't think he's forgiven me yet."

Harry chuckled. "You know that means Farren will take it from you."

Max's face sobered and when they got back to the family he took Farren from Richard and held him in front of his face.

"What are you doing?" Richard asked with a laugh.

"Is he bigger than I was at his age?" Max asked.

"I…just about I think, why?"

"No! I will not have a son bigger than I am! It'll be a travesty!"

"Now you know why I was disgruntled." Myron huffed. "Though I'm glad you stopped growing at six, eight."

Max pouted as he looked up those tiny two inches to his Father's eyes.

"What brought this on Maxie?" Alexander asked.

"He met the girl who rejected him when he was sixteen."

"That bitch from your first ever meeting?" Richard asked. "Where is she? I owe her a punch to the face."

"Please tell me she didn't bring all your feelings of inadequacy back, you are not sixteen any longer Maximilius and you have four mates and six children, you have nothing to feel inadequate over." Myron told him.

"No, she wanted to mate with me and for me to take on her three kids."

"Excuse me?" Myron asked shocked.

"Yeah, her mate died last year, so she's looking for a mate."

"Why you after everything she said to you?" Nasta asked.

"You were there?" Harry asked.

Nasta nodded. "Max and I became friends over her. He was only just sixteen, his first ever meeting, but I was twenty-two and had had several meetings before. I took him away from her when she started on him and rejected him, I tried to help him, but he left before my message could sink in fully."

"It did help." Max smiled. "But it took months before I stopped trying to kill myself with weight training and weight gain diets."

"She wasn't worth it." Harry snorted. "If that's what she looks like at thirty-two, imagine when she's sixty-two? It would be like waking up to a horror film every morning."

Max laughed along with Richard and Alexander and hugged him tightly.

"I'm glad I never chose her, or rather she never chose me, you're perfect Harry and I'll never regret choosing you."

"Glad to hear that. Now tell me, why is it every meeting I've come to, someone has tried to get you to be their mate?"

"I'm just that desirable." Max grinned, striking a pose.

Harry laughed. "You are, I'm not denying that, but why don't they know you're mated with children?"

Max shrugged. "Some people don't want to believe it. It's happened before, one submissive tried to kill the submissive of the dominant she loved, 'so they could be together' do you remember that?"

"That was horrific." Aneirin pulled a face. "Disgraceful and horrific."

"Wasn't that Charlotte?" Sanex asked with a strained face, obviously forcing the memory up.

Max bobbed his head. "Charlotte was a lovely submissive, a bit like you Harry, only just less so, because no one can be as perfect as you, but her first mate was called Barron. Strange name for a kid, but his parents were weird too, but they got on really well, there was another submissive called Tina, she had always crushed on Barron, even before they came into their inheritances, but as soon as Barron met Charlotte, he was in love. Charlotte chose him just four months before Tina's inheritance along with another dominant Sampson. Sampson was wicked protective of both of them, Barron was a pretty boy, we all thought he would be a submissive, but he turned out dominant in the end, a very small, slender dominant, but he was gorgeous, I'll give him that. Tina was so jealous she would rant and rave whenever they met up because Barron tried to be a good friend and stay in contact, even though Sampson hated it."

"So Tina attacked Charlotte?" Harry asked.

"She damn near killed her before Sampson tore Tina's head off. Charlotte wasn't a fighter, she was raised like a prim and proper young lady and her first reaction was to call her dominants, the second was to curl on the floor to try and protect herself and the baby she was carrying."

"She was pregnant?" Harry asked horrified.

"Yeah, and Tina was so far gone she tried to dig the baby out of her." Myron's face showed exactly what he thought of that. "I was one of the one's that tried to drag Tina off of Charlotte, I got a claw to the gut for my efforts, perforated my damned intestines."

"He still has the scar." Richard smiled.

"Others tried to get her off, but most were trying to be careful with her, she was still a woman, still a submissive, it wasn't until Sampson seized her head and threw her into a pillar that that fight stopped, but a new one broke out when Sampson ordered Barron to get Charlotte to Healers and he turned on Tina. That was a harder fight to break up, he was determined to kill her and he did. Most of the damage done to Charlotte was to her stomach and head, so he gutted her and then tore her head from her body and then he stood before the Elders asked them to judge him. He got off and rushed to his lovers."

"How was Charlotte?"

"She survived, but she had permanent scarring and she lost the baby. They don't come to the meetings anymore."

"That's hideous." Harry pulled a face.

"I was only young then." Max said. "I had to have been, what, fourteen?"

Myron nodded and ruffled his hair. "I liked you better at fourteen, very sweet and agreeable and you came up to my waist."

Max laughed and bumped his shoulder into his Dad's. "Wait until you're the other side of two hundred and you start shrinking, I'll be taller than you then."

"You wish boy!" Myron snapped. "You'll never be taller than me."

"I'm sure you've cursed me to stay this height." Max laughed.

"I wouldn't put it past him." Richard added, before he flinched and a hand went to his throat. He curled over and Harry was shocked to see his face rapidly turn purple.

"He's choking!" Harry exclaimed in shock.

Myron uncurled Richard's body forcibly with his own and two thick fingers forced his clenched jaws open, tugged his head back by his hair and emptied a bottle down his throat. Most of it was spat back out over his chin, but he swallowed a good amount first and Myron rubbed his back firmly and harshly, keeping his body straight and forced upright.

"That…that's the worst I've ever seen you." Max said in a small, worried voice. Harry had never heard Max sound like that before.

"It's the stress, he's always been worse with stress." Myron answered. "Don't look so worried Max; your Dad will be fine."

Harry bit his lip, it sounded to him like Myron was trying to convince himself more than anyone else. He looked at Richard and saw the stress and strain on his face, which was red and flushed, the veins in his neck puffed up and visible through his skin, the scar tissue looked inflamed and tight. Richard looked worse than Harry had ever seen him and his mind slipped down that dark and dangerous road of what would happen if one day, Myron wasn't there to help Richard through an episode.

* * *

A/N: We are now rapidly approaching the end of the school year, thank god for that because I don't think anyone can take much more of the high pressure school year.

Next chapter will follow on from this one, but be ready for more drama as the next plot twist is revealed. It's going to be explosive and I can't wait to reveal it to you all. It has been titled Betrayal, just to tease you all a bit.

Thanks to **Mistic Wolfess** for being the **9,200****th**** reviewer.**

**Liria Nai**: The Dracken world knows what happened, but the rest of the world were told that she was kidnapped and went into sudden labour and that Healers couldn't save the baby, they believe that she went to see the mind Healer to get over the loss of her baby, which is true, but she also went to talk about the attack and the effect being handed over to Poachers by a trusted family friend, which isn't an easy thing to get over. So the Drackens know exactly what happened and what Myron did, but no one else knows or suspects.

**Zathina**: No, a submissive Dracken can only sleep with another Dracken. They'll still become barren if they sleep with another magical creature like a werewolf as the Dracken magic inside them would realise that the person they're being penetrated by is a non-Dracken and would destroy their womb/sac.

Thank you all for reading and reviewing,

StarLight Massacre. X


	72. Betrayal

A/N: Dedicated to my Facebookers, who put up with so much from me and so many of my whining's and ranting's about everything when I'm having a bad day, this chapter is for all of you, to say thanks, and to make up for all the teasing excerpts I give you that drive you all insane. I'm not sorry about those, but I'll say thank you for putting up with it and with me and I hope you can forgive me for this chapter.

_Last Time _

_Harry bit his lip, it sounded to him like Myron was trying to convince himself more than anyone else. He looked at Richard and saw the stress and strain on his face, which was red and flushed, the veins in his neck puffed up and visible through his skin, the scar tissue looked inflamed and tight. Richard looked worse than Harry had ever seen him and his mind slipped down that dark and dangerous road of what would happen if one day, Myron wasn't there to help Richard through an episode._

Chapter Seventy-Two – Betrayal

Harry was practically dragged to meet Marisa's mother, Janine, who was pregnant and standing with her Husband and mate, Rory if he remembered correctly, pressed almost completely against her side.

"Mummy look!" Marisa exclaimed.

"Who is this darling?" She asked, giving Harry a dark look that softened when she clocked Braiden on his hip.

"He helped me with my beads and I put beads in his hair last year." Marisa exclaimed.

Janine's eyes widened as Harry smiled.

"Oh I hardly recognised you without them!" She laughed. "This would be the contents of that little bump of yours?"

Harry smiled with a nod and handed Braiden over to her happily and picked Marisa up when she demanded it.

"Oh we can swap." Janine laughed. "She's a little terror; I wish she was this little one's age again."

"Braiden's just learnt to crawl and he's already showing signs of wanting to be on his feet, I'll happily swap all of mine for Marisa. I don't think I've slept properly for over a year."

"All of yours? But, do you not only have the one?" Janine shared a look with her Husband who was looking at him critically.

"No, I have six."

"But last year you didn't have any and were only a few months pregnant."

Harry nodded. "I had Braiden in August and fell pregnant immediately after in a freak accident with quintuplets that were born at the end of December."

"Oh you poor man!" Janine laid a soft hand on his shoulder. "You have a nine month old and five, four month old children and you're still in school aren't you? My word, how do you get anything done?!"

Harry smiled. "The benefit of having four dominants to help out, though I admit it's a struggle for all of us. So if you'd like to collect the other five, I'd happily swap you for this little wonder." Harry brushed Marisa's nose with his index finger and she giggled in delight.

"That's alright; I'd rather have two Marisa's than look after six under one year olds." Rory told him, he looked astonished.

"Did you have any daughters? I know it's difficult for all males to have little girls. You did have an all-male group didn't you?"

"Yes, I have all male mates and yes, we have one daughter and five sons, she's the third oldest and we believe she's a fraternal twin with one of her brothers, they look like mirror images of one another and her brother was clutching her thumb as I birthed them."

"Oh, she sounds adorable, but five sons, my word, your mates must be proud."

"I dare say they'd be proud if I birthed a three headed octopus with no eyes. Our lives revolve around the children now and it does make it difficult, but I wouldn't have it any other way."

"Ma ma?" Braiden called out curiously, his indigo eyes searching him out and a grin taking over his face as he spotted him. "Mama!"

"Ooo, look Mummy! The baby's talking!" Marisa exclaimed excitedly. "Will my new brother or sister talk to me?"

"Not for a while Marisa Princess." Rory told her, the gooey look on his face that most doting Father's got when their 'Princesses' did something suitably adorable or pride worthy.

"Newborn babies don't do very much of anything." Janine explained. "We have to be very careful of the new baby for a long while and baby won't be talking for at least five or six months."

"Months?" Marisa cried. "That's forever!"

Harry chuckled. "I'm glad it's not, these last few months have been terribly difficult, but they've flown by, I look at all six of them and I can remember clearly what they were like at birth and I can't help but wonder what happened and where the time has gone."

Janine nodded understandably. "I know what you mean, it seems…seems like only yesterday when I had my little Marisa and I've blinked and suddenly she's this wonderful, gorgeous five year old girl." The woman sniffed and Harry had the same horrified look on his face that Rory did as she started tearing up.

"I…come on love, it's alright. It wasn't actually as short as a blink; we have photos of her growing up."

"I know, but I'm pregnant again now and we're having our second child, what if this baby grows up as fast as our Marisa?"

"I'm sure the baby won't be able to help it." Rory explained, at a complete loss as to what to actually do or say to his mate.

Harry put Marisa down when she squirmed and then she darted off as soon as her little sandaled feet hit the floor. Harry blinked and felt a thrill of fear for her running around on her own.

"She'll be fine." Rory said understanding the look on his face. "My family have a trust policy, we have always had it, we won't let our submissives ruin our children, so we teach them to let the children go, so far Marisa has been absolutely fine, she's probably seen one of her friends is all."

Harry nodded. "I won't let myself act like some of the submissives I've seen and I believe the Maddison's at least follow the same sort of policy…"

"You're mated to a Maddison?" Rory asked his eyes widening.

"I…yes. Max, Maximilius, he was my third mate."

"Oh dear Merlin."

"It's alright, he won't do anything." Harry frowned.

"No, it's not that. It's just…no one gets on Myron Maddison's bad side. No one. And everyone knows that the best and fastest way to get on his bad side is to hurt or upset one of his family, mates of children and siblings included."

"Well you haven't upset me, so it's fine."

Rory nodded. "The Maddisons are very highly respected Drackens, what they went through…" Rory trailed off shaking his head. "Alexander helped reform the mating rites to make it safer for both dominants and submissives to come together in the same room without deaths and Myron helped reform the Submissive Protection Act in nineteen-eighty-seven, the Elders were considering asking Alexander to become part of the Counsel, but he refused. He wants to spend every moment he can get with his family, not be pulled away by Counsel business."

Harry smiled. "That sounds just like Alexander."

"Oh, I think this little one needs a change." Janine cut in sniffing Braiden delicately. "Do you want me to take him?"

"Oh no, of course not, I wouldn't subject you to that in your condition." Harry chuckled taking Braiden from her carefully.

"The changing rooms are just outside the doors, next to the bathrooms." Rory told him as Harry looked around for the changing rooms that Nasta had mentioned were here.

"They need sign posts or something." Harry muttered as he thanked them both politely and wandered off with an uncomfortably squirming, stinky Braiden.

Harry found everything he could have possibly needed in the changing rooms, located in between the male and female toilets, piles of different kinds of nappies, from disposable to cloth, wipes, talc, medicated creams, potions and even spare briefs for children who had gotten a little overexcited and had an accident.

"There we go, all clean and fresh." Harry exclaimed as he pulled up Braiden's smart trousers and smoothed down his dress robes.

Braiden giggled at him and Harry couldn't help smiling at him as he cuddled him into the crook of his arm, cleaning up the changing station he had used before heading back out into the corridor to rejoin the meeting halls.

"You think you're so special!"

Harry turned around curiously, not actually expecting to be the one that comment was aimed at, but he saw Rebecca Silvermoss chug back a glass of white wine and teeter towards him on her too high heels.

"Excuse me?" He asked, turning his body away from her slightly to shield Braiden more.

"Max was supposed to be _my_ mate! That's supposed to be _my_ child!" She slurred looking at Braiden with a gleam in her glassy, unfocused eyes.

Harry took in a deep inhale and looked around, out here was nearly deserted, though there was a guard watching them closely. Harry stepped back a bit, more towards the guard.

"You're not having my child." Harry said loudly and the guard pushed off from the wall, his gun coming out from under his open blazer.

Rebecca had shoved him and tried to snatch Braiden quicker than Harry would have thought she would and he panicked, sending off a distress call as he felt Braiden leaving his arms. He lashed out from where he had fallen on the floor and caught her knee with his foot as he lurched up to snatch Braiden back into his own arms and the guard was suddenly upon them, expertly separating them off from one another and pinning Silvermoss to the wall with his gun pressed tight over her throat.

Braiden was crying hysterically and Harry curled over him, supporting and comforting him, sniffing him desperately for any injuries he might have gained, clutching him tightly before the familiar scents of his mates were surrounding him. Large hands touched his back, more tried to lift his face and he let them manoeuvre him until they could see his face, into his stricken eyes.

"What happened?" Myron asked in a deadly tone, hunched in front of him.

"She tried to snatch Braiden." Harry told them as he refused to let Braiden be parted from his arms. "She said that Max was hers and that Braiden was hers and she tried to take him. She almost got him from me!"

Myron stood up to his formidable height of six foot ten inches and Harry almost cowered back from the look in his eyes as he turned to Rebecca Silvermoss and stood so close to her that they had to have been touching. Harry could hear soft hissing and harsh whispering, but he couldn't make any words out, but he trusted Myron to look after them, no matter what, or from who.

"Where are the other children?" He asked as he realised the only baby around them was Braiden; even Leolin had gone from the sling on Nasta's front.

"With Marianna, Narcissa, Lucius and Max's sisters." Nasta informed him as he sat on the floor and pulled Harry onto his lap. "You don't bring your children to the battlefield; you leave them safe with family."

Harry nodded and breathed deeply to calm his Dracken down, it helped that his mates were all calm around him, soothing him and bringing him back from the edge of irrational behaviour.

"Do you want to go home?" Blaise asked him softly, but his hands were clenched in anger, his nails biting into the palms of his hands to keep himself grounded.

Harry shook his head. "No. I'm fine. I won't let her ruin a once a year meeting, though I swear right now if she tries for Braiden, or any of my children again, she's dead."

Nasta stood up with Harry in his arms before placing him gently on the ground.

"Do you want her removed from the meeting halls Harry sweet one?"

Harry looked over at the familiar voice of Elder Trintus and he smiled at the kindly man who had been his grounding rock during his meetings, who had taught him and looked after him. He had liked Elder Trintus and he had missed the man.

He shook his head. "That's alright Elder, she can stay as long as she knows that the next time she goes for my child, she'll lose her life."

The group of seven or so Elders nodded and Harry went to Elder Trintus happily and allowed the man to coo over Braiden, though he couldn't bear to let him out of his arms, he was holding him so tightly Braiden could barely squirm, let alone move, but he would rather that than have him snatched and gone from him.

Harry caught up with Elder Trintus, met Elder Midate and got to know Elder Kirrian better, Max stood like a silent shadow protector at his back, his body stiff with tension as if expecting an imminent attack. The Elders seemed to approve of him if their proud looks were any indication.

After a while Harry said his goodbyes to the Elders and moved back into the meeting halls, where everyone was looking at him, oh they tried not to, tried to do it inconspicuously and subtly, but Harry still caught the glances and the not so subtle stares.

"Harry."

Harry blinked at the large man suddenly in front of him, not as tall or broad as Max, Nasta or even Draco, but an inch or so taller than Blaise, but still, he was impressive and handsome. Something flashed in his mind and he grinned widely, moving to carefully hug the man in front of him, who he recognised from the familiar facial scarring.

"Arsenio. I haven't seen you in ages, how have you been?" He asked happily.

He was still tall, about six foot three, but he had more grey hair than the last time Harry had seen him. He was still handsome, despite the claw marks going down the one side of his cheek and still as well dressed as he had been in his mate meetings.

The man nodded curtly. "I have been well. Are you alright? I recognised your distress call from your meetings, but the guards wouldn't let anyone but your family and the Elders through."

Harry huffed. "Some widowed hussy thought she could get with my mate and snatch my child, she almost got him away from me so I sent out the call, but I got him back."

"He is very cute." Arsenio complimented.

Harry smiled happily at that.

"Is the 'widowed hussy' still alive?"

Harry nodded. "Yes. If she tries for him again though I won't be so lenient."

"Most wouldn't have been lenient in the first place; you truly are different from every other submissive in every way."

"I'm taking that as a compliment." Harry teased with a smile.

Arsenio smiled back and inclined his head. "It was meant as one."

Harry caught up with Arsenio for the next hour, much to Max's annoyance, he didn't show it, but Harry could feel it in the way his body pressed against him.

Arsenio was still unmated and at forty-six, he now expected to remained unmated for life, Harry cheered him up and told him that not every submissive was the same and that someday, one submissive just perfect for him would pop up and he'd be happy that he had waited and hadn't mated to anyone just for the sake of it. That had made the weary man smile and Harry felt happy enough to leave Arsenio and let Max steer him towards the bar.

"I need another drink after that; do you want a grape juice?"

Harry shrugged. "Do they have just fruit juice? I don't think my stomach could handle anything sparkling right about now. It's so tight, anything bubbly is going to make me sick."

"Of course they do." Max smiled at him. "What juice did you want?"

Harry shrugged again. "Any, I don't mind as long as it's not sparkling."

"Hey, I heard what happened, everyone's talking about it." Stephan greeted with a worried look.

"It was Silvermoss, do you remember her?"

Stephan's face screwed up. "I think so. Arrogant bitch, got rid of everyone over the age of twenty and rejected you because of your tiny wings."

Max grinned. "Yeah, I'm so glad she did, I wouldn't have had my gorgeous Harry otherwise. Imagine missing out on this?" Max pulled Harry into his body and kissed him before turning back to Stephan with a grin. "Oh wait, you did."

Stephan grinned. "Good thing too or you'd still be without a mate."

Harry snorted and bounced Braiden higher. "Can I get an apple juice please? Non-sparkling."

"Sure thing sweetie and who is this cute little guy?"

"This is our firstborn son. Braiden."

"Zabini's kid yeah?"

Harry nodded, accepted his chilled apple juice and wandered off towards where he had last seen the family. He found them before he reached where they had been before and he snuggled into Draco's side, sipping his apple juice.

"Are you alright Harry?" Draco asked.

Harry sighed. "Yes, I'm just tired and everyone staring at me and talking about me doesn't help."

"Where's Max?" Alexander cut in.

"Over by the bar talking to his friend Stephan. I'm sure Myron will be able to see him."

"What makes you say that?" Richard asked, his voice was almost gone, but he managed a whispered croak.

"They have to be the tallest people in the room, all they have to do is look around and they'll spot one another because everyone else is head and shoulders shorter than them."

Myron snorted and gave a smirk. He looked around and nodded.

"I see him; I see the top of his head by the bar."

"See? I told you. When you're near seven feet, no one else can compare, you must be head, shoulders and half your chest taller than everyone else."

Myron gave him a sly grin and Harry's smile faded as he was grabbed and hoisted up on those shoulders with Braiden, who screeched in absolute joy.

"How does it feel to be over seven feet?" Myron asked him, holding him securely.

"Disorientating, how do you manage this all the time? It's horrible being up here."

"Braiden likes it." Myron told him, listening to the happy coos and screeches.

"Yes he does. I could do without it though. Oh! I really can see Max."

Myron snorted and slipped him down into his arms, kissed his temple, kissed Braiden's cheek and set him back on the floor, all without spilling his apple juice.

"You've done that before."

"Of course I have. I had five very active, very boisterous children who loved climbing all over Daddy and being up high. Caesar loved it, he hated being shorter than Max, whenever we went for walks, he had to be up taller than Max, I'd usually have Caesar and one of the girls on a shoulder each and Richard would have another of the girls. When he was older, and taller, Max would carry one of his sisters around to copy us, do you remember that phase?"

Richard nodded with a happy, reminiscent grin.

"We couldn't help climbing on you Daddy." Alayla smiled.

"I know love. But having a clump of my hair yanked out because you and your sister started fighting on my shoulders is not the most pleasurable of experiences."

Richard choked out a laugh. "I remember that!" He gasped out.

"Stop talking until your voice comes back Richard."

"Myron is right Richard." Kimberly chastised. "Rest your throat."

Richard frowned, but he remained silent, he did sidle up to Myron and lean against him though and Harry smiled as almost unconsciously, Myron's arm wrapped around him and held him tighter even as he carried on his conversation with his Father.

He hoped nothing else happened to their family, he couldn't stand to have them broken up or destroyed, it was bad enough with Max's attitude towards his own Mother, though Harry would admit, out loud too, that he wasn't happy with her himself, to refuse the help of a mind Healer just dragged up all his stubbornness and anger with her and he firmed himself not to let her near his babies until she got help, until she got herself sorted out. He would be happy to include her in his life and his children's lives, but only once he was sure she was in her right mind and not a moment before.

* * *

Harry collapsed onto the bed with a sigh and spread his body over it. Blaise fell next to him and shoved him over.

"That was a horrible night, I blame you!" Blaise hissed at Max.

"I can't help it if I'm irresistible!" Max laughed.

"He couldn't have known Mossy would have gotten even more pissed drunk on white wine and tried to attack him." Harry grinned; using his new nickname for Rebecca Silvermoss, who had thoroughly disgraced herself at this year's meeting and likely wouldn't be invited for next year's meeting.

"She didn't attack me, she sort of fell short." Max giggled.

Harry laughed with him, remembering her screaming and shouting like a lunatic, approaching Max intent on hitting him, only to slip on her high heels and end up at his feet.

"Women fall at my feet!" Max declared, spinning around and falling on the bed.

"As long as you don't expect us to." Draco muttered, shedding his dress robes.

"You've had far too much to drink." Nasta shook his head, giving Max's bum a playful swat.

"If you want to make anything of it, you've gotta spank me harder than that."

Harry chuckled and slipped out of his dress robes.

"Oh, never mind, I have a sex slave stripping in front of me." Max chuckled, putting his chin on his folded hands to watch him.

"Sex slave?" Harry snorted. "You're my slave lover boy."

"Do you wish for me to strip Master?"

Harry shook his head with a laugh and tossed his robes to the side, throwing his uncomfortable, formal trousers after them.

"Oh now that's a better view." Max said as he dragged Harry towards him by an ankle.

"Hey!" Harry called out, laughing as he found himself being covered by Max and having his neck bitten and sucked.

"Alright, alright, pack it in. Harry and Blaise have a big day tomorrow, they need their sleep." Nasta told them, breaking them up.

Harry chuckled and snuggled into Draco and Blaise, leaving Nasta to wrestle a drunken Max from his clothes and tuck him in.

"I guess I'm on the night feeds then." Nasta rolled his eyes. "Stay in that bed and get to sleep Max." He ordered as Max tried to get out from under the duvet.

"I'm not tired." He whined.

"Yes you are, you just don't know you are."

"How is that even possible?"

"Sleep now or you'll be on the settee with a sleeping potion."

"Fine." Max huffed.

"I've never seen him like this." Harry chuckled.

"It's what he's like on champagne. It makes him act different than when he's drunk on wine and he's different again when he's had too much beer." Nasta shook his head. "You're not twenty anymore Max, you have to stop doing this."

"You…you're not my Mother." Max declared sleepily.

"Thank Merlin for small mercies, now just get to sleep." Nasta answered.

"Are you coming to join us Nas?" Harry asked as he realised Nasta wasn't getting into the bed.

"I'm going to check on everything, check the kids and then come to bed, I'll be ten minutes." Nasta said softly.

Harry nodded and snuggled back into the warm pile of bodies. He was fast asleep before Nasta came back almost exactly ten minutes later to strip out of his clothes and slip into the bed with the rest of them.

* * *

Harry woke up early the next morning and didn't know why until he heard loud retching in the bathroom. He looked in the bed, to find Draco and Blaise cuddled together, but Max and Nasta were missing.

He groaned and checked on Leolin in his bassinet beside the bed. He was still sleeping soundly.

Harry padded down the stairs carefully and into the bathroom to find Nasta comforting Max, whose head was buried down the toilet.

"Is he okay?" Harry asked sleepily, rubbing his eyes to try and wake himself up a bit more.

"It's early love, go back to bed, Max'll be fine, his body is just reminding him why it's a bad idea to drink so much in one night." Nasta told him very softly, telling Harry that Max probably had a banging headache from the violent vomiting and the onset of a very bad hangover.

Harry shook his head and came to kneel beside them, patting Max's naked, sweaty shoulder.

"I can't sleep now, it's too early to be awake, but too late to get any decent amount of sleep, I'll end up feeling worse for any more sleep." He explained quietly.

"Go and get some tea then, Max could certainly use a cup to sooth his stomach."

Harry nodded and went out into the kitchenette, sending a short wave of magic to the fire to set it going, it was freezing this early in the morning even if it was almost summer.

He boiled the kettle and poured three cups of tea, he carried two into the bathroom, to find Max leaning fully against Nasta, looking pathetic, tired and unwell.

"You brought this on yourself." Nasta told him as he groaned weakly. "Thank you Harry. Here, drink this, Harry made you tea."

"Thank you Harry." Max replied, sounding terrible.

"That's alright, you get better in time for the match, you hear me, Blaise and I will never forgive you if you miss our last ever game. The last one at Hogwarts at least." Harry grinned.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world." Max answered before he gulped the tea down.

Harry went to the bedroom and checked on his children, picking up Regan as his eyes were the only pair open, before checking on Braiden in his new room, who was also just waking up.

Harry carried them both out into the living room and placed them on the carpet with a pile of toys as he made Braiden and Farren baby cereal for breakfast and got the others' bottles set up ready. He kept a stern eye on the two over on the rug; Braiden was showing off his crawling skills to Regan, who was on his belly, pushing up with his arms to look around him curiously and with more than a little interest.

Harry made breakfast, only some eggs and toast, he didn't have the time to mess about with doing a big, fancy breakfast as well as feeding Braiden and Farren and doing four bottle feeds on top of that. He put a warming spell on the plates and made up four bottles, letting them cool down as he went to check on the four babies left in the bedroom, Farren, Calix and Tegan were awake and gurgling to one another, or to themselves, he wasn't entirely sure as he moved them into the living room, before climbing the stairs in the bedroom to the huge platform above and checking on Leolin who was still fast asleep in his bassinet, but Draco was stirring on the bed.

"Breakfast is ready when you are Draco." He said quietly as he picked Leolin up, he got a soft grunt of acknowledgement back so he carried Leolin carefully down the stairs.

Harry placed him into the bassinet in the living room and spared a look for his children, hauling Braiden back with his brothers and sister when he went out of the circle of safe space he had set out for his children, Braiden was disgruntled, but his head was level with all manner of table corners and Harry couldn't take that chance.

He boiled the kettle again to make more tea before he put Farren into Braiden's highchair, because they only had one at the moment, and fed the very happy boy his smooth cereal.

Harry had noticed that Farren opened his mouth very wide for the spoon, as if he didn't want to waste a single spoonful of food, where Braiden barely opened his mouth at all and Harry had to manipulate the spoon into his mouth, getting most of his food onto his cheeks and chin in the process.

Harry fed Farren happily, Braiden not so happily, before Calix started grizzling for his own breakfast.

"Two minutes love!" Harry called out as he scraped Braiden's bowl for a last spoonful. "Come on baby." He pleaded, trying to get the spoon through barely opened lips. "Just a little wider Braiden baby, please."

Harry forced the spoon into Braiden's mouth, letting him nibble on it and swallow the cereal, before using the spoon to wipe his face; he fed him the last bit as Calix started full out crying.

"Alright Calix love!" Harry said as he used a cloth to wipe Braiden's face and hauled him from the highchair and settled him back on the floor.

Harry scooped up Calix and rocked him gently. He tested the bottle against his forearm and then, relieved at the warm temperature, he shoved it into Calix's wailing mouth.

Draco came out perfectly showered and dressed, but he looked uncomfortable.

"What's the matter?" Harry asked curiously.

"I need a piss, but Max has his head buried down the toilet and every time Nasta tries to move him, he starts vomiting again." Draco grumbled.

"Ah. Can you hold it or should I remove Max's head for you and give him a bucket?"

"I can hold it for a little longer; I have more self-control than that, but I did drink a lot last night."

"If he's not out after you've eaten, I'll drag him out. He's been in there for over two hours. Is Blaise awake yet?"

"He's getting there."

Harry nodded and finished feeding Calix, burped him and settled him back on the floor before hefting up Regan and shoving a bottle in his mouth. Tegan was next and then Harry tried to wake up Leolin for his feed, but he wasn't having any of it, so he left him and ate his own breakfast as Blaise came out, partially dressed in his Quidditch uniform, his gorgeous legs encased in greyish-silver leggings, muscled chest covered by the same colour vest.

"You need to get ready Harry." Blaise told him.

Harry snapped out of his daze and groaned. "I know, give me a minute!"

Harry scoffed down the last of his breakfast and almost broke the plate by throwing it into the sink and of course Leolin took that moment to wake up crying.

Harry sighed and picked him up carefully, holding him tightly as he held the teat of the bottle out to him and watched as he latched on.

"When do you have to take him to meet the stupid Faeries?" Draco asked.

"Don't call them stupid Draco, Leolin's a Faerie too. But it'll definitely be after graduation, I can't even think at the minute, let alone plan a trip to the Faerie city. I want to be settled and secure first, until then, there's not a chance, no matter how many demanding letters they send to Aneirin and Nasta."

"Who's sending me letters?" Nasta asked as he supported Max into the kitchen gently.

Max inhaled once, then dived back towards the bathroom. Harry rolled his eyes as he finished feeding Leolin, burped him and settled him on a little beanbag, so he wasn't flat on his back, but was upright somewhat and still fully supported.

"Eat your breakfast Nas, I'll go and see to him." Harry sighed.

Harry went into the bathroom and found Max lying flat on the floor, he checked him over and bright blue eyes blinked open at him.

"Oh, you are conscious then."

Max just groaned. "Don't sound so upset about it."

"You did bring this on yourself. You drank a hell of a lot last night." Harry replied. "How are you feeling?"

"The world is spinning." Max laid his head against the tile floor and sighed. "The floor is cold and so nice."

"Please tell me you can shake this off before the match." Harry begged. "You still sound drunk."

"I think I might be." Max groaned. "Go and get me one of those potions that stops it."

"I don't think Nasta will let you."

"I don't care, I want one." Max groaned pathetically. "I'll be able to watch the match fine if I have one as well."

Harry sighed. "Okay, give me a minute. Don't go anywhere."

Harry chuckled as he looked at Max spread out on the floor by the toilet, wearing only his loose boxer shorts, pressing as much skin against the cool tile as possible. Max wasn't going anywhere without help for a while. Not without a potion at the very least.

He went back into the living room to find his three mates scoffing their breakfasts, watching the time and watching the babies, who still needed their baths and dressing for the day.

"Is Max alright?" Nasta asked as he came into the kitchenette and pulled down the first aid kit, though it was more like a large jewellery chest.

"He wants a sobriety potion. He's going to get hell for doing this on our big day!" Harry huffed mock angrily as he found the little vial labelled as a sobriety potion, grabbed it, put the first aid kit back before stomping back to the bathroom.

He grinned as he found Max curled up around the toilet.

"I got it and I think I managed to convince Nasta that I was angry with you, so it should be fine. Come here."

Max crawled to his knees and sat up slowly, looking very pale and sweaty at the movement, no matter how small and slow. Harry unstoppered the vial and brushed Max's hair with his fingers as he swallowed the contents of the little bottle down in one go.

Potions were very potent stuff and fast acting, Max looked visibly better within minutes, but the difference between injected potions and orally taken potions was dramatic. Orally taken potions took a few minutes to work, injected potions, as they went directly into the bloodstream, acted in seconds.

"Oh I feel renewed!" Max exclaimed happily, stretching his aching body and rubbing his face.

"You had better be, the kids still need to be bathed and dressed, I'm not ready and Blaise is still eating breakfast, we're going to be so late!"

Harry stripped quickly and hopped into the shower, ignoring Max, who was washing his face in the sink to wake up a bit more and to refresh himself. Harry washed as quickly as he could and when he got out, Draco and Nasta were bathing the kids while Max dressed the washed and dried babies.

He grabbed a towel and rubbed himself dry quickly, wincing as Braiden started screaming as soon as the water touched his bum.

"He's going to have this bath over one day; I think we should start putting him in the big bath." Nasta sighed as he tried to hold Braiden still, while Draco washed him with a soft cloth.

"I'm sure I saw bath seats in that store we went too." Max replied. "We can get him one of those now he can sit up properly. Maybe some toys would help calm him down a little so he's not such a monster in the water."

"If it'll help, I don't care what you do." Harry replied as he threw the towel into the hamper and walked naked into the bedroom.

Blaise was just finishing off getting into his Quidditch uniform, though he dropped his armguard when he saw Harry.

"Don't even think about it. We don't have time." Harry warned him as he dug out his pale yellow leggings and dragged them on to his still slightly damp legs, forgoing underwear. Blaise's leggings and vest were a greyish-silver, overlaid with emerald green robes, it was a stunning contrast.

He bent over the dresser to find the rest of his uniform and Blaise pinched his bum, making him jump and almost hit his head.

"Hey! I'm trying to get dressed here Blaise!"

"I can't help it, you're so gorgeous."

Harry snorted and pulled on his skin tight, pale yellow Quidditch vest, before dragging on his bright red socks with the two bright yellow stripes at the top.

"You look stunning like that. I swear I get hard every time I see you in those damnable uniforms." Max told them, coming out of the bathroom carrying Regan and Calix, who were dressed up warmly in jumpers, but they had forgone the snowsuits, what with it being May this time around.

"Maybe if you're good we'll all wear our Quidditch uniforms for you, Draco still has his." Blaise winked.

"We'll treat you and Nasta on the night before our graduation." Harry chuckled, catching on as he slipped his bright red robes on over his vest and leggings before fishing out his shin and arm guards and strapped them into place before stepping into his knee high flat boots and lacing them up tightly. He found his steel boned gloves that protected his fingers from breaking and tucked them into the waistband of his leggings and picked up his gorgeous son, Calix.

"Are we ready?" Nasta asked as he slipped the strap of the fully packed nappy bag over his shoulders.

Harry nodded as he got Calix and Leolin into his arms, making sure they had everything they could possibly need and that no baby had been left behind.

"Right, let's go rally the team and remember Blaise, you can't forbid them from involving me in the game."

Blaise gave him a dark look that said that he had planned to do just that.

"I mean it; I want your best game, not a handicap." Harry said sternly as they made their way down to the Great Hall.

Harry went to the Gryffindor table with Nasta, while Blaise and Draco headed for the Slytherin table with Max, who was in a deep debate with Draco over the strengths and weaknesses of both teams and who he believed would win based on what he had seen so far. Personally Harry thought he was trying to avoid Nasta as much as possible.

"Hey Harry, how are you feeling?" Ginny asked in her own uniform and finishing off a hearty breakfast.

"Fit and ready to destroy Slytherin once again. Gryffindor are winners in points, all we need to do is get this match won and we'll get the Quidditch cup. Slytherin are goners."

Ginny snorted and grinned at him. "Of course they are. Your lover is the Captain."

"Hey, Blaise is bringing his best game, don't you think that just because we love one another and share a bed and a child that we've automatically won this match, he's going to give us his all."

"If any of his team hurt you, they're dead." Ginny said seriously. "He wants to win, but he won't have you hurt, even I can see that."

Harry rolled his eyes and took a last drink of pumpkin juice, shifting Calix as he cooed softly, lashing a foot out at Leolin.

"Calix, don't do that love." Harry said softly as he handed Leolin off to Nasta, who slipped him into the sling he was wearing.

"Can I hold him? Is this one Nasta's?" Ginny asked as Harry handed him over.

"No, Max's. Leolin, Regan and Tegan are Nasta's."

"Oh, I'm sorry, I can never keep them straight, I knew Leolin was Nasta's though, Faerie baby right?"

Harry grinned and nodded. "Yeah, Faerie baby with his gorgeous Gryffindor gold eyes."

"I bet they look stunning, he hasn't ever been awake to show me those eyes yet."

"You'll get plenty of time yet to see them, he needs a lot of sleep, I don't want to do anything to disrupt his development, he's started earlier than most Faerie babies, I want to keep it that way."

Ginny nodded understandingly. "Hermione's been filling me in, she borrowed some books on Faeries from the library and I think you gave her some, she's been overloading herself with Faerie information because she doesn't want to research the _other_ thing in case someone asks her why or digs deeper into it, so she's waiting for graduation and a trip to Flourish and Blotts."

"Who told you about that?" Nasta asked suspiciously.

"My Mum let it slip, she didn't realise I didn't know, she thought it was only Ron, but your secret is safe with me, don't worry and I'll even forgive you for not cluing me in, I can understand why and Hermione and I have been having little conversations, it's fun to make up code words for it, we've been calling it your Charlie for the last week. But she does want as many books as she can get on the matter."

Harry snorted. "She'll need more than Flourish and Blotts. The amount of information on that subject is very limited."

"What are you talking about Harry?" Seamus asked.

"What rates of Muggleborns have a born squib ancestor." Ginny replied quickly and easily. "Hermione was interested, but she can't find anything on it."

"Well, all of them do." Seamus replied confused. "You can't have a Muggleborn without a magical ancestor."

"I think what Hermione wants to know is how far back her magical ancestor was, so she's looking for the average amount of generations the Muggleborn's squib ancestor was before their birth to see if there is a pattern so she can apply it to her own family." Nasta explained easily, as if that was truly what they were talking about before Seamus joined them.

Harry squeezed his thigh and smiled at his quick thinking. He loved that he had smart, quick thinking mates; they could protect him and his babies better.

When it was time for the teams to move out to prepare, Harry gave a kiss to Leolin and to Calix before he handed the latter over to Nasta with a kiss, taking the brooms he had been carrying in lieu of a baby and walking to the Slytherin table, he kissed Tegan, Farren, Regan and then Braiden, before kissing Max, Draco and Blaise, handing the latter his broom.

"He's done something to your broomstick!" One of the Chasers of Slytherin burst out.

"The one in my leggings maybe." Blaise shot back scathingly.

"You wish I had." Harry grinned. "Give me a kiss for luck."

"I would, but I think I need it more." Blaise told him seriously.

Harry smiled and kissed Blaise. "For luck." He said sweetly as they broke apart. "Now I have to go and prep my team to pummel you into the ground. Have fun."

Max's laughter followed him as he walked to meet the rest of his team at the doors, shouldering his Firebolt happily. He loved flying and he was so happy to be able to take part in this match, it had been touch and go with his heat periods, but he was unpregnant and not due another heat period for at least another month and a half. He'd be out of school by the time he went on his next one and that had made Draco very, very happy indeed.

* * *

Harry next saw Blaise on the pitch, he had given a riveting speech and loved how his team trusted in him and rallied around him, he hadn't had a single comment about him going easy on Blaise because they were lovers. His team knew him better than that, though Blaise's face told him that his teammates weren't as convinced and had given him a right going over about it.

He and Blaise shook hands, though far from the usual pre-match, break opponents fingers grasp, Harry didn't want to let go of Blaise's hand for an entirely different reason, and when Blaise pulled him into a kiss, the crowds went wild.

"I think that must be a new thing, I don't think any Captains have ever kissed before a match in the History of Hogwarts." Harry smiled.

"We're not like other Captains." Blaise winked back.

"Is this proof that the outcome of this game is already decided? With that kiss between legendary Captain and Seeker Harry Potter, who has led his team into victory a record of nine games since his appointment of Captaincy in his sixth year, after a very successful seven years on the Gryffindor team and his lover Blaise Zabini, who took over Captaincy of Slytherin this year after the position was declined by Harry Potter's other lover, Draco Malfoy." The commentator, a Ravenclaw seventh year, announced far too seriously.

"Well that was long winded and unnecessary." Blaise snorted. "You had better bring your best game Potter."

"You're damn right I will Zabini, but I do plan on making this my tenth win of my Captaincy career, so you had better have brought better than your best to their pitch."

"Mount your brooms." Madam Hooch told them.

Harry threw his leg over his Firebolt, watching Blaise do the same, only with his Nimbus two thousand and one.

"On my whistle. Three. Two. One." A sharp blast of the whistle and Harry kicked off from the hard floor, first as always, and he forgot everything, forgot that he was playing against Blaise, forgot the crowd and the commentator, nothing matter but the feel of the wind in his hair and the snitch.

It was a good game, despite what the commentator called 'boring' seemingly because Harry wasn't being battered by Bludgers. Gryffindor were fifty points up on Slytherin, who only had ten points to their sixty, but their Chasers were trying, Blaise especially, who had scored Slytherin's only goal.

Harry kept an eye on the young Seeker they had replaced Draco with this year, she was good apparently, but she hadn't been in Draco's league, let alone in Harry's. She wasn't doing much of anything, but her eyes were alert and watchful. Harry kept his eye on her as he drifted around the pitch lazily, waiting for the snitch to make its first appearance of the match.

Despite his warning to Blaise, not a single Bludger came his way, though that didn't mean they were safe from the Slytherin Beaters, who were aiming instead at their Chasers and their Keeper, of course the commentator picked up on this and started pointing it out.

Harry flew up to Blaise and punched his shoulder.

"Hey! You said no holding back!"

"I'm not going to let them hit Bludgers at you!" Blaise said angrily, swiping the sweat from his forehead.

"Chances are they wouldn't hit me anyway!"

"I'm never going to take that chance! I love you, you're my lover, the Mother to my one and only child, I never want anything to hurt you; it's just a game Harry. It's not worth a night in the hospital wing."

"If I had a Beaters bat I'd clonk you on the head with it then you'd see the hospital wing in a better light."

"Harry, I'm sorry, but I'm not risking them hitting you. People die from Bludgers if they're hit wrong."

"I'll hit you wrong! What would you do if I refused to seek the snitch?!"

"Hold up the Quidditch cup." Blaise said stonily. "If you throw the game, your team will never forgive you, if I throw the game, I won't give a shit what they think."

Harry gave him the look he deserved and flew off and signalled time out to Madam Hooch, ignoring that he had been talking in the middle of the pitch for three minutes while the game was still going on.

He landed angrily and waited for his team to land around him.

"What's the matter Harry?" Ginny asked. "What was with the domestic?"

"He's told his Beaters that he'll curse them if they aim for me." He spat out furiously.

"That's good though, isn't it?" Hendix asked innocently.

"No it's not good!" Harry snapped. "I told him to treat this like any other match!"

"Harry, he's not going to. Of course he's not." Ginny told him gently. "It hasn't been said, but what would you do if Jimmy and Ritchie hit Blaise with a Bludger and he fell thirty feet to the floor?"

Harry's fists clenched automatically and his face pulled into a snarl.

"Exactly!" Ginny said, smacking him. "He doesn't want to feel like you just did, he doesn't want you to get hurt. I know you can avoid them, but not always. Leave it and lets crush him anyway, if you don't get the snitch, I don't know if we'll win, the Beaters are leaving you alone, but they aren't leaving us alone, Jimmy and Ritchie are doing well, but it only takes one hit Harry and our front technique will fail and we'll lose, if Paulie gets hit, that's it, game over, Blaise is too good a Chaser and without a Keeper…get the snitch, please."

Harry sighed and calmed down somewhat. He nodded.

"Yeah, I think I can get the snitch, I have no idea what the Slytherin Seeker's name is, but she doesn't seem very good. She'll be good in a few years, but not this match, and not against me."

Harry signalled that he was ready to get back in the air to Madam Hooch and he had a group huddle with his team, before getting on his broom and getting back in the air.

The Slytherin team took to the air as well and Harry took a deep breath, sent a smile to Blaise, got a smile back and the game was on. Neither of them sent Bludgers at each other, but Blaise getting hit by a Bludger didn't affect the game as much, they had two other Chasers, maybe not as good, but still two other goal scorers on the pitch, the Gryffindor Beaters _were_ aiming for the Slytherin Seeker, which would mean Slytherin would have next to no chance at winning the game if one of them hit.

Harry couldn't help smiling as he saw the formidable forms of Max and Nasta in the crowd, the platinum blond head of Draco next to them, six babies surrounding them.

Harry dove back into the game, ignoring the commentator screaming about the 'injustice' of having two lovers as Captains for opposite teams. Harry rolled his eyes at the dramatics. Quidditch die hards always annoyed him, though it had been funny with Oliver, though he knew now that telling a young kid 'get the snitch or die trying' was more than a bit harsh, especially as it was an interschool match and not even a league game or world cup.

Another hour into the game and the commentator had moved on to exclaiming that Harry was purposefully not seeking the snitch to give the Slytherin Seeker a chance, which was just untrue, he hadn't seen the snitch once all match, though he was proud that Blaise had gotten two more goals, and equally proud that Hendix had stopped twice as many as he hadn't been able to save. He was a very good Keeper, maybe in a few years he could even be as good as Oliver, who was now a permanent, first team Keeper for Puddlemere United having moved up from the reserved team.

Gryffindor led seventy to thirty and the Slytherin players were getting dirty, despite Blaise intervening and giving them a shout out about it. They had promised one another a clean game.

Harry wasn't going to give them a chance though, he flew up high until everyone were little specks, though the magical megaphone allowed him to hear the commentator claim that he was going up high so he could claim he hadn't seen the snitch if it popped up, which wasn't true as Harry had a feeling the snitch was hiding up here as he hadn't spotted it once at game level.

He was right and Harry grinned as the chase started. He LOVED this part of a match, the high speed, hairpin turn chase after the nimble, winged, golden ball. He followed it, twisting and turning through the air, then the snitch went down, straight down and Harry followed it, all the way back down to game level, down further, the concentration was effortless for him, he was breathless from the plunge straight down with the wind forced through his hair, he sucked in as much air as he could into his protesting lungs and as the grass came up, the snitch zipped off to the left and Harry followed as if he were as small as the snitch himself, his knees scraped heavily on the ground, he had left it a bit late, but any earlier and he could have gone in the wrong direction and would have had to double back on himself, if he hadn't lost the snitch completely.

"Harry Potter's Wronski Feint has failed to engage the clever Slytherin Seeker into crashing into the hard, unyielding ground, what tactic will Captain Harry Potter come up with next after this recent tactic failed?"

That made Harry smile ferociously. The Slytherin Seeker wasn't giving chase, she, and everyone else, thought he had been Feinting, as he did in nearly every match he played in, but that was against good Seekers who knew how to play the game, this young girl couldn't even see the snitch dancing in front of his fingertips, she wasn't good enough to play, not yet.

Harry urged his broom on faster, quicker, twisting and turning after the snitch, going back up to game level, weaving through players and flying balls after the snitch and only then did the Slytherin Seeker realise that perhaps he wasn't Feinting and turned to give chase, only for Harry to pull sharply upwards after the ball and swipe it from the air. He held it up screaming and yelling and the sharp blast of Madam Hooch's whistle ended the game and Harry was converged upon by his teammates.

Noise and sound came back to him in a rush and he couldn't stop grinning, he felt renewed, reenergised and so very, very happy. When he was handed the Quidditch cup by a smiling Dumbledore, Harry flew it around the pitch, holding it up over the Gryffindor stands and laughing happily. Today had been amazing, to make up for the horrors that awaited him further down the line and the upsets of yesterday, today at least, had been incredible.

* * *

Harry actually went to the after party this time, being almost forced to go by Max and Nasta, who told him it would be his last chance. He enjoyed it immensely and had a great time with his friends, his team and his housemates.

He and Neville had taken two second years, three first years and a third year to the kitchens and told them it was a Gryffindor tradition for them to know where the kitchens were and how to get into them and that when they were seventh years they had to pass on the tradition to the younger years, but not all of them, just in case the secret got out and the kitchens were reinforced with a different portrait.

Laden down with baskets of snacks, drinks and cakes, they headed back to the party to feed everyone and the party was set to last well into the night, seeing as they had the Head Girl at their party, the Prefects couldn't say anything like Percy had in their third year.

Harry didn't stay all night, he stayed for a few hours before saying his goodbyes, claiming saucily that he wanted to carry on his own party with his lovers, before turning to his friends and telling them he missed his children. He hugged them and said goodbye, before walking happily through the school to the other side of the seventh floor and his own personal rooms.

He took out his wand and tapped the keyhole of the door in the portrait of the empty classroom and slipped it back into its holster as he pushed open the door and walked into the happy, calmness that was his personal rooms.

Max was cooking and had his back to him, but the other three and the kids were missing.

"Hi Max, where is everyone?"

Max startled and turned to look at him, he had a bruise forming on the side of his mouth, which was slightly bloody. Harry gasped and rushed to him.

"What happened?" He asked aghast.

Max sighed. "I riled Blaise and Draco up too much about the credibility of their Quidditch team, Blaise finally hit me one and stormed off to have sex with Nasta and Draco to make him feel better, I wasn't allowed to follow, so I'm making dinner instead to distract me from what I'm missing."

"What did you say to him?"

"A lot of things I shouldn't have, but I didn't realise I was upsetting him until he hit me, I thought it was all in good fun, but you know me, I always manage to shove my foot in my mouth."

"Did you apologise?"

"Several times, but he seemed to think it was just because I wanted to be included in the makeup sex. I'm not that sex mad, I was sorry I had upset him more than anything, but he didn't believe me."

"I believe you." Harry smiled and hugged him. "You never mean to hurt anyone, you're a big softie. No matter how angry they are, they shouldn't use sex as a weapon. That's wrong."

Max smiled at him and hugged him gratefully.

"Where are the kids?"

"They're down for the night. Leolin's due a feed in an hour, but the others have been put to bed for the next three hours at least."

Harry nodded. "Is dinner alright to cook itself for a while?"

"Yeah, I was just standing over it because I had nothing else to do." Max admitted bitterly.

"Come and cuddle then." Harry offered, moving to lay on the rug by the roaring fire. It was May, so it was slightly too hot by the fire, which is what Harry wanted.

Max came and laid next to him and they cuddled together, just talking, before it got almost too hot to bear and Harry started stripping off his Quidditch robes, Max joined him in shedding his long sleeved shirt and jeans.

"Leave your socks on." Max requested with a naughty grin.

Harry grinned. "You like the socks far too much."

"I like the leggings and the vest too, but I won't give up an opportunity to see your gorgeous, sweaty skin."

Harry stripped naked, leaving only his bright red socks with their two yellow stripes around the top. Max was naked too and they happily cuddled, sweating profusely in front of the fire, rubbing together. It wasn't about sex, mostly wasn't about sex anyway, but more about the bond and connection they had from skin to skin contact, laughing and cuddling, rolling around as much as they could on the rug, which was more than a bit arousing.

"What are you doing out here? I can hear you laughing from the bed…room." Draco had come out and looked around the room for Max as he spoke. He found them just as he finished his sentence and his mouth dropped open.

"What is he doing Draco?" Blaise asked.

"Having sex with Harry." Draco replied.

Nasta and Blaise just appeared and looked at them, they were all fully dressed and Harry knew what he and Max looked like, he had counted on it, as he smiled innocently at them.

"When did you get back?" Nasta asked.

Harry made a show of looking at the clock on the mantel piece.

"About an hour and a half ago. I left one party and had another one with Max, seeing as you three weren't here to join us."

"I thought you would have spent longer at your victory party."

Harry shook his head. "I missed my lovers and I missed my children. I wanted to come home."

"And then Max convinced you to have sex." Blaise deadpanned. He looked angry.

"No, I convinced _him_ to have sex with me." Harry corrected. "I wanted victory sex."

"He told you what he said, did he?"

"Actually he did and you should have all known that Max wouldn't have meant any harm, he thought he was teasing, if you didn't like it, you should have told him before you got angry enough to hit him, which I sincerely hope _was not_ in front of my children, or it'll be my turn to be angry. Now kiss and make up and let's eat, I'm still hungry."

"After what?" Nasta asked confusedly.

Harry grinned. "I snuck into the kitchens to get snacks and cakes for the party. I passed on the legacy of Moony, Padfoot and Prongs to the younger years, so hopefully, even after graduation, future generations of Gryffindors can enjoy victory with sweets and pastries too."

Nasta just shook his head and came to them; giving Max a kiss after Harry rebuffed his advance with a pointed glare. Draco did the same and then Blaise, who also apologised for hitting him.

"Wonderful! Now dinner yes? Exercise makes me hungry and I've had a lot of it today."

"Are you going to get dressed?" Draco asked with a slight hint of trepidation.

Harry grinned and pulled on his leggings, but only his leggings. Max groaned and tugged on himself through his boxers and Blaise thunked his head on the table.

"Who knew that leggings could be as bad as that horrible skirt?" Draco sighed, closing his eyes and breathing deeply.

Harry just laughed and sat down as Nasta helped Max dish up dinner. He ate happily and heartily and the conversation, though quiet and studded with silence as they ate, stayed well away from Quidditch, Harry knew Blaise didn't mind, and that they all knew he was excited to have won, but he wasn't insensitive enough to rub Blaise's face in his loss, he'd had his victory party and that was enough for him. He didn't need to talk about it endlessly or to relive the entire game, he was just happy to know that he had won and now he was back with what was important, his lovers and his children.

* * *

The next morning Harry dragged himself out of bed to get ready for lessons, he hated that the weekend had gone so quickly and that he was now back in lessons for another five days. He calmed himself, two more weeks and the exams would start, it would be over soon and he'd never have to do it again.

He scoffed his breakfast, ignoring Draco's look, so he'd have time to play with his children for half an hour at least before he had to rush around getting ready.

He built a tower of blocks with Braiden, helped Regan figure out the shape sorter puzzle that had once been Braiden's favourite toy, clapped at Calix as he bashed a little toy truck about laughing, stopped Tegan from putting a corner of a cushion in her mouth and bounced Farren on his knee. All the while Leolin slept happily on his beanbag.

The morning was alive with the sounds of baby screeches, laughter and cooing, the sounds of flashy, musical toys and Harry loved it. He laughed right along with his children and joined in their games where he could, grinning over his shoulder now and then at one of the others when they laughed at something particularly funny that a baby had done.

"They're growing up so fast, it's almost unreal." Max shook his head as he carefully stepped around toys and babies alike, the ease of such an action proving how often he had had to do it.

"I know, Braiden's almost a full year old. Just three more months and we'll be having our very first birthday party for our child. It doesn't seem like a year."

"I know what you mean." Max nodded.

"It's strange that he's almost a year old." Blaise said softly. "It doesn't feel like he should be that old. The time has rushed past and it's like we've completely missed it."

"We haven't." Nasta assured. "It's seemed so fast because we've got very full schedules and no time to actually step back and breathe for a while, to just look around and see what's in front of us, that makes it seem like the time has gone all the quicker. It'll be better once we're out of this school."

Harry sighed. "It'll be Christmas again soon, then the quintuplets first birthday. How do we handle five one year olds, on their birthday, all together?"

"Throw in a year and four month old and we have a disaster waiting to happen." Draco groaned.

"Plus any more children we could have by Christmas." Harry's eyes widened and he pressed a hand self-consciously to his belly, which was still slightly rounded, but was steadily firming up and slimming down.

"It's going to be worse at their fifth birthday party. Five, five year olds all running around, smearing cake everywhere, shouting, screaming…it's going to be a nightmare."

"Please stop speaking." Harry begged. "Let's take it one birthday at a time. I can't think about my little babies being five years old, not yet."

The welcome distraction came in the form of three owls bearing letters. Nasta collected them, shooed the owls away to the Owlery and snorted at the one letter, throwing it directly into the fire.

"Faerie counsel?" Harry asked.

Nasta just grunted in affirmation as he handed a letter to Max, who tore it open.

"It's from Caesar, he's checking in, Amelle's pregnancy's going great, he's included a scan photo for us."

Max handed the grainy photo around and Harry grinned at the little white mound that made up a baby.

"Caesar says that Amelle told him to write 'I'm still holding out for a girl' for you Harry." Max informed, his eyes tracking the letter until the end, where he folded it up and put in on the counter, Harry tucked the scan photo into a frame on the mantel piece. He made a mental note to dig out his photo album later, after lessons, to put it in safe.

"This letter's for you Harry." Nasta said, handing the last letter to him, after checking it extensively with his wand first, making sure there were no hidden curses or potions inside.

Harry opened it and checked the name at the bottom, but he needn't have bothered as the first line 'Dear Harry cub' would have clued him in to who it was instead. He smiled.

"It's from Remus. I haven't heard from him in ages, it has to have been at least five months, not since the quins were born, I've just been so busy, I hope he's okay." Harry frowned at the thought that Remus might be hurt or ill.

"I'm sure he's fine and has just been busy as well, Dumbledore would have said something if Remus was hurt or unwell." Nasta said, doing that thing he did where it made you think he'd read your mind.

Harry nodded, his smile coming back, which slipped from his face the further into the letter he read. He was shocked at the contents of the letter and by the end, he didn't know if he should be livid angry or upset and crying.

He threw the letter at Nasta, who caught it automatically on a reflex and stared at him in confusion.

"Tell me what he means!" He demanded of Nasta, who blinked at his demand and his behaviour towards one of his only remaining family members. Harry's shock was fading away to settle into anger. Anger had always come easily to him, ever since his fifth year.

"Dear Harry cub, it's been a long time since we last spoke, too long, and for that I'm sorry, but things here have been pretty hectic. Nymphadora and I have moved into a house together, out in the quiet countryside. It's beautiful Harry; I'll show you around when you have time for a visit.

This may come as a bit of a shock to you, but Dora and I got married in February, it was a quiet affair, not many guests, just Dora's family and a few others, I knew you were swamped and busy with your school work and your family, so I didn't invite you, I hope you're alright with that, Dora and I are planning to renew our vows in a year next summer, hopefully by then you will be able to come.

I've been so happy these last few months Harry, I'm glad I gave Dora a chance, she's really brought out the best in me and I couldn't be happier to have her with me now. I've gotten a small, part time job in the town, they're all Muggles so they shouldn't look too deeply into why I take every full moon off from work, if they do notice a pattern, I can always claim I'm wiccan, I'm wearing a pentagram just as a precaution, I need this job, it's not much, but we need everything we can get now.

Which brings me to my last point; Dora and I rushed the wedding mostly because she fell accidentally pregnant over the summer, August 20th, and gave birth to a beautiful baby boy last month, on the 18th, who we named Teddy, after Dora's Father. I'm so proud to be a Father; I really am, even though I worry so much for Teddy and Dora being landed with a werewolf as a family member. He's doing great and I was hoping you'd be his Godfather, I can't think of anyone else I'd rather ask than you, I hope this summer you'll be able to come and see him, all the best, Remus."

There was silence from all of them as Nasta finished reading the letter out loud; the noise and shrieks from the children fell into the background as Harry felt a tight squeeze in his throat and the corners of his eyes burned. He staved the tears of betrayal off viciously.

"What does he mean?" He asked again, biting out the words, hoping someone made more sense of the letter than he had.

"I…how could he have gone off, gotten married and had a child without telling you?" Blaise asked softly. "He didn't tell you did he?"

Harry shook his head, his body clenching to keep control of himself.

"This is the first I'm hearing about it. I knew he liked Tonks, I knew she liked him, the last I heard they'd started a tentative relationship, now the next I hear they've gone and gotten married and had a baby!" Harry's voice shook under the strain of his anger and the light headedness he felt at this sudden news.

"This…we don't need this right now." Draco bit out sharply.

"He does see me as family doesn't he?" Harry asked softly, unsurely. "I mean, he's the only one I have left, I know we're not related by blood or any official titles, but I saw him as family and I thought he did too. You don't go and get married and not tell your family because you thought they were busy, you don't get someone pregnant and not tell your family! You don't have a baby and not tell your family!" Harry lost the battle with his body and the first hot, scalding tears washed over his cheeks. He swiped them away roughly and angrily and backed away from Max who tried to hug him. "Don't. If you hug me now I'm not going to be able to leave this room, we have class in twenty minutes."

"You're not going." Nasta told him firmly. "You're staying here with me, you've had a huge shock and I'll tell Dumbledore myself why."

Harry looked up at that. "Dumbledore. Remus tells him everything, I wonder if he knew. I won't be able to handle it if he knew and didn't tell me."

Harry quivered and Nasta pulled him into a hug, even as Harry tried to fight him off.

"You're in shock Harry." Nasta told him, holding him tighter. "Just breathe and try to calm down."

"Calm down? How the hell can I do that Nasta! He didn't tell me he was getting married, he didn't tell me he was expecting a baby and now he tells me, via letter, that he's married with a two week old son and expects me to be okay about everything!"

"I know it's difficult love, but try. Please."

Harry sucked in deep, ragged breaths and tried to calm his weak, rapid heartbeat. He swallowed and tried to think past the shock, tried to understand, but he couldn't. He just felt a complete sense of betrayal by one he loved so much and it sent him quivering again.

Nasta held him tighter and rubbed his back and arms to warm him up after a touch to his skin revealed it was cold and clammy.

Max waved a muted, greyish-white potion in front of him and coaxed him into drinking the mild calming draught, he needed it and as his body stopped quivering and started warming up again, he realised exactly how much this had affected him and how badly.

"I just don't understand, how could he have done this to me? He knows I hate secrets and surprises, how can he just spring this on me in a letter?" Harry said, the potion forcing calm over him, when he knew he was angry inside. It was a very strange feeling.

"It'll be alright, you've had a bad shock, but once it settles, we'll ask him exactly why he thought this would be a good idea, why he believed keeping this from you would be a good idea, I thought he had a modicum of intelligence, but it seems he doesn't."

"He was probably just excited." Max sighed, then gulped as several glares were sent his way and he backtracked quickly. "Not that that's any excuse, of course not, he should have told you, he should have, it was wrong of him to do this and I won't condone it."

"Draco, Blaise, you need to go to lessons or you'll be late, don't worry about chasing down Harry's Professors, I'll sort that out." Nasta said softly, brushing Harry's hair gently. "Harry, would you like to go back to bed?"

Harry shook his head. "I want to ask him what he was thinking! You don't keep this from family! Maybe he really doesn't see me as family anymore, now that he's got Tonks and his baby."

"I'm sure that's not true love. We'll get to the bottom of this; just put it from your mind." Nasta winced as soon as he said it.

Harry glared at him, as he knew he would.

"How am I supposed to put this out of my mind? He's married with a child! Just five months I haven't seen him, she was pregnant when they were at the house when I had the quintuplets."

"They might not have known then." Max tried weakly.

"She would have been four months pregnant! What sort of person doesn't know they're four months pregnant?!" Harry demanded.

Draco pulled him into a hug and kissed him.

"We'll sort it out, don't worry about a thing, we have to go to lessons, but we'll be back for lunch." He assured him.

Harry sighed. "Thank you Draco. I love you."

Draco kissed him softly and lingeringly before Blaise took over; letting Harry get one gasp of air, before kissing it right back out of him. Harry couldn't help but smile at that, which is what they had wanted.

"Thank you. I love you both. Be careful and don't stress over the exams, you'll be fine, me on the other hand, have no chance, I've missed so many lessons this school year."

"You'll be just fine. You are intelligent so stop putting yourself down, just calm down, get some more sleep and let Nasta sort this; it's what he's top dominant for."

Harry managed a small smile as Max muscled and man handled him onto the settee. Forcing a cup of honey tea into his hands and smoothing a blanket over his lap.

"We can't take any chances with shock, even psychological shock can cause complications, even though it's rare, I won't risk it. So we'll warm you up, keep you calm and wait on you hand and foot."

"I like the sound of that." Harry grinned easily.

"You just want a bunch of gorgeous man slaves to do your bidding."

"That too." Harry grinned. "If you can find me some gorgeous man slaves, that would be brilliant."

"Oi, cheeky." Max mock scowled. "You're lucky you're so adorable or I'd have to throw you over my knees and spank that cute bottom of yours."

Harry rolled his eyes. "I'm not cute, no part of me is cute, stop saying it is, I'm a grown man damn it."

Max just grinned at him and Nasta settled beside him, holding him wrapped in his blanket.

"I'm alright, the potion is working perfectly. I'm very calm." Harry explained.

"We will sort this out love. I promise."

"Why is our family so dysfunctional?" He asked. "Everyone seems to be working towards completely destroying us."

"They'll never succeed."

"It's our own family trying to destroy everything! Think about it Max, your Mother, now Remus, the dominants at the meeting, hell the submissives at the meeting tried to get you away from us."

"They'd never succeed." Max replied firmly.

"That's not the point; it's that they'd do it in the first place. She tried to snatch our child! How can I ever let them run free in the meetings if every submissive who wants you is going to try and hurt them, take them?!" Harry demanded. "They don't respect us, they won't stop because they don't want to and threats alone aren't enough."

"Are you regretting not making an example of Rebecca Silvermoss and killing her to warn off everyone else?" Nasta asked him softly.

"I think I am." Harry said sadly. "That's a terrible thing to say about someone, wishing them dead, wishing that you had killed them just to make a point, but it would have worked. Just like when Blaise killed that dominant who watched us having sex made a point to the other dominants. Words don't do anything with Drackens, actions make them think twice. No one would have dared touch our children again if I'd killed her when she almost snatched Braiden."

"Don't worry love, they'll all know soon enough."

"What do you have planned?" Harry asked Nasta curiously, his eyebrows lowering.

"It's a surprise."

"I don't like surprises." Harry pouted.

"You'll like this one." Max assured him.

"You're in on this too?" Harry asked.

Max nodded with a grin. "I found out accidentally when I came home earlier than expected and caught Nasta in the act, I've been in on it since then. Blaise and Draco don't know about it either, it's a surprise for them too."

Harry narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "Just what are you planning?"

"You'll have to wait and see, but you will like it."

"How can you be so sure?"

"We just can love, I promise and everyone in the wizarding world will then know we're together."

"It's already been in the papers and some Drackens still don't know."

"It's only been in the British papers love, not all Drackens that go to that meeting are British or live in Britain. You saw Demetrius there, he's Greek and lives in Greece, he wouldn't have read any of that shit in the papers. Stephan is Scandinavian; he was born in Norway and now lives on the border between Norway and Sweden with his family, he wouldn't have read anything in the papers about you or us, so not everyone will know, but after this, they will."

"I don't think I like the sound of that."

"You will, you won't have to wait too long either. We're almost done." Nasta assured him.

Harry rolled his eyes. "I hate secrets and surprises, can't you just tell me? We can all surprise Draco and Blaise then."

"No. It's your surprise." Nasta said stubbornly. "Now drink some tea and we'll see about sorting this out with Remus."

"I'll sort things out with my Mother too. I'm so angry with her, but I didn't realise how much it was destroying the family. I've never seen my Dad Richard have an episode as bad as he did the day before yesterday at the meeting, if it really is stress and strain doing that, then I'll do all I can to help him, even if it means talking to my Mother when I don't want to." Max said, before adding quickly and sternly. "But the kids aren't going near her. Not yet, she hasn't got that right."

"I can't believe she refused to see the mind Healer."

"I'll get on that too, she loves all of us, I'll owl Caesar and get the girls onto her. She can't ignore us, even if she thinks she can ignore my Dads'. If she'd just agree to get help, then I'm sure I'd stop being so angry with her, but I can't let it go, I can't have my Mother treat my mate like that! I won't stand for it."

Harry pulled him into a kiss. "Thank you Max. It means a lot to me that it's me that you stand up for, especially against your Mother. I don't like her attitude, but I never wanted to break up your family, but it does feel good to have you with me and not just ignoring the issue."

"I wouldn't have ignored it, even if he had." Nasta insisted.

Max smiled. "It's her doing all the breaking up Harry. It's not us, it's not you, it's her. I never would have ignored this behaviour, not from anyone, especially not one of my own family members, not towards you, not towards our children, not towards the other mates. No way. I won't stand for it."

Harry smiled and cuddled into Max, He wanted all of this gone and sorted out. He was calm now, he could think. He'd ask Remus exactly what he was thinking by not telling him about the wedding and the baby, okay so he was busy, but Remus was family and he found it easy to keep up with Amelle and her pregnancy along with Eleonora's progress, how difficult would it have been to keep up with Tonks' pregnancy and Remus's new son, Teddy?

He just wished Remus had bothered to tell him, he felt so betrayed and hurt that he had been sending every scan photo he could to Remus and to Molly and his mates' families and that he had kept up with them all, only to find out that Remus had not only hidden a wedding, but a pregnancy and a baby too. It hurt and Harry clutched his mug of honey tea tightly, letting his mates look after their children, letting them look after him as he sat there and stewed over the hurt he felt from Remus.

* * *

A/N: This chapter is for the one year anniversary of this fic being ripped down from Fanfiction, exactly one year ago today. Those who were with me before it was torn down would remember clearly what I'm talking about, those who were on Facebook will remember my distress and upset from that time, those who have recently found this fic or joined under a year ago, you will not remember this horrible time, but fanfiction could have destroyed everything by tearing down this fic and I could have stopped writing this amazing story that I love so much, I'm glad I got over it and I'm so happy to see my old readers back and new ones who have joined since and I'm glad I got over the hurt to re-post this fic back up on this site, I would have regretted it if I hadn't, so thank you to all my Facebookers who kept my head up and got me to start writing again and posting the story back onto Fanfiction.

Thank you to **Kyurengo** for being the **9,300****th**** reviewer**.

For the Facebookers who say this excerpt on my page;

'Draco gasped and bent double as the woman caught his stomach with her claws, he choked back a scream and twitched. She had used her venom, he needed Nasta.

He stumbled back away from her as she tried for his face, before she suddenly dived to the floor, it confused him and before he could so much as draw in a breath, she had sliced the front of his trousers and the blinding agony of it forced him to vomit, his eyes rolling into his head.

A roar had him looking up to see Blaise and for the first time he was relieved to see his best friend, standing over him protectively.

Draco swallowed his pride and let out a distress call for Nasta. They needed help; this woman was insane, he never would have believed it of one of the people he trusted so much. He felt sick and the agony running through his body had him convulsing. He gripped himself through his trousers, only to find shredded skin and lumps attached to strings of flesh and the shock of it sent him convulsing again, he knew what he was touching, but he didn't want to believe it, his mind didn't want to make sense of it, he couldn't…this wasn't how it was supposed to be, this wasn't supposed to happen.

His breath shuddered out, he felt cold and listless, he tried to breathe, but it was painful and his one hand pressed against his lower chest, just above his stomach, where another wound was. He wondered idly if this was it, if he was going to die from this and the thought caused him such distress he let out another call, he'd never had to use it before today, never knew how it would work or what it would sound like or how he would manage to get the call out, but now he did know, he knew that it just came when he was feeling such distress, it was almost an automatic reaction and he wished he'd never had to use it.

Blaise went flying over him, feet catching on his body and Draco saw the gouge in his chest, almost identical to his own, if she went for Blaise's genitals as well, she was trying to do the same to all of them and he had played into her trap by calling Nasta here. He felt sick, so sick.

"Draco, Blaise?!"

Draco knew that voice, Nasta had arrived. The snarling he heard clued him into Nasta's rage and knowing that Nasta loved him and Blaise enough to be so angry and upset about this warmed some of the chill of the shock away. What would he tell Harry? How could he tell Harry that he was now ruined?

A head went rolling past him and Draco startled, trying to writhe away, but the pain was too great, he thought for a moment that it was Nasta's head, fully believed that the insane woman had killed him outright, but the head that rested a little away from him was female, was the head of his attacker and Blaise's attacker, and the hands that suddenly touched him were Nasta's. A bloody arm was shoved under him and he sucked deeply, aware that Nasta had dragged Blaise over and he was feeding him blood from his other arm. They were both going to survive, he was going to live, but at what cost, he thought as his hand pressed tighter to his ruined genitals.'

HAPPY BELATED APRIL FOOLS! Yes, it wasn't real; I was just teasing you to make a point. Lay off on the Draco baby issue or I WILL make this excerpt a reality. I hope this has let you see exactly how sick of the issue I am. To those who have never pestered me or demanded anything of me, thank you and I'm sorry for this evil joke. I hope you can all forgive me for it.

**Twipotterfreak28 and lil joker 1989: **Richard got injured in the rescue attempt of Ashleigh, he had his throat slit by the poachers and Myron healed him, but it only healed so much because it was such extensive damage. I believe it was mentioned in the Scaled Bits chapter 16 – Natural Hunter.

**midnightmoon195**: Revision is just that, revising all the course material you've done during the year in preparation for the exams.

**Feline Wings**: No sorry, I've never heard of the Harlem Shake to end all Harlem Shakes. Tantrum to end all tantrums is a common saying here. It means the worst tantrum you can think of or several tantrums thrown into one.

**starlight-wish**: They want what they can't have, so they chase after it even though they know they can't have it, some don't know or haven't heard the news, there's no way to really tell unless a submissive is pregnant or a dominant is hanging all over his submissive. They release pheromones, but purposefully, they can switch them on and off. The unmated dominant Harry ran into was leaking his pheromones so he could attract unmated submissives and uninherited submissives to him. If you get under the skin of a young submissive and they remember you in their meetings, you automatically have an advantage over the other dominants and a better chance of being picked because of it.

**GuestAnon**: If they were both Drackens, no consequences would come of them sleeping together, even though it would be considered 'illegal' though underage sex and pregnancies happen all the time, so nothing is ever really done about it.

If that were to happen, then they'd either be picked off by poachers, because they don't know enough to hide themselves from others, or they'd be executed as Drackens by the Ministry, again because they don't know any better and have told the wrong person or tried to get help from someone who ratted them out. But they probably would not survive for very long not knowing what they are, if they did somehow find someone who could help or knew what they were, very small chance of that happening, they'd be taken right to the Counsel and the Dracken Elders where they would be protected, educated and left to settle into their new creature status, but that would be rare, it's more likely that they'll end up dead.

No, no Muggleborn can be a Dracken, the squibs, with no magic, would have destroyed the Dracken gene, which is a mutation of the magical gene.

**lilly n.g.k:** Harry isn't a Healer, he doesn't know how to heal anyone. Harry is not the most powerful wizard in the world, if anyone in the world could have healed Richard, Myron would have found them by now. His scar tissue is just something he has to live with.

**Dc**: As Harry conceived the quintuplets off of a heat period. It was a freak accident that Ashleigh got pregnant in the dinghy boat, being out on the ocean under the very hot sun.

All the best lovelies, I hope you have enjoyed this anniversary chapter,

StarLight Massacre. X


	73. Calming Down and Carrying On

A/N: This chapter is dedicated to cgraham18 . I loved your review, thank you so much. Its reviews like yours that keep me writing. Thank you.

A/N: This chapter contains a deleted scene of material not suitable for younger readers, so it's only available on adultfanfiction or archiveofourown, if you'd like to read the full version, head to those sites or my profile page, which has both links.

_Last Time_

_He just wished Remus had bothered to tell him, he felt so betrayed and hurt that he had been sending every scan photo he could to Remus and to Molly and his mates' families and that he had kept up with them all, only to find out that Remus had not only hidden a wedding, but a pregnancy and a baby too. It hurt and Harry clutched his mug of honey tea tightly, letting his mates look after their children, letting them look after him as he sat there and stewed over the hurt he felt from Remus._

Chapter Seventy-Three – Calming Down and Carrying On

Nasta wouldn't let him floo over to Grimmauld Place in search of Remus, he pointed out that Remus had told them that he had moved into a house in the countryside with Tonks and hadn't said where it was located.

That put an even bigger damper on Harry's already low spirits. For the first time taking care of his children seemed more like a chore than anything else with his mind so far away and he hated feeling that way, so he removed himself from them as well, nursing his hurt in the lower half of their bedroom.

His head was a mess, his heart was worse and reasons and explanations raced each other around his brain, why had Remus done this to him? He knew he should have written to Remus as well, but surely a marriage, a pregnancy and then the birth of a baby was more interesting than the height of teenage schooling, the listed amount of homework he had to do or him going on and on in pages about the amount of stress he was feeling. He just didn't understand why he hadn't been told.

Growling softly to himself he tried to keep his Dracken under control, which wanted the hurt to intensify, wanted him so hurt he turned irrational so it could take over and eliminate the threat. He didn't want that to happen no matter how hurt or angry he became with Remus.

"Harry, are you alright love?" Max asked, creeping around him like he'd attack him if he approached too suddenly.

Harry could only sigh. "I'm fine Max; I just can't understand it and I don't think I will until I hear his reasons for doing this to me. How could he just keep this from me and then spring it on me all at once? What was he expecting me to do?"

"Nasta's written him back, he should be getting the owl in a few days, depending on where he lives now, we'll get to the bottom of this love, I promise."

"I hope so, I've really missed him. Everything's been so hectic, especially with the exams coming up, the amount of homework we have, it's not like I excluded him Max, I haven't had time to breathe let alone owl anyone about nonsensical things. Right after I last saw him I had more than enough on my hands with Braiden and newborn quins, I was terrified for Leolin and his wings, terrified he'd get an infection, I was barely sleeping, I don't think any of us were for those first two months and now the exams are coming up…"

"It's alright love, you're not to blame, so stop trying to justify yourself, you don't need too, not to us and you have to stop trying to blame this on yourself."

"But why did he keep this from me? Doesn't he trust me?"

Max sighed. "Only he can answer that Harry, all anyone else can do is speculate about it."

"I know, I just don't understand."

"Why don't you go and talk to Dumbledore?" Max suggested lightly.

Harry nodded with a sigh and kissed Max gently. "I think I will, you'll be here when I get back though, won't you?"

Max nodded with a smile. "Of course. I'm not going anywhere."

Harry nodded at that and trekked out into the living room. Picking up the letter and a few other things on his way out.

"I'm going to go and see Dumbledore a minute Nas, I won't be long."

"Don't work yourself up. We're going to sort this for you."

Harry nodded and went for the door, feeling torn as Braiden called out for him as he tried to leave. He would usually have just taken Braiden with him, but he was going to have a pretty upsetting conversation and he didn't want to shout or upset Braiden at all, so he kissed him goodbye and carried on to the Headmaster's office without him.

After guessing the right password, Harry climbed the winding staircase, too jittery and impatient to wait for it to take him to the top and knocked on the solid wooden door.

"Come in." Was the soft, gentle reply.

Harry entered and smiled at one of his most favourite people.

"Harry dear boy, how have you been? What brings you to my humble abode?"

Harry couldn't help but chuckle, no matter how weakly.

"I just…I don't know how to start Sir."

"Well, why don't you sit down and tell me what this is about first and we'll go from there."

Harry did as he was bid and fell into his nervous habit of running his hand through his short, messy hair, making it even messier.

"It's about Remus." Harry sighed.

Albus immediately looked concerned. "Is he alright? I haven't heard that he is unwell."

"Oh, he's fine as far as I know."

"Then you wish to see him? You have taken a lot of school time off this year Harry, I understand, of course, but can it not wait until the weekend? I'm sure you understand that your education is important. I cannot condone another day off of lessons, though I'm sure you have a good reason for missing your lessons today."

Harry was suitably shamed, he hadn't wanted to miss lessons today, but Nasta had insisted.

"It's not that I want to see him Sir, I do, but that's not it. Did you know he was married?"

Dumbledore blinked pale blue eyes and looked suitably shocked.

"No, no I did not. I knew he had moved out of Grimmauld Place and into a home with Nymphadora; he sent me a short letter explaining where he would be. When did this happen?"

"February. He proposed in January and they rushed the wedding in time for the following month. I didn't get an invite."

"Neither did I. I had no knowledge of this Harry, is this what has upset you so much?"

"Not really. Him moving into a house with Tonks and marrying her, I could have forgiven that, but she got pregnant in August and they now have a two week old son they named Teddy. They've named me Godfather."

Harry handed the letter over to the Headmaster and could see the fury on Dumbledore's face as he read the letter and had to swallow against it to keep himself in his seat.

"He has also neglected to mention this to me."

"I…I know he's entitled to his own life and maybe I should have gotten in touch with him first, but he's moved house, gotten married and had a baby since I last saw him after the quintuplets were born, that was just five months ago, only twenty weeks, she was pregnant when he came to see me at Christmas, pregnant when he came to see the quintuplets after they were born and out of the hospital. I just don't understand why he didn't tell me before everything happened, even if I couldn't have gone to the wedding I would have at least congratulated them."

"I will have words with him and find out what is going on, everything does seem to have moved very quickly."

"I wanted to go and see what was happening, but he didn't say where he'd moved too, Nasta's owled him back, but we don't know how long a reply will take."

Dumbledore nodded in understanding. "I can understand how this would have affected you Harry and at such a stressful time in your life, you may have the rest of today off, but tomorrow I expect you to be back in lessons."

"I wanted to go in today, but Nasta wouldn't let me. He's too overprotective sometimes."

Dumbledore nodded once again. "Was this all you wanted to see me about?"

Harry smiled. "The bad stuff yes, but Calix is babbling more than ever, he's started babbling 'mama' a lot more too, my heart swells every time I hear it." He handed over the photos of the children he had taken for the man. "Draco's Mother wanted a photo of them all dressed up formally so she could show them off to her friends. So we dressed them up properly, it took most of the day to do, but we got there in the end, we're giving a copy of them to all family members."

"Thank you Harry, these are lovely."

Harry left feeling happier and like a weight had gone from his chest. He arrived back to his rooms and dived into his family, happily taking the weight off of Nasta so he could do some of his paperwork, he only had a little bit left, which probably meant he'd get an owl sooner rather than later with a bunch more paperwork for him to do.

Harry kissed him hard. He really did appreciate that Nasta gave up his love of actually handling the dragons for paperwork, just to ease their childcare stresses. It wouldn't be for long. As soon as school was over and they had graduated and had left, Max and Nasta could go back to the jobs they loved so very much.

* * *

Harry was back on edge a few days later and Remus remained silent, Nasta reminded him that if the owl took a few days to get to Remus, it would take a few days to get back too, but Harry wondered if Remus would answer him at all or if he would be too busy, he remembered having a newborn Braiden and even with five of them looking after him it was hard to find free time, the first child was always the worst as they had all questioned absolutely everything they did in handling and caring for him.

Harry shoved the bad feelings away and took up his mantel as lover and Mother, he couldn't keep doing this, his children and mates had to come first and everything and everyone else had to come second to them. His children didn't stop needing milk because he was upset and his lovers didn't stop needing his support just because he was having a bad day. He had to just work through it and keep working through it until it was over or just gone.

Richard had sent him a letter personally about meeting up over the weekend to talk about his past for the trial, which was inching ever closer, and though he knew it had to be done, he just didn't want to do it.

He sighed and made a reminder on the calendar that Draco had bought so they had some semblance of order. He groaned as he caught sight of Draco's neat handwriting on the square for the coming Saturday, which reminded him that they had to get the kids vaccinated for Dragon Pox.

Harry scrubbed his face and went to the bedroom and got an armful of washing, dumping them in the sink filled with hot water and washing powder as Blaise played with the kids that were awake.

He scrubbed out his frustrations and wrung out the sleepsuits, bodysuits, stained bibs, socks and blankets before hanging them to dry over the grate protecting the kids from the fire.

"Is the washing all done?" Nasta asked him, stepping around a mobile Braiden with an armful of toys to dump into a cardboard box he had pulled out for their toys, despite them having a toy box in the bedroom, which was actually full now that he thought about it.

"Yeah, it just has to dry; do you need a hand with the toys?"

"I think I've got it." Nasta answered, letting the toys tumble into the box.

"Max do you need a hand with dinner or with the potion?"

"Don't let him near any potions!" Blaise burst out. "We have babies in the room."

Harry turned and glared at him even as Max laughed.

"Nah, I'm good, go and relax for a bit." Max answered, stirring the cauldron on the top of the oven.

Harry went into the bedroom and found Draco in the bed. He had a headache and they had found out the hard way that they were out of headache relievers, so Max was quickly making more, all the while Draco suffered.

"How are you?" He asked barely above a whisper as he checked on Leolin in the bassinet. He was sleeping peacefully.

"My head feels like it's being repeatedly hit with a Beater's bat." Draco moaned.

"This will teach us to check on our stocks of potions before we desperately need them." Harry moved onto the bed and cuddled in to him, stroking his head and his sweaty blonde hair.

Draco groaned pathetically.

"It'll be alright, Max is almost done." Harry soothed him gently, holding his broad shoulders tighter.

"Tell him to hurry up."

"You know better than I do that potions can't be rushed, if anything goes wrong he could cause harm to you or poison you or it'll go arse up and he'll have to start all over again."

"I know, but this is the worst headache I've ever had and I don't have any potions to help me."

Harry shushed him and held him as his hand massaged his left temple; the right side of Draco's head was buried in his chest.

"It's going to be fine, very soon your headache will be gone and you'll be back to your normal self."

"Are the others laughing at me?" He asked insecurely.

"Are they…of course they're not!" Harry said as quietly as he could while still bringing across his surprise and horror that he could ask without knowing the answer already. "Draco, we love you, why would any of us laugh about you being in pain? Blaise is playing with the kids, trying to keep them busy, Nasta is trying to clean up the floor space a bit and Max is making a potion for you while also making dinner. None of us are laughing because you're in pain."

Draco nodded and something in his shoulders and upper back relaxed and Harry shook his head, kissing Draco's head.

"Silly man, of course none of us are laughing behind your back, I'm very upset that you're in pain and hurting. I love you and they do too. No more doubting, us or yourself. None of us want to see you in pain."

Draco squeezed him tightly for a moment, before pulling him in more securely and they both settled down waiting for the potion. They fell asleep quickly, only for an hour though before Max woke them up with the much needed potion.

Draco necked it back as soon as he was partially upright and it took a minute before his entire body melted in relief.

"Oh that feels so much better." He said softly, falling back onto the bed.

"Really I would have wanted you to eat something first, but given the situation I think it'll be alright as long as you eat soon, that said, dinner's up in five." Max grinned.

Draco nodded and got out of the bed. Harry stretched and got a lecherous grin from Max before he crawled onto the bed and nipped at his neck with his teeth.

Harry chuckled. "Max! Stop it, I have to get up."

"No, I'm going to keep you here and completely ravish you and keep you barefoot and pregnant for the rest of our lives."

Harry laughed at him and shook his head. "Don't you dare, I don't want to be barefoot and pregnant all the time, just some of the time."

"I can compromise to that as long as all the babies are mine! Mwhaha."

Harry laughed helplessly at Max's fake evil laugh and pushed him off.

"You're so funny Max. I love you."

"I know, I'm amazing, now let's go eat before dinner burns and I have to start all over again." Max grinned, scooping him up and carrying him down the stairs as Harry held on for dear life.

"Fuck, please don't drop me."

"I'm not going to drop you." Max told him seriously. "I wouldn't dream of dropping you and my Dracken doesn't like the idea either."

"Good."

Max carried him into the living room and put him down onto Draco's lap before going to the kitchenette to serve dinner. Harry snuggled on Draco's lap, kissing the corner of his mouth.

"I see you're feeling better." Blaise came and sat next to them, Calix on his lap.

Draco nodded. "That was a terrible headache."

"It looked like it; you were really pale, I'm glad you're feeling better." Blaise kissed Draco and Harry smiled at them both.

"Mama." Calix called out and Harry fell on him, kissing his cheeks and cuddling him.

"My little boy is growing up!" He said proudly to the others. "He knows me!"

Blaise snorted. "Of course he knows you. They all do and they all prefer you to the rest of us."

"Oh that's not true." Harry huffed. "They just know I carried them for however many months, they have known me for longer."

Draco chuckled and kissed his neck, flicking his tongue out to taste him.

"Come on lovebirds, foods up and those kids should be down for the night already, Blaise you're slacking mate."

"Five out of six isn't bad!" Blaise called back. "And I'll have you know that it's your son who's refusing to go down to sleep. He wants his Mummy."

"Like Father like son, I want his Mummy as well." Max said wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

Harry rolled his eyes and sighed. "Come on Calix, let's get you to bed love, you'll be grumpy tomorrow otherwise."

Harry put him in the empty travel cot, Harry loved them as they just popped up with next to no assembling required and could be folded down just as easily and now only Leolin could use the bassinets, they needed a lot of handy travel cots.

Harry sat between Blaise and Nasta and ate his dinner happily, letting the conversation float over his head, he didn't feel the need to contribute, Draco and Max were talking potions, Nasta was reading through Blaise's Transfiguration essay and was talking through it with Blaise.

Harry finished first and he set the kettle to boiling for tea, but was muscled away quickly by Max before he could start doing the dirty dishes.

"That's my job." The large man told him, pushing him gently into the living room.

Harry rolled his eyes, but didn't argue.

"Harry, did you finish your Charms questions?" Nasta asked sternly.

"Yes, Blaise helped me." Harry said with a smile.

"We did them this afternoon." Blaise confirmed.

"Do any of you have homework left?"

All three of them replied in the negative. "It's just revision now, which is optional."

"If I do anymore revision then my brain is going to fall out of my ear." Harry scowled.

"Let's take a night off then." Nasta suggested with a smile.

"I have an idea for what we can do with a night off." Max grinned at them from the sink.

"If you want sex, you can happily have my body. I'm so stressed I need some relief." Harry smiled before anyone else could say anything.

Max stopped and turned around with soapy hands. "Really? You mean it?"

Harry nodded. "I've been in the mood for it for the past week, since the meeting really, but with everything that's going on, it just took over and it got pushed to the side. I'm sorry for that, but I do want sex from all of you."

"You know I love hearing you say that. It's my favourite sentence from you, 'I want sex.'"

"And there's me thinking it might have been 'I love you' or even 'here is the child I bore and birthed for you'" Harry teased with a grin.

"That too." Max chuckled.

"Do the dishes first, I want this place clean for tomorrow and I want the kids fed and in bed before anything, then we can do whatever we want."

"Yes sir!" Max saluted him and went back to the washing up with gusto.

Harry laughed, but happily mucked in and cleaned their living space up, Draco opted to do the feeds, because he _was_ getting more domesticated, but he wasn't at the point of offering to do physical labour yet. Not if there were any other options.

It took merely an hour for them to be done and for the feeds to be well under way, Harry went to get their tiny Leolin, who was fast asleep but wouldn't be for much longer because he needed his bottle, all of the other babies had missed a feed at one point in their lives, but Harry was sure he'd turn maniacal if Leolin missed just one feed. He already drank so little for his age, Faerie blood be damned, if he missed a whole feed he knew it would upset him and probably panic him as the very thought tightened something in his chest.

"Done!" Max cried out as he straightened the cushions on the settees and stood with his arms out in a spotlessly clean living room.

"You know, I think I should bribe you all to clean with sex more often, this place hasn't been this clean since we moved back in." Harry chuckled, letting Blaise pick him up.

"How many kids are there left to feed Draco?"

Draco, who was concentrating on carefully feeding Leolin, looked up for just a moment as he considered the question.

"Just Leolin and Braiden, the others are all in their cots, Calix doesn't want to sleep though. He was sat up and awake when I bedded Tegan down."

Harry sighed. "I hope he's not sick."

"He was grizzling a bit, I think he might be cutting his first tooth." Draco replied.

Blaise put him down when he wiggled and Harry went into the bedroom to see four sleeping children and Calix pouting at him through the bars of his cot.

"What's the matter little guy?" He asked, picking him up and cradling him, moving to the rocking chair and sitting in it, pushing off gently with his feet, like he used to when they were very young and were screaming for milk at all hours of the early morning.

"Are you not feeling very well?" He asked softly, laying a hand over Calix's forehead. "Hmm…well you don't have a temperature love, are you just being stubborn? Come here and have a cuddle until you fall asleep then. I'll look after you."

Harry closed his eyes and hummed gently, Calix resting on his chest, Harry's arms wrapped around him securely as he rocked gently back and forth, his fingers playing along Calix's back and through his hair.

He heard steps coming through the bedroom, but he didn't stop his humming or rocking and he didn't open his eyes, he didn't want to calm Calix down, getting to the point of sleep and then ruin it by breaking the rhythm, so he ignored it, it was likely only Draco or Nasta putting a fed Leolin to bed.

He didn't know how long he did this for, Calix had long since stopped playing with the hair at the nape of his neck, his chubby hands going still, his soft laughs, coos and puffs of air against the skin of his upper chest had gone steady and slow and his little body had gone still.

Harry stopped rocking slowly, easing out of it, he stopped his humming and checked on Calix, opening his eyes to see his sweet sleeping face. He breathed in relief and stood up to put him in his own personal pine cot.

He turned to see his four mates sat on the purple settee watching him, he frowned.

"How long have you been there and _why_ are you sat there?"

"Watching you being a good Mother is an amazing turn on." Max assured him. "Watching you settle him down in maternal bliss makes me hard for you."

"Everything makes you hard. Watching me _sleep_ makes you hard." Harry snorted.

"You're very sexy when you sleep." Max purred coming to stand against him and pressing the hard length of his muscled body against him.

Harry snorted and trailed his hand down Max's body.

"Well then, why don't you wear me out enough for me to sleep and then you can watch me all you like." Harry smiled; dipping his voice lower and watching Max's blue eyes go almost navy blue in desire.

"I think I can manage that." Max said, his own voice gone deeper, picking Harry up and carrying him up the stairs, the others followed, happily and as Harry was dumped onto the bed, Blaise slithered on and covered him before Max could, but the bigger man didn't care as he just flumped onto Blaise's back and covered the both of them instead, nipping and biting at Blaise's neck.

Draco crawled onto the bed and Nasta stripped off his shirt before joining them, Harry grinned at the appearance of Nasta's belly, it was going soft with the absence of the hard, physical work he did at the reserve, but Harry didn't care, he sat up, hand on Blaise's shoulder, hand around Nasta's back, pulling his belly to his lips so he could lick and kiss that gorgeous expanse of skin, moving parts into his mouth to suck hard or bite softly at the flesh between his teeth.

Nasta's hands moved through his hair, tugging on him, moving through to cradle the back of his head before moving further down to tickle his neck before spreading over his shoulders and down his arms. Harry shuddered at the feeling it caused.

"I love it when you do that." He told Nasta shakily.

"I know." Nasta replied with that damnable smirk.

Harry chuckled and moved his mouth lower, to Nasta's waistline and played his tongue under the rim of it until he broke off with a moan as someone, probably Blaise from the feel of the lips on his shoulder, sucked at his skin.

"Mark me." He demanded. "Where everyone will be able to see."

All four of his mates groaned at that and they fell back onto the bed and Harry ended up with two bites on either side of his neck, very high up, very visible. Nasta's was very high, almost on his jaw, just under his ear, Blaise's was lower, on the meat of his neck, Draco's was more on the front of his neck, as Max's bite took up most of the one side of his neck because he opened his mouth wide to give him a love bite.

"Oh, you had better hope that those last the rest of the week." Harry moaned.

"Hold on, let me make sure." Blaise said breathlessly, moving his mouth back over his mark and sucking on it harder, making Harry writhe and wriggle on the bed.

"Oh, that feels so good." He muttered, holding onto Blaise.

"There." Blaise was even more breathless, but he looked at his purpling mark happily and proudly.

"I think I'm done for foreplay." Max groaned, tugging on himself. "I'm about to disgrace myself. It's been too long."

"You and Harry had sex last week." Nasta pointed out.

Harry and Max shared a guilty look. "Actually, Max was feeling left out and hurt by what you did, so we cuddled by the fire and it got too hot, so we got naked. It just looked like we had had sex." Harry exclaimed.

"So you didn't…"

"Nope." Harry said shaking his head. "So be careful with me, I've been left out."

"Me too." Max added.

* * *

**Missing Scene!**

* * *

Harry woke up with a groan and rolled his tired and faintly beaten body from the bed, heading to where he heard noise, trailing fingers across the wall to help balance him as his eyes wouldn't open just yet.

He scooped a child into his arms and carried on to the kitchenette, taking the noise with him which made his head pound in time to his heartbeat, like his lower back, which was also throbbing.

Harry filled the kettle before settled the squirming baby back in his arms more securely as the wriggly one tried to get away.

Harry cracked his bleary eyes open and secured the baby under his one arm so he could set up the bottle to stop the noise; from the weight alone he could tell he had Farren. Of course it was Farren.

"Calm down love, I can't make it any faster." He croaked. He needed tea. Or whiskey. Something.

Harry got the bottle made up, tested it after having used a cooling charm on it first, before shoving it into Farren's mouth. He couldn't be bothered to stand, so he went and sat down on the settee instead as he fed his second son.

Last night had gone a long way to alleviating some of the stress he felt and had been collecting over the last few weeks. Now if only he could get a headache reliever or a mild painkiller for his head and back he'd be absolutely fine and ready to take on another day of school.

Quicker than he would have liked Farren finished guzzling his milk and Harry sat him on the side of his thigh, patting his back firmly, waiting for the wind to come out one way or another. He wasn't looking forward to today, he just knew it would be a bad day and the upcoming Dragon Pox vaccinations for all the children except Leolin and then the day after that the lunch date with Richard were weighing heavily on him.

It was Thursday, but it felt like the week couldn't be over quick enough, he just wanted to sleep for a week, but as he held Farren, sitting him on his lap, facing him, his chunky legs on either side of his lap as his son babbled and fisted his hair in chubby little hands, Harry could only smile at him.

"I love you so much Farren. You and your brothers and your sister. Please grow up well and strong and kind. Your Daddy Max calls you a bruiser, but every time he does I just picture a skin headed yob with tattoos and piercings everywhere and I don't want you to turn out that way and I don't want you in and out of jail either, petty offences or not, so you're going to be a Mummy's boy from now on, okay?"

Farren giggled wetly at him, spitting with his tiny tongue and Harry's smile widened.

"That's right sweetheart, you're a Mummy's boy now."

"Muma." Farren cooed softly.

Harry blinked and swallowed, before pride swelled within him and he danced around the room with Farren in happiness. He must have shouted out, because Draco was suddenly there beside him wearing absolutely nothing.

"What is it? What's wrong?" He asked breathlessly.

"Farren said his first word!" Harry told him proudly, watching with a smirk as Draco's shoulders deflated as his protective urges drained away.

"Let me guess, he said mama, right?"

"Nope!"

Draco's face pulled into a frown. "What did he say then? I've got a bet with Blaise and Max that all the children will say mama as their first word."

"He said muma."

Draco suddenly grinned and kissed Farren's soft cheek.

"You didn't stipulate that it had to be exactly mama did you? Just some form of Mum?"

Draco nodded as he made his way to the kettle and tested it with the bend of his index finger before making tea.

"I take it Nasta didn't approve of you betting on the kids?"

"No, I don't." Said man scowled as he carried a writhing Tegan carefully. She let out a grizzle and then another, before she started wailing and then full outright crying.

Harry sighed and Draco couldn't fix the bottle quickly enough to save Harry's skull from splitting open.

"One of you do me a favour; get me a headache reliever please."

"Do you have a headache?" Draco asked.

"No, I asked for it for no damn reason, yes I have a headache Draco!" He snapped.

"Harry." Nasta growled warningly as he fed Tegan.

Harry blew out an agitated breath. "I'm sorry, I'm just in a lot of pain, my lower back is killing too, but the headache is worse."

"Do you regret last night?" Draco asked with one perfect blonde eyebrow raised as he handed over the headache potion and a cup of honey tea.

Harry got a dopey look on his face as he thought to the previous night.

"No, of course I don't. It's just a coincidence I woke up with a headache and its put me in a bad mood. I'm sorry I snapped."

"That's alright. I've had worse."

"You shouldn't have to put up with it from us though."

"Hey, I had a headache yesterday, remember, if you feel even half of the pain I felt yesterday then it can justify some snapping, I could have torn all your noisy heads off one by one yesterday."

Nasta chuckled as he readjusted Tegan in his arms, their only daughter did not stop moving when she was being fed, she wiggled and shifted and they had to shift and readjust their holds with her.

"Oh! Nas, Farren said his first word! He said muma." Harry said proudly.

"Bring him here and hold him out for me." Nasta said with a grin and Harry did as he was asked watching with his own grin as Nasta kissed Farren and told him how proud he was of him. His Dracken cooed in delight within him, Nasta was the perfect top dominant, they had chosen perfectly, Nasta was a perfect Father to all of their chicks.

Just fifteen minutes later and their rooms were a hive of activity as the rest of the students slept all abed still.

Everyone knew now about Farren's first word, none more proud than Max, who had stolen Farren from him and replaced him with Regan. Harry wondered what Max was coaching their son about as he spoke to him softly and seriously in the corner, but as he fed Regan, whose little hands cupped the top of the bottle as he was fed, his mind wandered to how amazing his children were.

He blinked and looked around him; he found Nasta and walked over to him, making sure none of the others were around.

"Nas? Is it possible to go onto heat early?" He asked seriously.

Nasta blinked in surprise. "No Harry, your breeding cycle is established at puberty, just before your inheritance happens, it never changes."

"But I conceived the quins off a heat cycle."

"A very rare happening Harry, I assure you, I doubt we could do it again if we tried. Conceptions like that happen very, very rarely and with the weather in this country being so sporadic and often mild, we don't usually see optimum conception temperatures here. It was a fluke love. Is there a reason for all of this?"

"I…I'm not sure, but my Dracken is keeping a running commentary inside my head about how we have such amazing children, how you were such a perfect choice of mate and how brilliant a top dominant and Father you are…it's just strange."

Nasta grinned at him and Harry pouted. Nasta chuckled and pulled him into a hug.

"It's nothing to worry about; you're just feeling reflective upon your life and your choices. Though there is no greater honour than for a submissive Dracken to come to the realisation that they chose their mate perfectly or to be called a perfect Father and top dominant by said submissive. I'm going to be happy all week now."

Harry laughed and cuddled in closer, taking care not to dislodge Regan's bottle from his little mouth.

"So it's nothing to worry about and doesn't mean I'm going onto an early heat."

"No love, you're fine and nothing can alter your breeding cycle, it's something unique to you and no one else. It's not going to change; it'll always be two months between heat periods for you."

Harry nodded. "Maybe it's why I had such a headache though, with my Dracken harping on in my ear about things I already knew a long time ago."

Nasta's smile widened until it went almost from ear to ear, as Harry had known it would, he was kissed breathless before Max called them all for breakfast and their day took them on separate paths. Harry hated that he had to spend so much time away from his lovers and his children five days a week, but Dumbledore was right, he couldn't afford to miss any more lessons, not so close to the exams, no matter how stressed it made him feel to be separated from them all for so long.

* * *

A/N: There's not a lot to say this time around really. Lycanthrope Factory will be updated next I think, I'm almost done with my new Hobbit fic and that'll be posted in full when I'm done, I'm thinking 15-20 chapters, I'll know more when I'm done with it and that's about it, except for the Remus issue, which a lot of you don't seem to understand.

Remus was out of the country and unable to be contacted through owls when Harry went through his mate meetings and then fell pregnant, Harry couldn't have contacted him if he tried. Dumbledore was the one to tell Remus about the pregnancy and the mate situation when he got back into the country, because if you remember, which most of you seem not to, Harry was in his nest when Remus got back into the country. You know, all feral and Dracken, not in his right mind, tried to gut Blaise because he didn't recognise him? As soon as Harry was able, he filled Remus in about everything and Remus understood that he wasn't able to contact him.

Remus not telling Harry about the move, the engagement, the wedding, the pregnancy or the birth is not Harry's fault, he is not overreacting, I mean hell he'd just had Braiden snatched from his arms, he's stressed, he's overwhelmed, then he finds that Remus, a man he thought he could trust, has gotten married, has had a baby, without telling him. Of course he's going to be upset and he's not overreacting. To those of you who did understand and knew that Harry was nesting when Remus came back into the story line, thank you.

Thanks **to HPLove 360** for being the **9,400****th**** reviewer**! And to **ElementalGlitch** for being the** 9,500****th**** reviewer**!

**femaleJoey**: It's a huge taboo to reveal a Dracken to poachers or the Ministry by another Dracken. Those who use the revelation as a threat are executed by the counsel, so no one takes it lightly or uses the threat of revealing the secret lightly. Nearly ninety-seven percent of Dracken revelations are done by non-Drackens, either jealous family friends, greedy people or utter bastards like Dominic and his Grandfather, but Drackens like that are the exception, not the rule. As for Ginny knowing, I wanted her too, so we'll say Harry revoked his mates' harsh oath to his family which allowed them to speak freely of it, as their families knew and weren't oathed, Harry didn't think it was fair.

I'm not sure I understand the third question. Max isn't forgiving his Mother because she's in the wrong and he won't accept it, he won't let her treat his mate like that. His Dracken side will always chose its mate and children; it does not recognise parents or siblings as 'family' only mates and children are recognised when a Dracken is in a feral state.

**LianaRamsay**: I'm thinking of keeping Teddy canon, which means no were genes, but he will be a Metamorphmagus. When he's older, Leolin's wings will be large enough to support his body weight in flight and he will be very different to a Dracken, his wings are very flexible for one, where a Dracken's wings are solid and retractable, they are inflexible, but a Faerie's wings are not retractable, are flexible and are a bit like a dragonflies, thin, opaque and made from cartilage, not bone like a Drackens wings, so he'll be more agile and faster too. Dracken wings are made to be shields; Faerie wings are made for speed and agility.

**IceNecromancer:** No, as soon as a top dominant loses the trust of the subordinates or their submissive, enough to need a punishment, they automatically lose their top dominant position, so it can happen, but the second dominant in the hierarchy will take the top dominant place, will punish the previous top dominant, who will then have to fight back up the hierarchy, but will not be able to take the top position, not until trust is re-established.

**LonerWolfe**: No, if a submissive loses their dominant, their wing scales stay the dominants colours; Amelle's wings still have her previous dominant's colours, as soon as they're mated and that colour stains the scales, it never changes, they will always have those colours, no matter if the dominant dies or no matter how many mates they have, those colours will always stay with them.

**pianoandcello**: Max is my favourite, blue is my favourite colour and I gave him blue eyes, blue wings and blue scales, but Nasta is the embodiment of my 'perfect' man, tall but not too tall, strong, but not overly or obviously so, dark hair, gorgeous eyes, so it's a tossup between them really, they were both created to be my favourites.

**Sarah**: Creating the baby's personality starts with the name and paternity, the name can tell you a lot about the baby. I search for weeks, months sometimes to find the perfect name and I trawl through every naming book, naming website, Mother's blogs, medical records, anything and everything, I've got a notebook of names I like, that sparked my interest, caught my eye or the meaning fit in with the family naming traditions, like Max's Warrior/Ruler/Saint/Royalty tradition, the paternity is needed for the naming process because of the naming traditions, but with Blaise and Nasta, as it's more lax, the name sometimes comes before paternity. After that I create the baby's appearance, every minute detail to freckles and birthmarks, eye and hair colour, eye shape, mouth shape, skin tone, everything is noted down. After that it's a mix of both planned traits from before they appear in the fic and the baby taking on a 'life' of its own after it's born in the fic. I knew Farren would be gutsy before he was even conceived, I knew Braiden would love animals before I knew he'd be a Braiden, I did not know he would hate baths, that just sort of happened and it stuck. It's good to plan the core traits that will make up their little personalities, but you also need to leave room for their personalities to grow on their own. Oh and a tip is most definitely to note it down, you don't want to be making a baby, giving them all these traits and personality quirks only to forget about one and have your 'baby' seem unreal or to have it unravel before you, so I do recommend writing it all down and keeping it close to hand when you're writing.

**Demonking**: You really have no clue what a settee is? It's the British term for a sofa or couch.

Right, that's it until the next time; I hope you enjoyed reading lovelies,

StarLight Massacre. X


	74. Vaccinations and Heart-to-Heart

A/N: This chapter is dedicated to every single one of you lovely readers. Thank you for sticking with me for seventy-three chapters, soon to be seventy-four. Thank you.

_Last Time_

_Harry laughed and cuddled in closer, taking care not to dislodge Regan's bottle from his little mouth._

"_So it's nothing to worry about and doesn't mean I'm going onto an early heat."_

"_No love, you're fine and nothing can alter your breeding cycle, it's something unique to you and no one else. It's not going to change; it'll always be two months between heat periods for you."_

_Harry nodded. "Maybe it's why I had such a headache though, with my Dracken harping on in my ear about things I already knew a long time ago."_

_Nasta's smile widened until it went almost from ear to ear, as Harry had known it would, he was kissed breathless before Max called them all for breakfast and their day took them on separate paths. Harry hated that he had to spend so much time away from his lovers and his children five days a week, but Dumbledore was right, he couldn't afford to miss any more lessons, not so close to the exams, no matter how stressed it made him feel to be separated from them all for so long._

Chapter Seventy-Four – Vaccinations and Heart-to-Heart

Saturday morning came all too quickly and Harry wanted to take a bat or even a bar of iron to every single book and piece of homework that dared to cross his path. He had been given so much homework in the last two days that he was sure he'd never be able to finish it before the end of next year, let alone by graduation when it was in fact due in next week. It was impossible.

Blaise was acting like a man possessed and all of them had learned to avoid him very quickly as he was in one of _those_ moods, but with one mate down, the rest of them shared more childcare and Draco, who was also in a bad mood, lost it very quickly and he and Blaise had a massive argument in their living room, which devolved into a physical fight, of course Harry got involved and the result of the fight broke half of their furniture, two of Harry's fingers and Blaise's left arm.

Harry was just glad that the kids had been taken outside in the sun for a bit by Max and Nasta to give them time and privacy to revise in peace, not that it worked out that way. This was seriously not what they had had in mind and Nasta had screamed bloody murder at all three of them when he had come home to find the place demolished, though that had soon ended when he noticed Blaise was cradling his arm to his chest and Harry was desperately trying not to cry over his obviously broken fingers. The punishments he had been threatening had vanished as he rushed them straight to the hospital wing and into the care of the stern, but kindly matron.

Madam Pomfrey had taken one look at them and had shaken her head in exasperated disapproval.

"You aren't the first to have a fight this close to the exams; you won't be the last either." She had told them as she fussed around them. "It's the same every year."

Harry had been healed in a snap, but Blaise's arm had taken a while longer to fix. Max and Draco had cleaned up the room by the time Nasta had escorted them back from the hospital wing and no more was said about that morning.

Harry gulped his honey tea down, before making himself another one. It was very, very early and his racing mind wouldn't let him sleep. He regretted his fight with Draco and Blaise, but he had felt so angry and frustrated that he just hadn't been able to help jumping in when they had started to fight in front of him.

He looked to his fingers, perfectly fine and mobile again, but he remembered them sticking out oddly, bleeding and bruised, unable to move them. He sighed. It had been ridiculous, how could he have resorted to fist fighting like a common brute? With his own mates no less, in their rooms where they raised their tiny children.

He sighed and gulped another cup of tea in mere minutes. He'd need a wee every hour for the next two days if he carried on.

He pulled some homework towards him, even if it was the last thing in the world he wanted to do after yesterday, but it had to be done. He considered taking a leaf out of Richard's book and writing anything down just so he wouldn't get detention for not handing in set homework, but Nasta wouldn't let him.

He snorted and decided to screw it, he scribbled rubbish that only just made sense and he didn't care. Richard had had the right idea. At this point of the school year, it was revision that counted, not homework, he didn't care what Nasta said now, their life had been stripped down to homework, revision, lessons and childcare, the only exceptions had been the sex and the fight they had recently had, the only two blips in a month of a heavy work load of consistent and constant childcare and schoolwork.

They were all frustrated and stressed and there was nothing any of them could do about it, not until the exams were well and truly over. Blaise and Draco were only getting worse the closer the final exams came and Harry just could not deal with this high stress situation any more, he'd be reduced to tearing out his hair soon, it was already getting hard to keep control of himself, his fingernails itched and ached to release his claws, his gums were inflamed as his fangs tried to come out and he couldn't keep his back still with the heavy weight of his wings, which moved under his skin constantly, reminding him every moment of the day that they could rip out of his back in a spray of blood at a moment's notice and there'd be nothing he could do about it once that happened, he and his family would be exposed, he'd put them all in danger, completely ruin their lives, he _needed_ to get more control of himself.

Finished with one piece of homework, he moved onto the next, speeding through it as he just didn't care. Nasta could tear it up in front of him for all he cared now. His weekend was completely booked and the next weekend was just before the exams, which started a week Monday, he just didn't care anymore.

"You're up early." Blaise said tiredly, emerging from the bedroom on wobbly, still asleep legs and going to the kitchenette.

Harry nodded. "I couldn't sleep."

"Me either." Blaise sighed as he made a coffee for himself from his secret stash of coffee grounds he hid in an empty food tin, Nasta knew about it but didn't let on to Blaise that he knew about it, leaving Blaise to think he was being sneaky when he really wasn't. Harry smiled softly to himself, but broke off when Blaise brought him a fresh cup of honey tea over.

Blaise sat next to him and threw an arm over his shoulder and kissed him.

"I'm sorry about yesterday. I love you and I never meant to hurt you, not at all mio amore. How are your fingers?"

"Fine, how's your arm?"

"Stiff, but Madam Pomfrey said it'll be that way for a few days. Are you actually doing homework?"

"Not properly, I don't have the time. The kids have their injections today, I've got the lunch date with Richard tomorrow, when am I supposed to actually sit down and do it all? I'd rather just put any old shit down and focus on getting as much revision as I can get done at this point."

Blaise nodded as he got his own homework out and started where he had left off yesterday.

"You be careful." Harry said with a nudge and a grin. "We don't want that homework taking over your mind again; you might pin me down and fuck me."

Blaise chuckled. "You wish I would."

"So what if I do?" Harry grinned naughtily.

Blaise snorted and pushed him gently, before pulling him into a passionate kiss with a large hand on the back of his neck, their mouths moving against one another, lips parted and pressed firmly together, their tongues licking and twining at one another's continuously as Harry shifted and moved to straddle Blaise's lap, their kiss never breaking for longer than it took to take in a quick breath, their lips still pressed together and their tongues dancing.

"Not interrupting?"

The two of them broke apart huffing and panting to see Nasta cradling Farren in his arms as he moved to boil the kettle and make a bottle for him.

"No, we're apologising for yesterday and making up." Harry told him as he calmed himself down.

The older man nodded approvingly and set up the bottle, all the while Farren wailed in his arms.

"Yesterday should never have happened." Nasta said eventually as he put the bottle teat into Farren's mouth after shaking it vigorously.

"No, it shouldn't have. But it did." Blaise answered. "We can't change that."

"I was so angry with the three of you, but when I saw that you were hurt. I was so afraid. Three of my four mates had attacked one another and two of them were hurt. Do you have any idea what that did to me?" Nasta asked in a small, soft voice. "I wanted to punish all three of you, I was so angry I could have, but seeing you injured terrified me and I had to get you help as soon as possible. I was so conflicted between fear and anger. I know we've all been under pressure, we've all been feeling the strain, but I thought we were better than this, I never would have believed you three capable of attacking one another as soon as my back was turned. I wouldn't have left yesterday if I'd had even a hint that this might have happened. You _attacked_ one another!"

Harry bowed his head and bit his lip. He hadn't thought how it might have looked or felt to Max and Nasta as they came home after a fun afternoon in the shade of a tree with the kids to find their rooms wrecked and three bruised, bleeding young men in the middle of the carnage, two of them with broken bones.

"I'm sorry." Harry said quietly and sincerely as he slipped onto his own chair once again.

"No, sorry isn't enough Harry, you have to promise me that this will _never_ happen again. Never."

"I promise. I have no idea what came over me. I was just so angry and so frustrated; I wanted everything to just go away."

"I didn't even see Harry join in." Blaise admitted. "It was just me and Draco. He started on me and I just leapt at him, so I take full responsibility for starting the physical fight if you want someone to punish for that."

"I think you've punished yourself enough." Nasta sighed. "But you have to stop acting like children or animals. I know you're young and have limited control, but you can't behave like this when we have children about."

"Trust me, I know. They didn't even come to mind." Harry said. "I think it was only because you had removed them from the rooms that I even considered joining the fight instead of tearing them a new one over actually fighting in the rooms. If the kids had been here, I would have done the same as I did the last time a fight broke out in these rooms I think. Thankfully no travel cots were demolished this time."

"I'm sorry too." Blaise said. "It should never have gotten that bad, but I reached breaking point when Draco started on me, I couldn't stop myself."

"I hope it's all out of your systems now, we'll be in public later today."

"We're not going to start brawling in public!" Blaise hissed, offended at the very suggestion. "No matter what I'm still a Pureblood and I was raised a Pureblood!"

Harry snorted. "Don't start quoting blood supremacy now Blaise, I might have to chop your hands off."

Blaise snorted and pulled him into a hug.

"I never would with you Bello. I'm officially classed as a creature now anyway, as is Draco; we can hardly slate you for not being Pureblooded when we're now considered half breeds."

Draco walked into the living room just in time to hear that last and he huffed affronted. Harry chuckled.

"Don't worry love; we're all the same, all half breeds." Blaise snorted at the look on Draco's face.

"Call me a half breed again Potter and see what happens to you."

Harry grinned. "What are you going to do?" He teased. "Nasta is stood right there."

Draco sent a glare to said man as he stumbled to the kettle to make tea. Nasta finished feeding Farren and burped him, sitting him on his hip as he came over to the table Harry and Blaise were sat at.

He sat down himself with Farren on his lap, facing towards the table. Harry was instantly distracted as he leant over the table and started pulling faces and letting Farren hold his fingers as he wiggled them and babbled to him.

Max's chuckle was the only thing to bring him out of the game, cutting over Farren's loud, happy giggling.

He had both Calix and Braiden in his arms and Harry smiled at him. Holding his arms out for Braiden as he went to get Calix a bottle. Draco had Braiden's smooth cereal already in the little bowl and was heating it with his wand carefully and checking it every few seconds to make sure it was warm enough, but not too hot for Braiden's little mouth.

When it was ready he levitated it over, which made Farren and Braiden screech in laughter and made Harry shake his head as he grabbed the bowl from the air and fed Braiden on his lap, letting Blaise take the spoon now and then to feed their son a mouthful between paragraphs in his essay.

"You are a gorgeous boy." Blaise cooed to Braiden lovingly. "You are my precious baby boy and I love you."

"Da la." Braiden cooed back, slapping his chubby little hands on the table top in joy.

Harry chuckled and pushed the spoon into Braiden's mouth, of course he still didn't open his mouth wide enough, so most of the smooth goo ended up on his chin, but he laughed as Blaise pulled a face at him, which made Harry smile widely. This is what he wanted mornings to be like, not them all being so stressed that the children had to be taken away from them and they ended up breaking into physical fights at each other's throats, this is what mornings should be like and he'd strive for it to always be like this in future. After the exams were over that was, all bets were off before they were over and done with.

* * *

The hospital was noisy and busy today and Harry hated it as he sat with Max and Nasta in the paediatrics ward of Saint Mungos, the disinfectant smell tickling his nose and throat aggravatingly. Again Draco and Blaise stayed home with Leolin, hoping that the two or so hours extra of almost complete peace to do their homework and revision would keep them in their good moods from that morning.

People were staring at them and whispering about them, one person had even tried to take a photo of them sat in the waiting room before Max had shouted out that they were in a damned hospital and to have some respect for others. The orderlies had rushed the shocked, blinking woman away quickly, chastising her that photography was prohibited in all parts of the hospital, as Harry sat between his mates, Braiden and Farren on his lap, Nasta held Tegan and Regan and Max was pretending to eat a hysterically laughing Calix.

The wait always made him feel nervous and he couldn't stop his knee from jumping under Braiden, but it just made his sons giggle at the movement, at least they could be happy and not nervous about what was to come, but he was sure they'd learn soon enough, he had very intelligent children after all.

"It'll be alright love." Nasta assured him.

"I hate seeing them in pain, seeing Braiden after his vaccinations alone was bad, seeing four of them screaming themselves hoarse was worse, now all five of them are going to be at it all afternoon." Harry said softly, squeezing the two boys on his lap and putting his head down between theirs so he could kiss each one in turn.

"It has to be done." Max said softly, pulling his head in for a kiss.

"I know that, it doesn't mean I have to like it though."

"I'm going to the bathroom a moment, where's the nappy bag? I believe Regan needs an urgent nappy change before they declare this hospital a hazardous area." Nasta said suddenly, pulling a face.

Max handed over the nappy bag laughing and Nasta handed over Tegan.

"If we're not here when you get back, we'll be in the Healer's office, so just come on in, okay?" Harry said, chuckling.

"Of course." Nasta answered with a nod before setting off to the bathroom around the corner.

"It really will be alright. Just think of the headache Draco alone would give you if we didn't get them vaccinated. It'll be worse than all of us screaming together after a Dragon Pox vaccination."

Harry laughed and bumped his shoulder against Max's.

"I love you, but you're so daft some times." Harry said with a smile to take the bite out of his words.

"I know. I can't help it. It's the way I was brought up; my Dad Richard was a very, very big influence on me."

"A very bad influence if you ask Myron." Harry chuckled.

Max's grin widened. "He loves the mayhem really. He always hated it when the house was too quiet; it gave him too much time to think about the bad stuff."

Harry's smile turned sad. "Have you spoken to him lately?"

"Yesterday. He's fine, he asked if you're still meeting Richard tomorrow and I said of course you are, you were asleep and I didn't want to wake you up, you are still going aren't you?"

"Of course." Harry said with a nod. "I need to get it over and done with Max, I want that part of my life to finally close. I haven't had a flashback in a while, but I…I haven't said anything about it as I didn't want anyone to fuss, but I get…nightmares about them, I don't know why this is all coming up now, but it is and I'm remembering more and more the longer I think about it."

"That's usually how it works." Nasta said as he sat back down with a happily gurgling Regan. "The safer you feel love, the more the bad stuff comes out. It's actually a good thing, it means you feel safe with us and feel able to now deal with the bad memories you suppressed early on."

Harry sighed. "I wish the nightmares weren't so bad though."

"Is that why you're always awake so early lately?" Max asked concernedly.

"Sometimes, not this morning though, this morning it was the fight with Blaise and Draco, I felt like scum for hurting the both of them so violently and I just couldn't sleep."

Nasta sighed and threw his spare arm around him. "You're not scum love, I wish the three of you hadn't fought so viciously and violently, but the stress and tension of the last month has been building steadily and surely, it was bound to blow over some when, I just hope we're done with the fighting. I don't like knowing that you can be reduced to fist fighting when I'm not there to intervene, or that you're so angry, upset or completely frustrated enough to trade blows, it means I'm not doing my job as top dominant properly if you feel that way."

"You're an amazing top dominant love." Harry assured.

"Of course you are, I wouldn't want your job." Max said.

"You wouldn't survive being top dom." Harry chuckled. "You wouldn't be able to handle me in one of my moods, let alone Blaise in the mood he's in at the moment."

Max grinned. "I'm glad I don't have to. He's an absolute horror at the moment."

Nasta rolled his eyes, but was saved from answering as the Healer came out and called for them to come into his office. Harry stood up and licked his lips.

"Come on love, it'll be fine." Nasta encouraged as Max walked on ahead. Harry blew out a breath and walked down the corridor.

"Good morning, how are you all today?" Healer Nasser asked, looking at them from over his clipboard as they walked into the paediatric Healer's office.

"Fine." Harry answered as he sat Braiden onto the bed; the sides were high and made of a soft mesh to stop the infant patients from rolling or falling off while the Healer worked.

"Five Dragon Pox vaccines today, yes? One at a nine month dosage and four at a four month dosage, is that correct?" He asked, reading off of the clipboard as he checked the sealed bottles of vaccine on the desk and lined them up, a sealed needle lying innocently next to each one.

"Yes Healer."

"Right, I can see you want this over with as quickly as possible, but if you're agreeable, we need their heights and weights and a general check-up for their medical records."

Harry sighed and nodded. "Can we do that first, before they're all screaming?"

"Of course Mister Potter." The Healer nodded.

He took out his wand from the pocket of his lime green overcoat and took measurements of each baby quickly and easily.

"They're not exposed to much magic are they?" He asked approvingly.

"No, we try to keep all magic away from them and only use it on them directly in emergencies, but still very sparingly, the school itself is filled with so much magic, so we try to live without magic as much as possible."

The Healer nodded. "That's good and very mature and responsible of you. You don't know how many parents come in here with children that are almost permanently damaged by magical overload because they either refuse to live without magic or don't know they have to. I don't care how young the couple is, there is no excuse for such negligence. If you can be bothered to have a baby, you need to be bothered to learn how to care for them properly."

Harry smiled as one by one the babies were measured and weighed and checked over, and then came the hard part. The actual vaccinations.

Braiden was up first and Harry held him still as Max pulled faces at him to keep him as distracted as possible. Healer Nasser held his arm still as he slid the loaded needle under his skin gently, he pushed the plunger down and emptied the syringe and then drew the needle out quickly and only then did Braiden draw in a large breath and he started screaming as loudly and as hysterically as he could, scarcely taking another breath before exhaling it, crying as quickly as his little lungs could manage.

Harry put Farren down for his injection as he picked up Braiden and shushed him to no effect, bouncing him and trying to calm him down as a smear of potion was put over the vaccination site by an efficient Healer Nasser and a tiny little dot of a colourful plaster with little moving snitches on it.

Nasta put Regan down on the bed behind Farren and held the older baby still as his own vaccination was administered and Harry found himself with another crying baby in his arms, one on either side of his neck, pulling at his hair, making wet trails all the way down his neck and to his chest.

Regan went next and Nasta cuddled him as he cried hysterically and Max put Tegan down and held Calix for his injection, before handing the screaming boy over to Nasta and held Tegan for her injection and at long last it was all over and done with, all five of them screaming and crying, leaving an apologetic looking Healer who smiled softly at them.

"I am sorry about that; at least you won't have to get them all done together anymore. The highest number of babies under three I've ever had to do at once before was four; I don't envy any of you lads." Healer Nasser said with a smile before he gave a rue chuckle "You know because of you, I've never been busier with vaccination appointments, making babies cry has become a daily occurrence for me."

"Do I apologise for that?" Harry asked jokingly.

"Absolutely not, trust me when I say I've never been happier to be busy. When…when you've heard a child screaming and dying from Dragon Pox, you never forget and I know you think it's bad with them crying now, but it's nothing to what they're like when they're dangerously fevered, so very sick and dying from Dragon Pox. I'm so grateful to you for manning up and bringing all of your children for the vaccinations, even if you hate the publicity and the media, in this case, it's been a gift, so many children are being vaccinated, it's tripled in the last few months alone, we saw an increase immediately after your firstborn had his first vaccine, but when you kept coming back and even brining your younger four for their vaccinations, that's when the appointment cards took off. Parents are finally bringing in their children, adults who were never vaccinated are booking appointments and I want to thank you personally for that, all of you. Hopefully we'll see the number of Dragon Pox cases declining over the next decade and I hope to never encounter another child with such a disease."

"What…" Harry stopped and licked his lips. "I know this will be a hard question for you to answer, but what was the youngest patient you've ever had with Dragon Pox?"

Healer Nasser smiled sadly, his grey eyes shadowed with grief and pain. "The youngest I've had was a little girl and I'll never forget her for as long as I live, she was five months old and she didn't stop crying until the very end. She held on for three days, as bad as it sounds, I prayed for her to meet her end quicker, but she lingered and fought and there was nothing we could do to help her, we had to watch her die slowly and painfully, fevered beyond belief, she felt like a naked flame to the touch. It's nothing I would ever wish on an adult, but on a child." The Healer shook his head and swallowed painfully. "No, I am so grateful that you have spurred people to vaccinate their children too, there's no excuse, Dragon Pox is a vile disease and once you already have it, there's nothing we can do to help, that should be enough to get parents off their backsides and get them to vaccinate their children, but people never think it'll happen to them, they brush aside all the warnings and statistics in favour of burying their heads in the sand, but when it does happen to them or their families they look to us to help, but the only defence against Dragon Pox is vaccinating everyone before they get it, otherwise there is nothing else we can do by try to make their passing easier and more comfortable."

Harry held his crying children tighter and breathed in deeply. He nodded his head to the Healer decisively.

"We'll see you in four months for Braiden's next dose, Healer Nasser." He said strongly and he couldn't help smiling back as the Healer's face broke into a soft smile at his declared words.

"I'll see you in four months Mister Potter."

* * *

Harry spent the next four hours having tears and snot rubbed into his shoulders and neck as he tried to calm down five screaming babies in the bedroom.

Calix, as his smallest, and though he hated to admit it, his weakest child after Leolin, cried himself to sleep quickly, followed by Regan and then Tegan, but Braiden and Farren were still going strong and Harry didn't know what else he could possibly do for them.

He collapsed onto the bed and pulled Farren into one side and Braiden into the other, snuggling them and letting them clutch and tug at him as they wailed, screamed, cried and then finally they tapered off into exhausted grizzles and whines.

He felt drained and completely wrung out as an hour and a half later the room was quiet and Farren and Braiden slept fitfully on either side of him. He eased out from between them, before carrying them both down the stairs carefully and placed Farren into his cot, before going into the nursery and putting Braiden into his own cot.

He turned on the two baby monitors, the one in the nursery and the one on the side table behind the four cots in the bottom part of the bedroom. He carried the two, colour coded, monitors into the living room and collapsed onto the settee.

Max pulled him into his side and Draco handed him a cup of tea a few minutes later.

"How are they?" Blaise asked softly.

"All sleeping for now, hopefully they'll sleep for a while and wake up feeling better, but at least that's over with for now, Braiden doesn't need another one for four months, the four quins don't need one for five months."

"It'll all be worth it once they're completely vaccinated." Draco told him.

Harry nodded strongly. "Yes, yes it will. Completely worth it, no child of mine will ever have Dragon Pox. Speaking of which, Nas, when can we vaccinate Leolin?"

Nasta shook his head. "Not for a while Harry, the vaccinations will only end up killing him, they're too strong for his body to handle, it would probably end up _giving_ him Dragon Pox than doing its job in preventing him from getting it."

"What if he gets Dragon Pox _before_ he's old enough and strong enough to get vaccinated?" Harry asked something which had been playing on his mind for a while now with a crumpled frown.

Nasta came and sat on his other side and held his hands gently, playing with them for a moment as he gathered his thoughts, before looking up at him with a sad look in his eyes.

"If he gets Dragon Pox love, then we'll just have to make him as comfortable as we can. This is the danger of us having Faerie babies Harry, you know four in ten Faerie babies don't even make it to their first year and out of the remaining six, only two of them will even reach adulthood. Their immune systems are next to non-existent while they are children, any bugs, viruses or diseases floating around and he will get it and it's highly likely that it'll kill him. His body won't be able to fight them off."

"But what can we do?!" Harry asked desperate and teary.

"Nothing Harry." Nasta told him sadly. "There's nothing we can do."

* * *

The next morning Harry was a bit despondent as he looked at the large, deep bruises on his children's arms. Apart from the hysterical crying afterwards and the knowledge that the vaccines hurt his tiny babies, it was the bruises that the vaccinations left behind that he hated the most.

He refused to let Leolin go as he cradled him gently in his arms, talking to him softly and encouraging him to talk or at the very least babble, but Leolin just laid there in his arms, looking at him through the deep, bright gold coloured eyes that Harry adored.

Harry traced the sharp nose, the tiny lips and the thin face. He hated that Leolin wasn't chubby like all of the others, but Nasta had coached him to give it time, Leolin was still in the premature stage of his life as he had been born three months early and a lot of his body's healing and growing had gone into his underdeveloped wings in that first month of life, which had set him back by a lot. He would remain in the premature stage for at least another two months and then Harry hoped he would start to gain some much needed weight and height, it was disconcerting to hold a baby the same size as premature month old baby when you knew he was actually four months old and putting him next to the other quins was worse.

"He's not going anywhere." Nasta told him softly, sitting next to him and putting an arm around his shoulder.

"I know that, I just…" Harry trailed off, not sure what he felt or what his reasoning for holding onto Leolin so tightly was.

"I didn't mean he's going to get up and leave or one of us will take him away from you, I mean he's not going anywhere. We're not going to let him leave us Harry." Nasta told him sternly and surely and Harry swallowed hard.

"How do we control that?" Harry asked softly.

"We don't. We can't control what's going to happen, so we don't control it, but we have faith and we have intelligence. We're not going to be stupid like other parents of Faerie children, we're going to look after him properly love, because to do any less would be to put the blame at our feet for his death and I can't allow that to happen. If one of us is sick, we take no chances, even if it's just a sniffle or a feeling of general unwellness, tell someone else to tend to him, even in the middle of the night, we do not handle him as what is just a sniffle to us, could be a full blown, fatal fever to him. If one of the kids gets sick, like Tegan was, we need to remove him from them, we take no chances with his health or his life and if we can manage that, then I'm sure we can get him safely to adulthood where his immune system will become impenetrable."

Nasta pressed a kiss to Leolin's soft head and then moved to kiss Harry.

"I can't bear the thought of losing him."

"I know love, but imagine being a Faerie, having a Faerie lover and only being able to have Faerie babies. Imagine their fear as they try to raise their children, any one of them they can lose at any moment. It's hard for Faeries to conceive, it's why they were so sceptical that we had had a Faerie baby, I'm only a fifth generation carrier of the gene and you're nothing, no Faerie genes at all, only dragon genes as they call it. Faerie couples have trouble conceiving Harry; you can imagine their surprise and doubt that we had had a Faerie child when their own can't have one easily."

"We'll show them." Harry said as he looked lovingly to Leolin's little face, that was drooping with sleepiness. Though he was awake for longer these days, Leolin still spent most of his time sleeping.

Harry didn't worry or begrudge him of that, sleep was the best thing for Leolin, it helped him develop and grow, and though his social skills were being battered by the constant sleep and his communication skills were non-existent, Harry tried to calm down about it. Leolin would learn in his own time and as soon as he had a spare moment, he'd tear through those books that Aneirin had given them from the Faerie libraries and learn all he could, for now though, the only books he needed to go near were Transfiguration and Herbology.

* * *

Harry was nervous as he sat opposite Richard in the small restaurant. He had a small glass of wine in his hand that he was sipping on. Nasta would have thrown a fit, but Richard said it was alright and would help calm him down and he swore not to tell Nasta with a wink.

They had ordered a light lunch, but Harry's eyes kept slipping to the leather bound notebook by Richard's hand all throughout the meal, licking his lips and biting it harshly in slight fear and nervousness as he picked at his food.

"Just calm down Harry, this is a formal chat, I know, I am here in a business capacity, but you are still my youngest son and I want to help you."

Harry sighed and reached a hand out to grip his glass and took a gulp. He breathed deeply, let it out and took another gulp.

"Okay. I'm ready. What do you need?"

"Okay Harry, any time you feel uncomfortable, just say and we'll take a break."

Harry nodded his understanding and prepared himself, mentally and physically as he settled himself in the chair as if expecting a blow.

"My team and I have been asking everyone who has even had a slight contact with you about what they remember, neighbours, teachers, everyone we could track down. Your old teachers said you were a bright, happy little boy, but one teacher was of profound interest of ours. A Mister Payne."

Harry smiled in remembrance. "He always looked out for me on the playground; I always stuck close to him when he was on playground duty."

"He remembers the bright smiles and the happy little boy, but he also noticed the sad eyes behind the smile. He said it was like you were wearing a mask, at such a young age too. He told my work partner that your cousin liked singling you out, alienating you from the other students so you were always alone."

Harry nodded. "Dudley had a knack for doing that. He intimidated a lot of the other students because he was bigger and heavier than them and he had them too frightened to even speak to me."

"We've noticed that about him as we've spoken to other children around the area. Particularly a Mark Evans, who seemed terrified to even hear Dudley's name mentioned. It's all painted a picture of a terrible, evil little boy who happily enjoyed bullying other children and animals. One elderly woman insists she saw him stone her cat to death with his hoodlum friends."

"He liked bragging about what he did. A single cat isn't the only animal in that neighbourhood he killed purposefully."

"I dare say it isn't. We have a picture painted of him of a terrible, vile young man, but the defence will likely claim him misunderstood or insist we offer proof of his wrong deeds. We have statements and witnesses, so I'm happy to tell you that your cousin will be looking at a prison sentence, but it might only be three years."

"That'll be more than torture for him."

Richard smiled. "Now, your Aunt and Uncle are currently looking at fifteen years each, we're trying to push that up as much as possible, so we need more information, more damning evidence. The pictures of the bedroom that was yours and the cupboard they kept you in are what have given us those fifteen years apiece, but those bastards deserve worse, so…tell me about any injuries you sustained Harry. You don't have any Muggle medical records after you lost your parents, so that alone is damning, but if you had any broken bones that weren't seen by a professional, any deep cuts that needed stitches that you never had."

"I…I dug these out for you." Harry said as he hesitantly pushed over an old, tattered envelope of photographs.

Richard opened it and pulled them out and he had to use all his professional decorum not to leap over the table and pull Harry into a hug, or to go and beat the bastards in the holding cells to death.

He flipped through each picture of Harry's scarred body, some from when he was very young. They were hideous and he swallowed painfully.

"Who took these photos Harry?" He asked through a dry mouth.

"Hermione and Ron took the ones where I'm older, I took some, but when I was really little it was the neighbour next door, I believe she died a long while ago. She promised to get me help, to get me out of there, she took the photos for evidence, but…but she died before anything could be done. A brain aneurism, completely out of the blue one evening, there was no warning, no helping her, she was just gone."

Richard put the photos down and took Harry's hands. "You're being very brave Harry, this will take their sentence up by a lot, actual physical evidence of the horrors you sustained is going to convince the jury more, I'm glad your inheritance wiped these scars and marks from your body…" Richard stopped and hesitated.

"But from a professions point of view you'd have rathered they still be there." Harry said with a smile, understanding Richard's mind set.

"If you weren't my little baby boy, yes, but as you are, absolutely not, but these…these are like gold to us Harry. I can't tell you how pleased I am that we have these photographs."

Harry smiled softly. "I thought you'd need them. I keep them buried in the bottom of my trunk. None of the others have seen them, I don't want them too."

"These are all horrific, where did you get them?"

Harry took several of the photos that clearly showed scars and lined them up. "These are all magical, the one on the bend of my elbow there is from the Basilisk fang going through my arm in second year, the gouges on my shoulder here are from the dragon in the tri-wizard tournament in my fourth year. The funny looking scar on my leg is from an Acromantula from the same year. Those scars are from when Voldemort possessed me the year after the dragon and giant spider, there was broken glass on the floor and he made me roll and writhe in it before I destroyed him. I didn't actually feel those over the splitting pain in my skull, but the damage was still done whether I felt it or not at the time."

"There are a lot more scars that aren't magical, tell me about those."

Harry licked his lips and went to one of the oldest photographs. "I remember this one clearly, it's the first time I ever got hit, I was eight, I fell on a rake." Harry said as he showed the picture of the little circular scars on his back, near to his left side.

"What sort of hit was it?" Richard asked as he put a number on the back of the photo and made a notation in his notebook. "Was it a slap, a punch, a push?"

"A backhand." Harry said softly. "It was too powerful and I fell onto a rake in the garden."

"Just to clarify, you did not receive any medical attention for that wound, did you? Not even a Tetanus vaccine from falling on a dirty rake?"

Harry shook his head. "No. They never took me to see a doctor, sometimes if it was really bad, Aunt Petunia would throw a couple of bandages at me and push me into the bathroom to clean up, but that was only in rare circumstances and I had to clean the bathroom afterwards."

Richard swallowed and took a sip of his wine, which he had hidden a few drops of calming draught inside. He had known he would need it, but hearing that Harry had gone through such horrors, he wanted to hurt someone, he felt so angry, so pained for Harry and his shattered childhood.

He squeezed his hand into a tight fist under the table so Harry couldn't see it, he swore he wouldn't tell Myron about these details until _after_ the Dursley family had been sentenced and locked up and even then, not without a hell of a lot of calming draught, alcohol or sex, maybe all three, to help calm him down, but he shook those thoughts off, thinking of sex with Myron often led him to have a dopey grin on his face and in this circumstance, that would be a disaster. He didn't want Harry to think he was laughing at him or making fun of him. So he instead schooled his face as he was so used to doing in his profession and urged Harry to drink his wine, which also had a few drops of calming draught in it.

"Did you ever have any broken bones?"

Harry sighed. "That's a harder question. I was a kid; I didn't know the difference between a break, a fracture, a dislocation or just a deep bruise. It was all just pain and hurt."

"Do you have a better clarification now?" Richard asked patiently, understanding perfectly that this was hard for Harry to talk about.

"I'm sure I broke my arm once, Dudley pulled it back too far and I heard a crack, but I was really young and I can't be sure. It's one of the only times Aunt Petunia bandaged me up herself, she tied it very tightly and told me that if I touched it or took it off I wouldn't get breakfast."

"Was…was food often used as a punishment?" Richard asked softly, hesitating only slightly. He was too close to Harry not to be affected by what he was hearing, he would have been affected by it if he _didn't_ know Harry personally, maybe he should have taken his partner up on the offer of doing the interview, but he had known that Harry wouldn't talk to a stranger about this and he wouldn't abandon Harry to struggle through these horrors on his own.

"Yes, it was threatened at least twice a day on average."

"How often was the threat actually carried out?"

Harry shrugged. "It differed from week to week, but I missed at least two or three meals every week and when I was fed, it was just a piece of bread and a plastic beaker of water."

"That's all? You never had anything different?"

Harry shrugged. "I was sometimes allowed to finish what Dudley left or didn't want if I hadn't done anything they considered bad that day, but as he got older, he ate everything and there was never anything left."

"You mentioned before that you would eat grass?"

Harry blushed and ducked his head. "Yeah. When it first started happening, I was always so hungry that when I was sent into the garden to weed or just to be out of their way I took to eating the grass and drinking the water from the hose, which often made me sick, so I had to stop that, but the grass was okay once I got over the strange taste and texture, but it never kept me full for long, no matter how much of it I ate."

"When did this start Harry, how old were you?"

"About seven I think."

"What is the longest period of time they kept you without food? This is a very serious question Harry, so I need you to think carefully." Richard stressed.

"When I was younger it was a couple of days if I was locked in my cupboard, I guess they just forgot about me, but when I was older, it was a week sometimes before I got anything, when I started Hogwarts, particularly after second year and the cat flap was installed, I got small, regular meals, one a day, something small, a bowl of soup, bread, maybe an apple or an overripe pear."

"As a teenager you'd only get a piece of fruit for an entire day?"

Harry shrugged and nodded.

"We're you locked in your room all the time?"

Harry nodded again. "All day every day, all night, every night."

"This is a very invasive question Harry, I know, but what about when you needed the bathroom."

"I was allowed to use it at around midday, if my Aunt remembered to let me out."

"If she didn't remember?"

Harry blushed but shrugged it off. "I'd have to hold myself."

"What is the longest time you've gone without the use of a bathroom Harry?"

"Three days and I was only let out because I hammered hell out of the door. I got punished for that."

Richard focused on writing that down and not doing or showing anything else. He breathed deeply and pushed it out through his nose, trying desperately to calm himself. Maybe he should have put more than a few drops of the Calming Draught into the wine glasses.

He went back to the pictures Harry had brought and pulled out one that showed a horrific bruise that covered Harry's stomach and the right side of his hip and side. Harry was very young in the photo. He scanned the other photos and deduced that it was a photo that looked to show Harry at his youngest.

"How old are you in this one Harry?" He asked, pushing the picture towards Harry so he could see it.

"Six." Harry answered, which was honestly a lot older than Richard had thought he was, it seemed the effects of Harry's abuse and mistreatment were much more apparent before he started Hogwarts. "Dudley had gotten a new cricket bat for his birthday and tested it out on me. The woman next door that I told you about, she saw the bruises as I was thrown into the garden as punishment for ruining Dudley's birthday by crying and I was trying to tend to my own wounds and she took that photo, that's when she got involved in everything. She never confronted the Dursleys though, she said she was going to save up the evidence and go straight to the police, I think she was more afraid than she let on, it took years of collecting photos and evidence, all the while I was being beaten, starved and attacked as she baked cookies and watched her favourite afternoon TV shows, I was right next door terrified, hungry and praying for a glimpse of hope and when she died she still hadn't gone to the police, so with her death, my hopes went also and I resigned myself to being in that house until I was old enough to leave, they threw me out, or I died."

Richard breathed deeply and his heart ached for Harry. He couldn't think of what he must have felt, to have salvation so close at hand, only for it to never quite go that last inch, then to have it ripped away so completely and firmly. He steeled his iron resolve; these beasts were not going to get away with what they had done to Harry, to _his_ little son. He'd push and push and fight every single moment to have them locked up for ever. He'd accept absolutely nothing less than that.

They slowly went through all the photos that Harry had brought with him, ordering more wine, though he made sure it wasn't too much, and by the end Richard wanted to grind his teeth in anger and frustration, how could anyone not notice these bruises and scars on a child's body? He failed to believe that only one person in fifteen years had noticed the bruises, the scarring, the obvious malnutrition and neglect that surrounded Harry. It wasn't possible!

"Right Harry, you've done amazing and I know you're tired and fed up and want this to be over, we're almost done, I promise. You've been so brave and have given us a lot to work with, I'm confident we can get them on a higher charge now thanks to this evidence. I'm so proud of you."

Harry puffed up slightly at that, his Dracken particularly liked the praise that was given to him. Richard smiled indulgently at him as he noticed and he chuckled, ruffling Harry's already messy hair. Harry had run his hand through it so many times Richard had wondered several times if it was going to stay stuck up like he had used a heavy duty hair styling potion.

"You're a good boy. I love you very much and have never been happier to have you as my youngest son. Now, this is going to be hard for you sweet one, but these next few questions are about sexual abuse."

"I've never been raped." Harry burst out immediately. "I wouldn't have been able to have children otherwise."

Richard smiled sadly. "I know that love, but sexual abuse covers a lot more than just rape, I know it's hard and difficult, but did anyone ever touch you where you didn't want them too?"

Harry shook his head furiously. "They thought I was dirty and contagious, they didn't hit me often, like I said. They wouldn't willingly touch me unless I had done something really bad; or rather what they thought was really bad."

Richard was so angry at that, that they made Harry feel so dirty that he couldn't be touched, that he deserved it because he was a naughty child, Harry had quoted the term 'born bad' several times and it made him clench his hand so tightly he almost drew blood, but he was so relieved to hear that none of them had ever sexually abused him, so very, very glad that that particular horror was spared from Harry, even if nothing else had been.

"Has anyone else ever touched you against your wishes?"

"Only Nott, but I doubt he counts after what I did to him for it, there was no one else. I wasn't in any after school activities, my teachers were always nice and when I got to Hogwarts I was always with Ron and Hermione. I wasn't sexually active before Blaise and I didn't really think about it before him either. I never wanted to touch anyone sexually and I hope they never wanted to with me either. Blaise was my first for many things and I was terrified, he was so kind and gentle with me, I think if it had been near enough anyone else, I wouldn't have been able to do it without the heat cycle and that was something I really wanted to do. I was determined to 'keep my mind' during that first time, I'm glad it was Blaise."

Richard chuckled and smiled. "Right, I think we've covered everything and I've taken up enough of your time. Max'll be having kittens if I don't get you home in time for dinner, but thank you Harry, you've done a lot for me today, but most of all, you've done a lot for yourself and I've never been prouder of you."

Harry smiled at that as Richard packed up his notebook, the photos, his pens and pencils, all into a stylish briefcase. They both stood and Richard wrapped an arm around him and led him out of the restaurant, paying the bill on the way out, much to Harry's protest, but he was shut down by Richard telling him that sons didn't pay for meals with their family and if Richard held him a little bit tighter and closer than usual on the walk out, Harry didn't mention it or begrudge him of that.

Harry couldn't believe it was almost dinner time though, they'd been talking in the restaurant for five and a half hours and Harry was feeling drained and tired, a familiar feeling lately, but he was glad he had done it and it was all over with now, he just missed his children and his mates and he wanted to get home.

Richard took him to a less crowded area and slipped down a deserted alleyway, he took hold of Harry's arm, pulled him into a tight bear hug and twisted on the spot.

Harry landed heavily and Richard pulled him up and held him tighter as he got his bearings and his legs back under him.

He breathed deeply and Richard set them off walking down Hogsmeade and through the gates to Hogwarts. They chatted quietly together, normal conversation this time, mostly about the children, but Harry asked after Myron, Caesar, Amelle and Eleonora and the three girls, Julinda, Talia and Alayla. He did not ask about Ashleigh and Richard noticed, even if he didn't say anything about it or call Harry up on it, he decided then and there to up his ante on his Wife and he made sure to make a mental reminder to tell Myron about it. They had to do something or they would end up alienating their children, all of them, and his heart wouldn't be able to handle the pain of it.

They reached Harry's rooms and went inside to complete chaos. The room was a mess, nearly every child was crying or screaming bar Braiden, who had tear tracks on his face, but was crawling slowly through the mess and debris, getting very close to a table full of half empty mugs of tea, three of the four mates were trying to calm down the kids and Max was trying to cook while also feeding Leolin.

"What in Merlin's name happened here?!" Harry demanded as he rushed to scoop Braiden up as the nine month old sat up and pulled on a dangling piece of fabric, a discarded school tie, which pulled three half full mugs towards his face.

Richard just laughed. "It looks like they've missed a Mother's touch."

"Max and Nasta are used to looking after them for seven or eight hours a day, I've been gone for a maximum of six. I'll reiterate, what happened?"

"Blaise happened." Draco huffed. "He's possessed, I swear it."

Blaise scowled and turned away, trying to calm Farren.

"He's not possessed; he's just trying to do his school work." Harry defended. "That doesn't explain why this place is a tip and why every child is upset and crying."

Blaise sighed. "I lost my temper with Max and shouted at him, it startled the children."

Harry stopped and took a deep, calming breath; he let it out and took a step towards Blaise.

"Are you telling me that you shouted in front of my babies loud enough to frighten them to tears?" Harry demanded softly.

"Oh hell, he's doing that quiet shouting, that soft, I'm going to kill you tone, you better run Blaise." Richard told him seriously. "Myron uses that tone too, right before he ties me to the bed and leaves me there all alone for the day."

That made Harry chuckle and though he didn't see it, Richard winked to the four men over Harry's head with a grin.

"Right, this is my cue to leave you to the domestics, I'll see you lads later, Max, your Dad wants to hear from you soon, Caesar wants to talk to you and would it kill you to write to your sisters every once in a while? All I get is nag, nag, nag, Max hasn't written to me in a month, Max is being distant, Max is losing touch with us, please, for all the love you hold for me, save your poor Dad and write to those harpies!"

Max laughed loudly and Harry chuckled, he started taking his children from his mates and settling them all on the settee, he kept Braiden with him, as he was more mobile than the others, but put him down when all of them were settled on the settee.

Max saw Richard out and Harry started entertaining his children with a puppet show with two teddies he scrounged from the mess on the floor.

"I'm not doing this to entertain you lot too, I want this room clean. Now." He said as he looked over and saw his mates watching him as well.

That set them off as Max went to finish dinner and clean up the kitchen and lay the table and the other three went around the living room, cleaning everything up, even Draco, which Harry felt accomplished over and a little bit of pride was thrown in there too. He snorted, proud of his lover because he was cleaning, he was going soft.

Braiden snatched a dancing teddy from him and a fuzzy leg went right into his mouth. Harry laughed and picked up another teddy and carried on the pantomime, Calix giggling hysterically and the sound made Harry giggle too, which turned into deep laughter as Calix laughed so hard he lost his balance and fell forward.

That made all of them laugh as Harry pushed him back up and kissed his cheeks, his little face flushed a bright red, his gummy grin on display, his little tongue visible through his open mouth.

"Can someone get a picture of him please?" Harry asked, unwilling to look away from Calix, giving him serious eye contact and grinning back at his dainty son.

"Already done." Max told him as he lightly gripped Calix's red apple cheek between a finger and thumb. "You are gorgeous and your laugh is infectious." He told him as he jiggled the full cheek so very gently, which got a screech of absolute delight.

Harry chuckled and kissed all of the kids.

"Have they all been fed?"

"Leolin was the last." Nasta nodded.

"Then these little ones should be in bed." Harry said as he picked up Calix and gave him a kiss, carrying him into the bedroom to settle him in his cot.

Once the babies were all in bed, Harry sat down and was served dinner by Max. He kissed him in thanks and tucked in. It didn't take them long to devour dinner and when they were all settled on the settee with tea, Max had joined them after washing up; they all looked at him expectantly.

"Oh no. No, I am not speaking about this." He said quickly. "Absolutely not."

"There's no shame in it Harry." Nasta said calmly.

"That's fine for you to sit there and say! You weren't the one that this happened to!" Harry burst out upset. "The things those people did to me, what they said, Richard almost lost it in the middle of a crowded restaurant, how do you think you lot will react?"

"How long are they looking at now?" Max asked softly.

"Richard said between thirty and thirty-five years. Dudley's looking at five." Harry sighed.

Max's face hardened and it was only then that Harry realised Max had grown up with Richard's cases and likely knew how bad it was if they were looking at thirty-five years apiece prison time.

"Leave it." Harry sighed tiredly.

"It must have been horrific if they're looking at that amount of time Harry, that's on the low end of murder with intent." Max said.

"It was bad, you knew that before."

"Not this bad! What the hell did they do to you?" Max asked angrily before his face fell and went stark white. "They didn't touch you did they? No…please tell me they never touched you like that. I'll KILL THEM!"

"Max! Keep your voice down or you'll wake the kids. They never." Harry interrupted, shaking his head for emphasis. "They never did anything like that, no one has, only Nott and look what he got! No, they thought I was dirty and contagious, they never would have touched me like that."

"You're not dirty or contagious." Draco told him softly, sitting next to him and pulling him into a hug.

"I know that now, but back then I didn't, I thought I was filthy and unworthy of touch, but I was never sexually abused. Never. I consider that worth a bit of emotional turmoil."

Nasta sighed and threw his arms around both Harry and Draco; he kissed the back of Harry's head.

"We love you and if you want to tell us one day, we'll always take the time to listen, but otherwise, push it from your mind, it's over now, you don't have to speak about it again, not until you're in court, but Richard will be right beside you for that."

Harry smiled sadly and a little wistfully. "I'm feeling raw and open at the moment. Richard grilled me for every minute detail and I did my best to answer fully and honestly, it hurt. It hurt me to talk about it, all of it, in exact, gruelling detail; I can't do that again, not yet."

"Oh come here." Max pulled him into a bone crushing hug and Harry laughed. "It'll be alright, those monsters will be in prison soon and you'll never have to worry about them hurting you again."

"I didn't think I had to worry about it now, not with my own personal bodyguards, you four won't let anyone hurt me, will you?"

"Of course not." Blaise said immediately. "Anyone who tries to hurt you will be on the wrong end of my wand."

"That better be your wood wand and not your trouser wand." Max joked.

It took just a moment before Harry got the joke and he laughed loudly.

"I won't let my mates' spear anyone with their wands, those wands are mine!" Harry insisted possessively.

"Is that so? I don't see your name on them!" Max challenged.

"Get me a quill and a pot of ink, in your favourite colour, and I can rectify that, I've never done tattoos before, but I'm sure it'll look alright."

Max went quiet. "Absolutely not!" He said. "You take a quill to mini Max and I'll break your neck."

"Mini Max?" Draco grinned. "Undercutting yourself a bit aren't you Max?"

"If you say so love." Max grinned and then winked with a laugh as Draco went pink.

Draco huffed and crossed his arms. Blaise kissed his cheek and laughed.

"Don't pout Draco, it's unbecoming." He said, before ducking out of the way as Draco aimed an open handed slap at him.

"Don't start." Nasta said seriously.

Harry shook his head and leant back against the settee, closing his eyes. Today had been completely draining and he wasn't lying when he said he was feeling raw. Only one week now and the exams were going to be upon them. He couldn't wait until they were fucking over.

* * *

A/N: We celebrate today, two whole years of consistent, dedicated work and research for The Rise of the Drackens. This day, exactly two years ago, was when the first chapter for this fic was written and posted on Fanfiction and Adultfanfiction and since that day, I have not stopped with this fic.

Everything is meticulously planned, all information is written down, I've created family trees, new characters and people, good and bad, new species of creatures, taken, changed and embellished old species of creatures. Every plot line is measured and weighed and acted upon with forethought of all consequences. This fic and every single chapter is planned to within an inch of its life and I can happily say that I regret nothing about it because of that. Research and planning are the key to the success of this fic, plus the amazing, supportive fan base provided by each and every single one of you readers and reviewers.

This fic has had its low points these past two years, it has been ripped apart by minimal flamers, who are happily ripped apart back, it's been taken down, thus forcing me to change the fic on Fanfiction to include no MA rated material lest it be taken down again and myself permanently banned from the site, it's been copied and plagiarised numerous times, all resulting in the offending authors being reported and their stolen attempts removed, because I do not tolerate plagiarisers of any kind, but when it's my own fic, it's personal and I will fight for what is mine and trust me when I say this fic is wholly and completely mine and anyone who tries to take that from me will be reported and removed quickly and efficiently.

But counter to that, it has had its high points too, the two translations into Spanish and French, every single review milestone has been excitedly and happily celebrated, we are now up to 9,500 reviews, which is absolutely amazing and still stuns me to this day and every other milestone to come will incite just as much excitement as the previous, I'll never get bored or tired of hearing your thoughts and views of this story and every plot twist and chapter within it that I dedicate hours upon hours of my free time to give you.

Unfortunately I doubt we'll be seeing a third year of Rise of the Drackens, at least not one where I'll be actively updating it, as this fic is drawing to a close now, but I will be carrying on through their lives in fits and bursts in the Scaled Bits, as it will be more a collection of scenes jumping around rather than a follow on, chaptered story like this one, but I will be showing life after this fic ends.

So I would like you all to join me in celebrating two whole years of hard work, dedication, research, family, love, lust, babies and, of course, Drackens, with me, with this chapter. I hope you have enjoyed it and I'd like you all to know that I have enjoyed writing every single chapter, every miniscule detail, I have a thing for details as you likely have noticed by now, every minute I've put into this fic has been truly worth it and I'm so very glad I've had you lot to share it with, to share in my hard work and the joy that this brings, all the emotions, good and bad, everything, thank you from the bottom of my heart, everything you readers do is greatly appreciated and I wouldn't have gotten anywhere with this fic without all of you being there with me. Thank you.

**Zana20**: Why would Harry have house elves? No student in Hogwarts have house elves, Harry has lived without them for 17 years, why would he have them when only old, rich Pureblood families have them? Draco's the only one who's had a house elf before and he can learn to live without them.

Drackens are centuries old creatures that are very brutish and hands on, no they will not use magic a lot, especially not in a feral state, they will use their fangs and claws and wings and their brute strength before they stop, take out a stick of flimsy wood that they're more likely to break and use magic, they don't think about it as they're creatures, not humans.

Only Max drives a car and it's because he was fascinated with Muggle transport, not because he's a Dracken, none of the others drive and I assume a lot of wizards go to 'Muggle' food stores as the books do not once mention a wizard food shop, only an ice cream parlour. Where else would they get food from? So no, I don't know what you mean.

**TammyAzraelMalfoy**: No, no. The patches of colour on Harry's wings are random and patchy lovelie. They appear in odd, random places in bursts of coloured scales grouped together, so he could have a patch of blue scales up top, there could be a patch of black or gold scales beneath or beside those, all interspersed with Harry's original white scales, they're not perfect patches either, some could be bigger than others, they're not all circular, they form odd shapes, patterns, some overlap each other or intertwine, actually, take a blank, wing shaped canvas and throw a ton of coloured paints onto it without thinking and it'll probably look a little like that, just as random and colourful.

**Morgan Freewoman**: This is not OOC Remus. I think you need to read the books again. Remus happily left a baby Harry for twelve years without even a card or a visit, he did nothing for Harry in that time, as soon as Sirius came onto the scene, he fucked off again, when Sirius died he did not try to comfort Harry or become a pillar of strength for him, he did next to nothing. He tried to leave his pregnant Wife to go on a mission that would have possibly killed him; I fail to see how he's out of character. He's not, he's perfectly in character to the books, definitely not in character for him in fanon, as he's everyone's teddy bear who can do no wrong, but I'm keeping him canon and in canon he's a coward.

Thank you all to everyone who has read and reviewed, whether you have been here with me for the entire two years this fic has been posted, or for two days, thank you for your continued support and I hope that when I'm finally done with this fic you can all call it a story that you have loved right from the very beginning all the way through to the absolute end,

StarLight Massacre. X


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